Board member takes full-time leadership position with CEA company

Edible Garden board member Matthew McConnell has joined the controlled environment agriculture producer full-time as executive vice president of strategic partnerships.

McConnell’s 40 years of Wall Street experience include senior roles with Morgan Stanley, HSBC, Fidelity and Bank of America. Most recently, he was head of equity capital markets at BancTrust Securities and CEO of Marco Polo Securities in New York. He is currently a board member at CapConnect+ and a member of the Edible Garden audit, compensation and nominating committees.

“Matt’s extensive experience in capital markets, international finance and strategic business development will be invaluable as we continue to scale our operations, deepen our retail and distribution partnerships and execute on our growth strategy,” Edible Garden CEO Jim Kras said. “His deep expertise in equity markets, investor engagement and cross-border regulatory environments uniquely positions him to help unlock additional value for Edible Garden’s stakeholders and support long-term value creation for our shareholders.”

New Jersey-based Edible Garden’s organic produce and herbs are distributed at more than 5,000 retail locations across the U.S., the Caribbean and South America.

“I am excited to take on a full-time role at Edible Garden during an important phase of the company’s evolution,” said Mr. McConnell. “Having worked with the company as a board member, I have seen firsthand the strength of Edible Garden’s Zero-Waste Inspired platform and the opportunities ahead. Transitioning into an executive role allows me to become more directly involved in supporting the execution of the company’s strategic initiatives.”