Shenandoah Growers Builds New Crop of Seasoned Leaders

Indoor agriculture company Shenandoah Growers, Inc. is powering up for next-level growth with the addition of two seasoned leaders to its executive team. Matthew Ryan, former chief marketing officer for Starbucks, Inc., is Shenandoah’s new CEO and Mike Buckley, previously a SVP of business for Postmates, takes over as CFO.

The indoor farmer’s longtime CEO, Timothy Haydon, is staying with Shenandoah, transitioning to a role providing strategic counsel to the board of directors.

Starbucks isn’t the only marquee company for which the Harvard-educated Ryan worked. He also served as head of brand management for The Walt Disney Co. and is a current board member at Kaiser Permanente. “My career has been shaped and defined by innovative, market-leading companies. Here, the opportunity for growth could be even greater, as Shenandoah Growers is uniquely positioned to deliver against the converging demand for affordable, high-quality and organic produce, and the need to grow it sustainably and reliably,” Ryan said.

Likewise, Shenandoah’s new CFO is adept at propelling high-profile organizations to new growth. In addition to his role at Postmates, Buckley worked for Nike as CFO of Nike Direct and was a managing director at Intel Capital. He is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s general management program. “I was attracted by what Shenandoah Growers has already been able to accomplish through its ‘biology first, technology to scale’ approach, in terms of sales growth and profitability, growth in market share and long-standing retail customer relationships,” Buckley remarked.

“Matt is a proven leader and strategist with an impressive track record of building strong, competitively advantaged brands in roles at Starbucks and Disney. Mike’s sharp business acumen and track record of developing and implementing winning growth strategies at consumer brands like Postmates and Nike make him an incredible asset to our fast-growing company,” said Philip Karp, company president. “Shenandoah Growers is also incredibly fortunate to be retaining the deep institutional knowledge of our outgoing CEO, Tim Heydon. Tim’s vision and steady hand have guided the company’s growth for the past two decades.”

The appointments of Ryan and Buckley follow the addition of Cameron Geiger as COO and Dr. Tessa Pocock as chief science officer at Shenandoah. Geiger is a former Walmart executive with decades of senior experience in technology and end-to-end supply chain roles and Pocock, formerly of Plenty Unlimited Inc., is an expert in lighting and plant biology.

Based in Rockingham, Va., Shenandoah Growers was founded in 1989 and has developed one of the largest commercial indoor organic growing systems in the United States. The company’s “That’s Tasty” brand includes organic, non-GMO, regionally-grown and sustainably-farmed fresh culinary herbs and greens.