FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


DATE OF RELEASE: April 1, 2015
MEDIA CONTACT: Spencer Critchley
CONTACT TITLE: Acting PIO
CONTACT TELEPHONE NUMBER: (831) 612-9200 ext 3
CONTACT EMAIL: [email protected]
Forbes Media today issued the following press release:


Forbes Media Announces New Key Speakers to First-Ever
"Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit,"

July 8-9, 2015, in Salinas Valley


Speakers Include Dr. Robert Fraley, EVP and CTO of Monsanto; Neal Gutterson, VP Research of DuPont; and Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms, among others

SALINAS, CA (April 1, 2015) - Forbes, in partnership with SVG Partners and The Steinbeck Innovation Cluster, announced that Dr. Robert Fraley, EVP and CTO of Monsanto and Neal Gutterson, VP Research of DuPont will join Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms and others as speakers at its first-ever "Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit" in Salinas Valley, California, on July 8-9, 2015.

 

This invitation-only event is expected to bring together several hundred of the smartest minds in Silicon Valley and global agriculture in the Salinas Valley to tackle some of the world's most critical challenges. From biotech and precision farming to big data's role in feeding a planet of eight billion people, "Forbes Reinventing America: The AgTech Summit" will explore topics at the core of this vital trend, and promises to be the definitive gathering for leaders at the intersection of technology and agriculture.

 

"As the nation's largest producer of fresh food and a burgeoning ag-tech hub, the city of Salinas is excited to host some of the top leaders and innovators in agriculture and technology this July," said Joe Gunter, Mayor of Salinas. "'The AgTech Summit' will be an important milestone not only for the Salinas Valley, but also the global ag-tech industry. We believe our tremendous strengths in agriculture and close proximity to Silicon Valley uniquely position our region as a hotbed for this industry."

 

Past speakers from Forbes' Reinventing America Summits include Harold G. Hamm, Chairman and CEO, Continental Resources; Bill Ford, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company; Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Mayor of the City of Chicago Rahm Emanuel; Sam Zell, Chairman and Founder, Equity Group Investments; Indiana Governor Mike Pence; Steve Case, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Revolution; David Cote, Chairman and CEO, Honeywell; Russell Stokes, President & CEO, GE Transportation; North Dakota Governor Jack Dalrymple; and Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

 

Partners and sponsors include Silicon Valley Global Partners, The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation, the City of Salinas and Dole.

 

For more information, please visit http://www.forbesconferences.com/event/2015-forbes-reinventing-america-the-agtech-summit/#overview. To request an invitation to the Summit, please visit http://www.forbesconferences.com/event/2015-forbes-reinventing-america-the-agtech-summit/#attend.

 

About Forbes Media

 

Forbes Media is a global media, branding and technology company, with a focus on news and information about business, investing, technology, entrepreneurship, leadership and affluent lifestyles. The company publishes Forbes, Forbes Asia, Forbes Europe and ForbesLife magazines as well as Forbes.com and ForbesLife.com. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 75 million people worldwide with its business message each month through its magazines and 37 licensed local editions around the globe, Forbes.com, TV, conferences, research, social and mobile platforms. The Forbes magazine iPad app merges print storytelling with social sharing and the web. Forbes Media's brand extensions include conferences, real estate, education, financial services, and technology license agreements.

 

About Silicon Valley Global Partners  

 

Silicon Valley Global Partners (SVG Partners) is a management consulting firm founded by experienced technology executives that drive competitive advantage across organizations, from strategy to implementation.  

 

About The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation

 

The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation is building a new development model, seeded by city government and led by private industry. The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation's model is composed of four pillars of development support: Education (including training and advanced research); Startup acceleration; Investment; Corporate strategic engagement. Salinas' industrial cluster - dubbed the Steinbeck innovation cluster - leverages an innovative network of civic, academic, technological, corporate, and philanthropic partners to help younger generations become entrepreneurs, drive innovation in fields and factories, and bring high tech to industrial zones.  

 

About Thrive Program

 

Thrive Accelerator, launched by SVG Partners in July 2014, is a highly selective mentorship and investment program for technology-enabled startups in the Precision Agriculture space. Ten startup companies are being selected to gather and connect in the Salinas area for mentorship, collaboration and direct access to the top fresh agriculture companies in the world. This program is designed to help today's top innovators turn their dreams of revolutionizing agriculture into reality. Through Thrive Accelerator, select companies will gain access to the best expertise and resources of top agriculture and tech companies to help deploy their innovative new technologies.

 

About the City of Salinas & Salinas Valley, Calif.

 

Located one hour south of Silicon Valley and minutes from the Monterey Peninsula, the Salinas Valley is the largest producer of fresh food in the country, home to a $9 billion agriculture industry, and tied in with the Monterey Peninsula's academic and marine research clusters. The city of Salinas is the industrial, commercial and residential hub of the Salinas Valley, and the logical epicenter of the "smart farming" movement that brings together the best in farming, technology, sustainability, water and energy innovation. A growing global agriculture-technology hub, the Salinas Valley is home to some of the world's largest fresh food companies.

 

Media Contact: Wendy Furrer Egan, [email protected], 212 366 8848

 

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