How A Formerly Struggling AgTech Provider Dominated An Industry Sector, In 3 Steps

David K. Williams for Forbes:  This week I had a conversation with a fellow Utah technology executive, Andrew Limpert. For the past three years, Limpert has led a robotics-focused Ag equipment manufacturing company, FireFly Automatix, which makes cutting-edge automated turf harvesting machines, through a meaningful transformation. He’s beaming with energy as his company’s been named Utah’s fastest growing venturein 2016 and 2017 (MWCN) and CEO of the Year (Utah Business Magazine).

But the company’s success isn’t all it seems on the surface. Even more compelling than the current outcomes are the stories behind FireFly’s route to success that can contribute to others’ success.

In early 2015, Limpert tells me, the company was struggling to stay afloat. At its lowest point, it was at risk of closing or being permanently impaired. The founders—Steve Aposhian and his younger brother Matt—had an innovative product vision, but were getting overwhelmed by the challenges of growing a high-collateral business in the midst of industry change.

Fortunately, they had their eyes on a secret weapon: Steve's longest childhood friend, Limpert, who was finishing an eight-year stint as CFO of another high-growth company, Profire Energy (PFIE).  Full Article:

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

X-Rail: reliability and resistance to environmental impurities

X-Rail: reliability and resistance to environmental impurities

Rollon's X-Rail linear rails are a reliable solution in environments susceptible to impurities. Equipped with rolling elements with shaped and flat raceways, they are available in several versions: galvanized, nitrided or stainless-steel sheet metal. The latter version ensures total corrosion resistance, which is critical for hostile environments such as those found in vertical farming. Particularly innovative is the T + U configuration of the X-Rail linear rails, which can compensate for the parallelism errors of mounting surfaces. This simplifies installation and reduces costs.