Nov 14, 2017

BrightFarms VP heads up 15 greenhouses’ construction

BrightFarms has hired Erik Lallum as vice president of design, construction and facilities.

Lallum will be responsible for leading all greenhouse development, including real estate, design, engineering and construction. BrightFarms plans to open 15 new greenhouses across the U.S. in the next three years.

Lallum has been in the construction industry for 20 years, focusing on project and construction management. Before joining BrightFarms, Lallum spent 13 years with Avangrid Renewables, a clean energy engine based in Portland, OR.  The last six of those years, Lallum served as the Vice President of Engineering and Construction Services.

“A civil engineer by training, Erik is deeply experienced at managing the design, budgets and timelines for large CapEx construction projects,” said Paul Lightfoot, CEO of BrightFarms. “He is passionate about our market opportunity and will develop strategies to reduce construction costs and improve the efficiency of our greenhouses as we scale.”

Along with project and construction management, Lallum has expertise in engineering management, project development, process improvement and team leadership.

“Joining a company like BrightFarms presents new and exciting challenges as we grow to become the first national brand of local produce,” said Erik Lallum, Vice President of Design, Construction and Facilities at BrightFarms. “I am thrilled to oversee the development of new greenhouse facilities that will improve the supply chain for supermarkets and revolutionize the agriculture industry.”

BrightFarms grows produce in local areas across the country. Based in New York city, the company finances, builds and operates local greenhouse farms in partnership with supermarkets, cities, capital sources, and vendors, enabling it to quickly and efficiently eliminate time, distance, and costs from the food supply chain.