A consulting and marketing company specializing in agricultural issues, production, policy and sustainability has been announced and is now operating. Rooster Strategic Solutions, LLC, offers strategic consulting, sustainability and agronomic expertise, media strategy, communications, digital and data-driven services.
“Agriculture remains in transition, and the changes are accelerating,” says Josh Turney, founder and chief strategist. “Our charter is to help agricultural and food industry players stay ahead of the curve along every step of the food value chain. More than ever before, the world is demanding that agriculture be more productive, efficient and sustainable. We will help our clients get there.”
Targeted clients for Rooster Strategic Solutions include agribusiness companies, advertising and public relations agencies, commodity organizations, agricultural policy makers
and technology start-ups, research and food companies. Based in Clinton, Ill., the firm has satellite offices in Kansas, Virginia and Tennessee.
“We take a multi-disciplinary approach to helping clients solve business issues and overcome barriers to growth and profitability,” Turney says. “As consultants, we think strategically and differently. From a creative standpoint, we know how to move people.”
Prior to this new business venture, Turney most recently spent 15 years at Farm Journal Media in a succession of positions that serviced Farm Journal’s largest national accounts, including John Deere, Bayer Crop Science, Monsanto and the United Soybean Board. He has also held other positions at Doane Ag Services, agriculturally focused banks and digital start-up companies.
To further enhance the services available to Rooster clients, Turney announces the hiring of the following agricultural professionals:
1. Tom Hall is the new senior agronomist and will focus on expansion of services into the agronomy sector, as well as working with policymakers who represent agriculture to help them better understand the industry. Prior to joining Rooster, Hall spent 11 years with Monsanto and retired as regional agronomy lead supporting seed brands in the western
region. Hall also did stints with Crop Life America as stewardship policy lead in Washington, D.C., then vice president at the American Society of Agronomy. He holds both B.S. and Masters degrees from the University of Maryland and is based in Charlottesville, Virginia.
2. James Arnold is coming aboard as chief digital officer. He most recently spent 13 years at Farm Journal where he led all digital operations. He also spent six years at Vance
Publishing. James will now provide first-class digital consulting for Rooster Strategic Solutions clients and is based out of Olathe, Kansas. Prior to entering the agricultural industry, Arnold was a sports writer in Kansas City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa.
3. David Vincent joins Rooster as director of public relations and will handle writing, editing and media relations, as well as provide both strategic and tactical communications
counseling. Vincent most recently spent 19 years at Osborn and Barr Communications and has had previous stints of at Sargent and Potratz in Milwaukee, Corporate and
Marketing Communications in Stamford, Connecticut, and Gibbs & Soell Public Relations in New York City. Vincent is based out of Nashville, Tennessee.
4. Andrea Gillmar joins the firm as project manager. From her base in Decatur, Illinois, Gillmar will supervise all Rooster work as it moves from concept to production to
completion. Her background is in fashion buying and product development, and she most recently spent five years at Kohl’s Corporate in both Milwaukee and New York City. Gillmar has also worked for a variety of high-end fashion boutique stores in Chicago. She attended Southern Illinois University and the Illinois Institute of Art and has a B.S. degree in fashion marketing and management.
“I have worked with all of these people throughout my career, and I’m really excited to have them at Rooster Strategic Solutions,” Turney says