FARGO, ND — (January 19, 2021) — Bushel, Inc. announced notable changes to their team to continue guiding the company’s fast growth and bring in more insights from related industries to improve existing products and explore future opportunities to help businesses in the agriculture industry. Bushel, Inc. is an independently owned software company and leading provider of software technology solutions for growers, grain buyers, protein producers and food companies.
“Despite the challenges of 2020, Bushel is growing. To meet this increased demand we sought out leaders who could help bolster our internal processes while uncovering new ways to help improve how ag businesses work with growers, partners and the broader supply chain,” said Jake Joraanstand, Bushel, Inc. CEO.
Martin (Marty) Leestma has been named as Chair of the Board of Directors at Bushel. The appointment of Mr. Leestma complements the existing expertise of the company’s leadership in the areas of growth and innovation in agriculture and supply chain technology. Leestma is the former CEO of Retek Information Systems and also served as the Global Managing Partner of Retail and Consumer Goods and Services for Accenture. Additionally, Leestma served on the board of directors for SPS Commerce, the retail industry’s most broadly adopted cloud services platform, when the company went public in 2010. Leestma held various board responsibilities on the SPS Commerce board, including a tenure as board chair.
“We are honored to have Marty at the helm of Bushel’s board of directors,” Joraanstad said. “His vast experience with building high-growth, profitable companies is incredible. Marty’s experience across the agriculture supply chain, particularly in consumer packaged goods, will help Bushel provide value to all agribusinesses.”
Randy Gerhold joined Bushel’s team as chief technology officer. Prior to joining Bushel, Randy was a partner engineering leader for Microsoft as well as the Microsoft Fargo R&D Site Leader. Randy has over 25 years of experience in the ERP industry. Prior to joining Microsoft in 2001, he was the Research & Development site leader for the Great Plains Manchester Engineering Center. During his career, Randy has held executive-level positions in other ERP-focused companies, managing all aspects of engineering, including development, quality assurance and support.
“Randy is an incredible technologist but more importantly, an incredible leader,” said Joraanstad. “Randy’s experience at an enterprise level continues to build upon Bushel’s professional expertise and dedicated focus to serving our customers and the agriculture industry with software and technology solutions in a connected ecosystem.”
Bushel’s Advisory Board has also added new members. Matt Walsh brings 25 years of strategic experience in grain markets, technology and the broader agriculture supply chain. Walsh previously held senior leadership positions at DTN and Granular and was the CEO of QuickFarm before its sale to DTN. Hal Reed also joined Bushel’s advisory board. Reed served as chief operating officer of The Andersons, Inc. where he worked in financial, operational and trading positions for over 30 years, also serving as the chairman of the National Grain & Feed Association in 2010 and 2011. Walsh and Reed join long-time Bushel advisory board members Dr. Bill Wilson and Greg Tehven.
Bushel, Inc.
Bushel, Inc. is an independently owned software company and leading provider of software technology solutions for growers, grain buyers, protein producers and food companies, headquartered in Fargo, N.D. Since launching in 2017, Bushel’s ecosystem has powered 1,700+ grain facilities across the U.S. and Canada with real-time business information for their producers. Monthly, 40,000 producers utilize Bushel-powered software products. Bushel is focused on bringing innovative software products and solutions to the agriculture industry.