Leadership Team

Brian Watkins

CEO

Brian has been a partner at Watkins Farms for over 30 years farming nearly 8,000 acres of corn, soy and wheat in central Ohio. He has achieved significant growth in the farm’s core business, and has founded several joint ventures in agricultural production and marketing. Brian is currently an agriculture consultant with the World Bank driving significant farm management projects in Ukraine. Brian holds both a BS in Agricultural Economics and an MBA from The Ohio State University.

Dale Jefferson

President and COO

Dale has spent nearly 20 years as a leader in high growth software companies with experience in strategic planning, sales & marketing, product management, operations and M&A. He brings a successful track record in driving technology start-ups, developing markets and managing functionally diverse teams. Dale holds a BA from Berea College, an MS from Princeton University and an MBA from The Ohio State University.

Mike Thompson

Sr. Project Engineer

For over 45 years Mike has been solving problems. This includes the development of software models for paper mills, a number for investments, the alternative fuel industry and for the past 20 years commercial models for agriculture. Mike holds several trademarks and patents He is a published children’s book author. A roofing product he designed from recycled plastic won the building division of the California Clean Tech Open. He has an engineering degree from Miami University.