Pivot Bio, Inc., known for delivering sustainability-focused crop nutrition, has named Chris Abbott its Chief Executive Officer effective immediately, according to a press release from the company. Already announced, Pivot Bio co-founder and current CEO Karsten Temme is stepping into the Chief Innovation Officer role.
Abbott is a long-time industry leader. He helped launch and build Conti Ventures at Continental Grain Company, and has served as a board director for several agriculture tech companies, including Pivot Bio since 2018.
“Chris has the skills, ag expertise, and strategic vision to scale Pivot Bio into its next stage of growth as it delivers solutions that growers trust for their crops,” said Pivot Bio Board Chairperson Roger Underwood in the release.
“After conducting a thorough search, it was clear that Chris is perfectly suited to lead Pivot Bio moving forward. His commercial acumen, financial know-how, and strong relationships across the agriculture industry are exactly what the company needs at this critical juncture to further accelerate our substantial momentum and capitalize on the many opportunities ahead.”
In the same release, Abbott was quoted as saying: “I’m excited to build upon the rock-solid foundation of breakthrough scientific discovery and novel products that Karsten and the Pivot Bio team have built.”
Pivot Bio also announced it expects to grow substantially, according to the release. To that end, it revealed plans to increase manufacturing and distribution across the country, including:
- a new 48,000-square-foot facility in St. Louis for the development, production, and manufacturing of Pivot Bio’s latest product and agriculture’s first-ever on-seed nitrogen technology, PROVEN® 40 OS and RETURN® OS;
- a new 110,000-square-foot distribution center in Omaha, Nebraska, which will enable the company to deliver climate-smart nitrogen to growers across the Corn Belt and Western U.S. faster and at scale;
- a new state-of-the-art facility in the Iowa State University Research Park that will open later this year to be a Midwest hub for technical expertise, product information, and personalized customer support; and
- the addition of a new packaging line at the company’s first distribution center in Chicago.
Pivot Bio’s technology offers an alternative to synthetic fertilizers. As the release explains, “Pivot bio meets the demand for nitrogen consistency and dependability by enabling microbes to convert atmospheric nitrogen and reliably deliver it to the roots of crops, providing a source of nitrogen throughout the growing season with nearly 100% efficiency. In 2022, the company’s products helped customers avoid approximately 226,400 metric tons of CO2 equivalent across over 3 million acres.”
More on the company’s sustainability can be found in its inaugural impact report.
