Personnel
Ken E. Flies – Managing Director. Ken previously worked as Managing Director of AgBrazil - one of the first companies involved in introducing and working with foreign investors purchasing land and agricultural enterprises in Brazil. Ken has had many years of executive management experience with the start-up, development, turn-around and management of companies in the agricultural, computer, and food services industries. He has a degree in Development Economics from the University of Minnesota and studied International Development at the University of Oklahoma and Kansas State University. He comes from an agricultural background and family that has farmed for six generations in Minnesota. His experience with agriculture in Brazil dates back to the 1960s. In addition to Brazil, he has spent considerable time working in Europe and in Asia involving business start-up and turn-around efforts. He is also the founder of the Rural America Arts Partnership and was recognized by the Governor of Minnesota as one of Minnesota's Outstanding Rural Entrepreneurs. He is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Reid L. Weiland - Director for Agricultural Operations- Since 1996 Reid has been a partner in Weiland Farms in Garner, Iowa a 4,000 acre grain operation. His responsibilities have included all aspects of grain production, including marketing, finance, accounting and supplier/buyer relations. Since 2002 Reid has served as Chief Financial Officer conducting lender relations, investment research and investment placement including investment in ethanol. In 2003-2004 Reid served as a Board Member of Brazil Ag Enterprises, a consortium of North-central Iowa producers and as Project Leader for development of a business model and plan for a Brazil production project. As part of this project, Reid spent considerable time living and traveling in most of the agricultural regions of Brazil. Since 2004 Reid has livedes permanently in BrazilReid has a B.S. in Agriculture Business from Iowa State University and is a graduate of the Executive Program for Agriculture Producers at Texas A & M University. Reid has also studied in Australia and Costa Rica and is currently undertaking an Executive MBA in Management of Projects, at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas. He is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Marcus M. Schlösser – Director of Finance and Project Development- Marcus has been engaged in international consulting to agribusiness enterprises since 2006. Besides agribusiness, he has background in financing and equity funds with technological and industrial companies. Marcus is currently member of the Board of Directors of a public traded textile company. He has a Production Engineer Degree from Federal University of Santa Catarina and an Executive MBA from Fundação Getúlio Vargas, both top Brazilian schools in its fields. Marcus is also currently undertaking an Executive Master in Corporative Governance and Valuation at BI International Business School. He is fluent in English and Portuguese.
Joe Davis – Director of Research-In 1994 Joe co-founded AgriLogic, Inc. as a consulting firm performing risk management and farm policy analysis. Under Joe’s leadership, AgriLogic developed into the leading industry supplier of risk analysis products and services in the agricultural marketplace. Agrilogic’s has managed over $19 million in risk management consulting projects during the past three years. Over the same time period Mr. Davis has conducted numerous economic studies of Farm Bill Policy analysis for industry leading commodity groups. In addition, proprietary economic models pioneered by Joe have been used for forecasting economic scenarios for allowance of loan loss reserves, annual business plan forecasts, and underwriting analysis for lending institutions. Prior to establishing AgriLogic, Davis served as a research associate for Texas A&M University; where he co-developed AG-GEM, a macroeconomic model of the U.S. economy and agriculture. Joe holds a B.S. and M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Texas A&M University.