April 3, 2025 4:00 PM
BST
How to succeed in vertical farming
Our panellists will give you a thorough insight into what goes into a successful vertical farming operation, featuring exclusive insight from ESG President Louis Ferro.
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Agenda
Details
The webinar will feature an expert panel, made up of Empire State Greenhouse’s President and Chairman, Louis Ferro, IGS’ CEO, Andrew Lloyd, and Head of Commercial Relationships, Sandy Kennedy. It will be moderated by IGS’ Senior Account Manager, Gina Mercier. It will take approximately one hour and cover the following:
- what growing methods work best – we'll look at what crops are best grown vertically, as well as which are not
- choosing the right partner – you need a vertical farming technology provider suited to the scale of your business. We’ll outline what makes a good match
- other aspects to consider – from initial investment to how to power a vertical farm, we’ll cover all the ancillaries which go into a successful operation
- Q&A – we'll give you a chance to put your questions to the panel
We’ll give you a breakdown of how vertical farming compares to open-field and glasshouse growing, as well as looking at key geographic factors. Based on real-world experience and decades of leadership in the industry, our panel will give you a detailed insight as to whether vertical farming is right for your specific operation.
Introducing the speakers
Louis Ferro
Louis Ferro is President and Chairman of Empire State Greenhouses, a circular food production company based in Upstate New York. His company is focused on building a network of fully integrated facilities consisting of Controlled Environment Agriculture technology with on-site renewable energy and Food-Energy-Waste systems, thereby eliminating 1/3 of the cost of food spent on energy.
Louis uses his extensive experience in physical commodities, finance, technology, and management consulting to lead ESG's mission to create a truly circular approach to crop production.
Andrew Lloyd
Andrew Lloyd joined IGS in 2021 initially as Chief Operating Officer and latterly as Deputy CEO. In January 2024 he was appointed CEO following a successful Series C fundraise. His strategic appointment was made to drive and shape the business’ global operations in readiness for the deployment of its vertical farming technology at GigaFarm scale.
Gina Mercier
Gina is a Senior Account Manager at IGS, and loves helping our customers realise the economic and environmental advantages of our technology. With over fifteen years of experience in sales and product management in both the public and private sectors across industries such as specialty chemicals, technologies, and agritech, Gina excels at simplifying complexity, overcoming barriers, and building valuable networks.
Sandy Kennedy
As Head of Commercial Relationships, Sandy’s role focuses on current and future IGS customers. He helps to establish and nurture long-term commercial relationships that unlock significant value for both parties. Sandy's role oversees the sales and legal teams, working to ensure seamless and effective commercial interactions.
Register now and submit your question to the panel
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Whether you’re a seasoned grower or are an entrepreneurlooking to break into vertical farming, our panel wants to hear from you! Signup today for your chance to submit a question and shape the discussion.
