Vertical Harvest will be a Wyoming based agri-business that will enhance the local economy by operating year round to sell, for profit, fresh, locally grown produce to the community through multiple venues at a competitive, consistent price.
Inclusive employment opportunities for our citizens with disabilities.
Premium grade vegetables and fruit in Jackson all year round.
An economically self sufficient business that will serve our community for many years to come.
Vertical Harvest of Jackson Hole is an innovative, sustainable agri-business that will fill an increasing demand for locally grown, fresh produce by building a three-story, 13,500 sq ft hydroponics greenhouse in the heart of Jackson.
Vertical Harvest is a year round business that is creating private sector jobs, strengthening the bottom lines of businesses and establishing an innovative model that employs an under-served Wyoming population: adults with developmental disabilities.
The greenhouse will grow and sell locally grown vegetables to Jackson Hole restaurants, local grocery stores and directly to customers year-round, providing a stable, consistent source of produce at competitive prices. The site for the greenhouse is a currently unused 30’ x 150’ lot owned by the Town of Jackson on the southern edge of a public parking garage in the center of Town.
Vertical Harvest has partnered with a nationally recognized and established greenhouse called Arthur and Friends. Arthur and Friends has been in operation for five years and employs adults with disabilities to operate their greenhouses. This partnership provides Vertical Harvest with a proven hydroponic greenhouse production, training and employment model for our project.
How big is Vertical Harvest and how much will it be able to produce?
Vertical Harvest is situated on a site that is 1/10 of an acre. Due to the efficiency of hydroponics and our innovative growing carousels, the greenhouse’s production will be equivalent to that of 5 acres of traditional agriculture. Annually we will grow approximately
44,000 lbs of tomatoes
20,000 lbs of lettuce
4,400 lbs of herbs
10,000 lbs of microgreens
7,500 lbs of baby specialty greens
4,725 lbs of strawberries
Why is Vertical Harvest a L3C instead of a 501c3?
Vertical Harvest is a low-profit limited liability (L3C) company that is a for-profit, social enterprise venture that has a stated goal of performing a socially beneficial purpose along with maximizing income.
For-profit firms often face pressure to abandon social goals in favor of increasing profits and non-profit firms and charities are needlessly restricted in their ability to raise capital when they need to grow. Therefore, Vertical Harvest sees a L3C as the most powerful model to support it as a sustainable business that will stand the test of time.
Will Vertical Harvest be able to function in Jackson’s extreme winters?
Vertical Harvest has been designed specifically for Jackson’s altitude, latitude, climate and location. Vertical Harvest retained a well-respected greenhouse engineer, Larssen Ltd. to help with the project. Larssen Ltd. has 20 years of experience in the field, and has built successful greenhouses in other places with similar climates such as Maine, Siberia and Iceland.
How did Vertical Harvest determine its cost of utilities?
We based Vertical Harvest’s utility cost on the energy costs of a greenhouse that operates at the same latitude as Jackson Hole also designed by our greenhouse engineer Larssen Ltd.
Our current numbers included in the Business Plan reflect a 30% increase in utility costs after review by Scott Kornberg, Chief Technology Officer at American Hydroponics, the largest hydroponic distributor in the U.S. and suggestions by our greenhouse consultant.
Will Vertical Harvest hire an experienced grower?
Once Vertical Harvest is fully funded, the first thing Vertical Harvest will do is hire an experienced Director of Production. We have access to a large pool of qualified candidates and intend to retain a person with extensive experience in all aspects of the Hydroponics Industry including:
experience in system design
operations
crop selection
scheduling/production
pest control
specialty produce troubleshooting
marketing
Why is Vertical Harvest using hydroponics to grow?
Hydroponics farming is a highly productive, environmentally friendly, and space efficient means of farming which offers numerous benefits for both the producer and consumer. Hydroponic crops use 90% less water than the same crops do in traditional farming and their growing systems take up 1/4 of the space as traditional agriculture. Hydroponics crops use no herbicide or pesticide chemicals that are known to significantly impact the environment and our bodies. Some hydroponics crops can grow twice as fast as traditionally farmed crops as they receive exactly the correct amount of nutrients, water and oxygen.
Will Vertical Harvest compete with local farmers?
Vertical Harvest produce will not compete with area growers, but instead will compete with currently imported produce from large-scale distributors whose supply is from distant states. Vertical Harvest will grow locally, and target sales will supplant produce imported to restaurants and local grocery stores, making existing Wyoming businesses, our local customers, stronger and more profitable and stronger, eliminating costly up charges for transportation. As Vertical Harvest will highlight the importance of local food sources, our success will only bring increased attention to all others who also provide fresh, nutritious produce to our community.
To learn more about our L3C please click here.
Proposed site of the Vertical Harvest Greenhouse
Vertical Harvest fundraiser summer 2011
Vertical Harvest has been successful in raising all capital costs to break ground in the spring of 2014. In collaboration with the Town of Jackson we are in the process of moving forward to bring this project to life! If you have committed as a Pledge Member we are asking that you honor you commitment by sending in your funds today to: P.O. Box 7290, Jackson, WY 83001. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Thank you to all who pledged on this project. Below are listed the people and organizations that helped make this possible.
Vertical Harvest Corporate Sponsors: $25,000 + Pledge
Vertical Harvest Seed Fund: $5000 + Pledge
Vertical Harvest Cultivators: $1000 + Pledge
Vertical Harvest Community: $500 + Pledge
Vertical Harvest Facilitators: $250 +Pledge
Vertical Harvest Starters: $100 + Pledge
Vertical Harvest Members: $50 + Pledge
Executive Director•
Penny McBride, a cofounder of Vertical Harvest, will act as the full-time Program Director and will report directly to the Board of Directors at each monthly meeting. Penny specializes in systems organization and strategic planning for environmentally based projects. Penny will utilize the comprehensive resources provided by the Arthur and Friends model to oversee the general operations of the greenhouse, initiate, ensure and maintain positive customer relationships, as well to develop and expand educational partnerships within the community. The Program Director will work alongside the Director of Production to oversee the Employment Facilitator, the Production Employees and the volunteers for the organization.
Director of Production•
The Director of Production will be an experienced hydroponic grower in charge of health and production in the greenhouse. Vertical Harvest will fill this position well before it is open for business. We have received many qualified resumes for this manager with experience in all aspects of hydroponic production including commercial growing, system set up, crop scheduling, workforce training, produce marketing, troubleshooting and pesticide free insect/disease control.
Employment Facilitator•
Caroline Croft Estay will be the part-time Employment Facilitator will in charge of training and managing the production employees. The Employment Facilitator will work closely with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation staff utilizing employment support programs as well as Support Providers with the Wyoming Medicaid Waiver Program. Caroline Croft Estay has been a Case Manager and a Provider for the Behavioral Health Division of Wyoming specializing in care for children and adults with developmental disabilities since 1999.
Production Employees
Vertical Harvest will employ nine citizens and disabilities part-time (4.5 Full Time Equivalent) per day referred from collaborative organizations. The employees partake in highly structured training programs that will teach them the process of hydroponic farming, including skills such as planting, harvesting, crop management and customer service, which will equip them with transferable works skills that they can use in their futures.. This highly structured and supervised work environment will foster the development of skills for individuals with a wide range of disabilities in order for them to become economically independent and marketable in the workforce.
Partner: Arthur and Friends
Vertical Harvest has partnered with the New Jersey Program Arthur and Friends by purchasing its licensing model. This license includes access to their Business Plan, assistance in hiring vital personnel including the Director of Production, oversight of the installation of the growing systems, a complete vocational training program which includes a comprehensive curriculum and train-the trainer program, support with growing, sales, and marketing. They will work with Vertical Harvest on everything from inception to product sales, giving us all the tools and instruments necessary for success and assessment. The goal of our partnership with Arthur and Friends is to ensure the overall sustainability of our business and program.
Business Structure:
Vertical Harvest will generate modest profits to ensure its fiscal sustainability instead of soliciting charitable contributions year after year from our community. Vertical Harvest has been incorporated as a low-profit limited liability (L3C) company, which is a legal form of business entity in Wyoming and throughout the United States that was created to bridge the gap between non-profit and for-profit investing. An L3C provides a structure that facilitates investments in socially beneficial for-profit ventures. It is a hybrid structure that combines the legal and tax flexibility of a traditional LLC and the social benefits and tax benefits of a nonprofit organization. Vertical Harvest will prove to be a fiscally responsible business that will serve our community for many years to come.
Vertical Harvest has assembled an active Board of Directors and Advisory Board, representing seasoned business leaders, horticulturists, distributors, and representatives of the food service industry. We will hire an experienced head grower with extensive experience in all aspects of the Hydroponics Industry, including experience in system design, operations, crop selection, scheduling/production, pest control, specialty produce troubleshooting, and marketing. The business plan has been reviewed by key figures in the national hydroponics industry, as well as respected business leaders in our community. Their thoughtful comments and suggestions have been integrated into our business plan.
Vertical Harvest Board of Directors
Vertical Harvest Advisors
Greenhouse Engineer:
Thomas Larssen has more than 20 years of experience in the greenhouse industry serving more than 18 of those years as a prime consultant for investors, governments and private owners of green industry projects. Larssen Ltd greenhouse engineers (www.l-ge.com) have been involved with greenhouse projects on four different continents designing greenhouses in harsh climates such as Siberia, Iceland, Greenland and Maine all which operate at a profit. Experts at integrating the newest growing trends into their designs, Larssen Ltd has the ability to leverage their experience with emerging technologies to create state-of-the-art agriculture systems that can operate in any kind of climate. Larssen Engineers have worked on the development of Vertical Harvest for 2 years and have been integral to holistic design of the greenhouse including: growing system, lighting, mechanical system and greenhouse shell design.
Architectural:
E/Ye Design is an architectural firm based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming who is acting as the architect of record for the project. Working with Vertical Harvest from the outset, E/Ye Design has developed the general approach to the greenhouse design and coordinated the work of the consultants crucial to the successful development of the project. E/Ye Design has also worked diligently with the local building department and the Town of Jackson to ensure that the design of the greenhouse adheres to all local building codes and requirements set forth by Town.
Structural:
KL&A is a Colorado-based company of structural designers, steel detailers, and builders. They are transforming the way structures are designed and built by rethinking the traditional structural design process, and integrating it with our involvement in the construction process. KL&A Structural Engineers have designed the foundation and steel structure of the greenhouse to comply with Jackson’s stringent seismic code and conditions.
Becoming a member of the Vertical Harvest community will not only help us with our Business Council application process,but will give you access to a project that will provide you with fresh produce that has retained all of the essential vitamins and minerals that normal produce loses as it goes through the process of being shipped to Jackson. Please join today. Thank you to those that have given already!
Vertical Harvest is very pleased to announce the partnership of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort and 1% for the Planet. JHMR has graciously chosen Vertical Harvest to be the beneficiary of the proceeds earned through this partnership. Please visit JHMR this summer, take the free gondola ride up and dine at The Couloir or The Deck this summer to support this amazing initiative! The Deck happy hour from 4:30 – 6:30 with 2 for 1 margaritas, mojitos, draft beers and wine by the glass is the perfect spot to unwind after an adventurous day! Read more about the new partnership below!
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Our successful Wedding & garden design business has become a favorite among both locals and out of town brides. In June, you will likely find garden designers Sue Bullock tucking Scabiosas, Cosmos, and fragrant herbs into containers. Our containers are living works of Art.
The Harmonic Spa is a holistic day spa featuring Therapeutic Massage and Acutonics® Sound and Vibrational Therapy and by Nancy Alfs, MA.
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A supermarket that offers organic and conventional groceries. Features special foods sections, recipes, events, a glossary, store specials, and news and events.
A company that has been in the business of making timepieces for over 50 years. Our strength as a company comes from our employees who collectively have invaluable knowledge, technical expertise, experience and a real passion for the traditions of watch making. But that doesnt mean we dont have a bunch of ambitious, freethinking, rebel employees with an entrepreneurial spirit who are committed to looking ahead to a greener future for our company and our planet. Asking the simple question, How can we make a greener watch? they looked for an answer. After countless hours of research and development and a lot of lunches eaten over their keyboards, two years later Sprout was born.
Fine Dining Restaurant Group consists of a diverse mix of restaurants with something to satisfy every craving. Rendezvous Bistro is a classic American Bistro with entrees ranging from Duck Confit to Veal Marsala. Q Roadhouse serves up tasty and fresh comfort foods, live music and two happy hours every night. The Menu at Il Villaggio Osteria features contemporary Italian cuisine in a rustic slopeside atmosphere in Teton Village. And Bistro Catering will exceed your expectations catering to any event, whether for 2 or 200.
1% for the Tetons funds efforts furthering the long-term sustainability of the Tetons region’s extraordinary natural resources and related essential qualities. Member businesses donate one percent of their sales to 1% for the Tetons. These donations are aggregated and granted to fund projects supporting the long-term sustainability of the Tetons region.
Contact Info
Vertical Harvest
PO Box 7290
Jackson, WY 83002