Jim Leach

Jim Leach has extensive work experience in sales and business development in the agriculture and food industry. Jim started their career as an Automated Harvest Operations Intern at Taylor Farms in 2011, where they assisted in managing automated harvesters and advised growers on harvesting strategies. In 2012, they became a Research and Development Intern at Taylor Farms, coordinating trials for new lettuce varieties and working with seed distributors. Jim continued their internship at Taylor Farms in 2013 as a Sales Intern, supporting customer relations and creating a new product catalog.

In 2014, Jim worked as a Supply Chain Management Summer Associate at PepsiCo, where they were responsible for daily sales updates and ensuring product availability for Walmart Foods. Jim then joined BASF in 2015 as a member of their Agricultural Sales & Marketing PDP, completing a rotation in corporate marketing before being relocated to Yuma, Arizona for territory management.

Since 2016, Jim has been working at Oppy, starting as a Business Development Representative and later progressing to Sales Manager. In this role, they are responsible for delivering sales growth and managing key accounts in the foodservice, retail, and wholesale distribution channels of fresh produce. Jim collaborates with cross-functional teams to develop programs and fulfill customers' needs throughout the year.

Jim Leach completed their Fully Employed MBA Program at the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School from 2019 to 2021. Prior to that, they attended Purdue University from 2011 to 2015 and obtained a degree in Applied Agricultural Economics.