AeroFarms CEO and leadership

Marc co-founded AeroFarms with the intention of making healthy, delicious food more accessible to the urban communities around the world. Marc has an extensive marketing background in retail, brand management, and media with leading companies including Toys R Us, L’Oreal, and Turner Broadcasting. He headed up marketing for The Food Emporium, a supermarket chain in the Northeast and for Citarella gourmet markets, that has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Specialty Food Retailers in the United States. An established leader in marketing, he has developed award-winning marketing campaigns that have been recognized by AdWeek, AdAge, Creativity, AICP, and Webby. Marc is a member of the United Fresh Marketing Merchandising Council and the Marketing Advisory Committee of the Food Bank for NYC. He has a B.A. from Columbia College and a M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Ed has over 30 years of agricultural and engineering experience. Ed founded AeroFarms in 2004 as GreatVeggies® LLC before commercializing further in 2009 with cleantech investment from 21 Ventures and The Quercus Trust. A proven leader in technology and the environment, Ed has been recognized with the following awards - 2011 World Technology Awards Finalist for the Environment, 2011 Clean Equity Monaco Runner Up for Technology Research, and 2011 Red Herring Global Top 100 and 2010 Red Herring Top 100 North America Winner. Ed is also a noted agricultural author with articles in leading trade publications like Planetizen, Renewable Energy World, Maximum Yield, Green Tech Media, and The Growing Edge. A former Associate Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension for Agriculture, Ed was responsible for identifying cutting-edge technologies. Ed also has senior management experience as the former CEO of Topline Waikato, Inc. a New Zealand milking equipment supplier. Ed has his B.S. in Microbiology and B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from Colorado State University and Ph.D. in Dairy Science minoring in Artificial Intelligence from University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Proven Operations Executive with 29 years of experience, spanning from shop floor to executive boardroom within former Kraft Foods, Chobani, and Schweid & Sons. A dedicated, high-energy professional proficient in strategy development, operations and project management. Global leadership success in line and staff roles from single production line to multi region responsibility, in resource constraint situations, high growth, and high investment businesses. Known for successes in improving quality, safety, operational efficiencies, and cost of low and highly automated manufacturing networks, including in unionized environments. Led Operations in emerging and developed markets, in turn-around and growth businesses. Developed and implemented lowest landed cost sourcing strategies. Has a track record of managing complex operational challenges ranging from acquisition management to new facility design and start-up. Financially savvy and effective team leader. Strong technical skills and knowledge of numerous food product categories.

In his role as CRO, Mr. Cohen leads farm development and business growth initiatives including the commercialization of new product categories.

Mr. Cohen joined AeroFarms after 37 years at BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), a medical technology company where he served as a member of the BD Executive Leadership Team and a Corporate Officer since 1996. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President for Global Health and President of the BD Foundation, where he leveraged the skills, efficiency and innovation competencies of the business sector to collaborate with international agencies, governments and non-government organizations to strengthen health systems and tackle some of the world’s most challenging health needs and problems, in areas such as safe childhood immunization, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and maternal and newborn health.

Mr. Cohen previously served as Executive Vice President for International Operations at BD, where he had commercial leadership responsibility for all of the company’s regional and country organizations. Prior to that position, he was Executive Vice President of the Medical Segment of BD, with responsibility for about half of the company’s global business revenues.

Mr. Cohen also serves as a board director of UNICEF USA, board Co-Chair of GBCHealth and Chair of the Corporate/CDC Roundtable on Global Health Threats. He is the founder of several social enterprises, such as Together for Girls, a partnership of UN agencies, the governments of the U.S. and Canada, and the national governments of 23 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Central America and the Caribbean to end sexual violence against children. He also founded the Antimicrobial Resistance Fighter Coalition to combat the massive threat of “superbugs” resistant to antibiotics and other commonly used medications, and the Rutgers Institute for Corporate Social Innovation to educate business school students on how to embed positive social impact into their leadership agendas and strategies.

Mr. Cohen holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University, and previously served on the university’s board of trustees.

Guy Blanchard is a Chief Financial Officer at AeroFarms, Owner at Frontier Investment Partners, and Co-Founder at Sunworks Solar and is based in Orinda, California. He has worked as VP:Corporate Finance at GATX CORP, Suumer Intern/Associate at Calpers, and CFO at Jtp Inc.. Guy studied at UC Davis until 1998, UC Davis between 1985 and 1989, and University of California Davis Graduate School of Management between 1996 and 1998.

Maryalice Feinstein is a Chief People Officer at AeroFarms.

Executive and Technology leader for companies in Emerging Technology space. Experience in Lighting, Indoor Agriculture, Solar, Military and Medical Device markets. Successful team leader for R&D, Engineering and Production.

Specialties: LED Lighting, Indoor Agriculture, Solid State Lighting, Military Lighting

Marc co-founded AeroFarms with the intention of making healthy, delicious food more accessible to the urban communities around the world. Marc has an extensive marketing background in retail, brand management, and media with leading companies including Toys R Us, L’Oreal, and Turner Broadcasting. He headed up marketing for The Food Emporium, a supermarket chain in the Northeast and for Citarella gourmet markets, that has been recognized as one of the Top 50 Specialty Food Retailers in the United States. An established leader in marketing, he has developed award-winning marketing campaigns that have been recognized by AdWeek, AdAge, Creativity, AICP, and Webby. Marc is a member of the United Fresh Marketing Merchandising Council and the Marketing Advisory Committee of the Food Bank for NYC. He has a B.A. from Columbia College and a M.B.A. from Columbia Business School.

Ed has over 30 years of agricultural and engineering experience. Ed founded AeroFarms in 2004 as GreatVeggies® LLC before commercializing further in 2009 with cleantech investment from 21 Ventures and The Quercus Trust. A proven leader in technology and the environment, Ed has been recognized with the following awards - 2011 World Technology Awards Finalist for the Environment, 2011 Clean Equity Monaco Runner Up for Technology Research, and 2011 Red Herring Global Top 100 and 2010 Red Herring Top 100 North America Winner. Ed is also a noted agricultural author with articles in leading trade publications like Planetizen, Renewable Energy World, Maximum Yield, Green Tech Media, and The Growing Edge. A former Associate Director of Cornell Cooperative Extension for Agriculture, Ed was responsible for identifying cutting-edge technologies. Ed also has senior management experience as the former CEO of Topline Waikato, Inc. a New Zealand milking equipment supplier. Ed has his B.S. in Microbiology and B.S. and M.S. in Animal Science from Colorado State University and Ph.D. in Dairy Science minoring in Artificial Intelligence from University of Wisconsin-Madison.