Freight Farms announces additions to leadership team

Former Wahlburgers CEO Rick Vanzura is the company’s new CEO with company cofounder Brad NcNamara remaining Freight Farms’ president.

Inside the Greenery, a container farm from Freight Farms
Photo courtesy of Freight Farms

In a press release, Freight Farms has announced that former Wahlburgers CEO Rick Vanzura is the company’s new CEO with company cofounder Brad NcNamara remaining Freight Farms’ president.

Additionally, former eatsa VP of Engineering Jake Felser is the head of engineering at Freight Farms.

The moves follow the company’s strong 2019, where they launched a new farm, the Greenery, and had more than 100 Greenery farms in nine different countries. That ups the company's total farm count above 300 container farms.

Vanzura was the original Wahlburgers CEO and also led strategy for companies like Panera and General Motors Information. He has 20 years of experience in president and C-level roles that include 10 in the foodservice industry.

An automation and robotics specialist, Felser led robotics R&D at eatsa (now Brightbloom), including that companies shelf-style pickup system. He previously worked on projects in hydraulics, refrigeration, structural optimization, design for development, and agriculture for companies including Blue Origin, Promethean Power Systems and AGCO.

Last month, Freight Farms secured $15 million in Series B funding led by Ospraie Ag Science. That brought the company’s total funding to $28 million. In 2019, the company also formed a partnership with Sodexo to grow food at educational and corporate campuses.