I broke into farming in the 1980s with more nerve than money. I came up through the years that finished other operators — the BSE crisis among them — and kept going. That's where I learned what's real and what isn't, and how to tell the difference quickly.
I grew a farm from 480 acres to more than 10,000, and built it into multiple enterprises. Alongside it, I helped other companies — from start-up to exits — as an investor, director, or advisor: across agriculture, technology, and bioscience. I was an early backer of a Canadian food-processing facility acquired for more than $400 million. I financed and delivered a feature film. Different worlds, one instinct.
None of it came from a fund or a title. It came from being on the ground — knowing the operators, the regulators, and the difference between a deck and a business. That's the judgment I bring to every introduction now.