Her Story
About MaryAnn
I joined the team at Big S in March of last year, and it's been an incredible crash course in engineering, hydroponic horticulture, data analysis, CEA, business and manufacturing logistics. I'm the Operations Executive and ever-learning grow specialist, which means I know every aspect of EARTI® inside and out. Working with our founders Lanham Frazier (CEO), and Navid Ghedami (COO), I've helped craft presets for growing microgreens, as well as high-value produce, climate-specific or out-of-season plants and ensure everything operates perfectly. My mentor Navid, designer and engineer behind EARTI®, has been instrumental in transferring his extensive knowledge to me, teaching me everything from the inner-workings of the system to creative problem-solving. What makes our system special is that it's extremely water and energy conservative, designed to grow food close to where it will be consumed, farming in pre-existing infrastructure (under-utilized office spaces), and produces nutritious food, harvested fresh. We're at an exciting pivot point right now, with our system ready for market. We're in active communication with nation-wide grocers and Gensler Architects for downtown developments. We've also entered the Grow New York program at Cornell University, courtesy of connecting with Sarah Meyer at Indoor-AG Con in Las Vegas. I handle everything from system operations and data analysis to making our tailored seed mats. I'm passionate about health starting with the food we eat. And making that fresh, nutritious food accessible while addressing water conservation and climate challenges and being apart of the new wave of how we grow food.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with MaryAnn
01What do you attribute your success to?
Working on that everyday. But getting a job at age 12 and having a personal drive and a team of a similar mindset helps.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Listen more than you speak. That's probably the best advice I've received. Just absorb as much as you can and be a student of whoever’s company you're in. Pay attention, often the smartest person in the room is the one who's the quietest. They're taking it all in.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Be curious and find out what excites you everyday, and just go after that. If you don't enjoy what you do, don't do it— do something else. It's never too late to switch something up.
Second: in a startup environment, especially dealing with a small team, you have to be willing to be flexible, multifaceted, and learn as you go. Things get hard —you will mess up, you WANT to mess up because in the process you learn. Just go with the flow, but keep going. You have to be a little bit more resilient, because in order to make something work, it does take effort. So when you find something worth building and being a part of, just keep showing up.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge is that we are an untapped market with a new product. We are pioneering this new wave of agriculture, and that just comes with its own unique challenges. Our specific challenge right now is deciding where to go with this first and selecting our connections wisely. Agriculture is ready for it, we’re ready for it. Everyone who sees EARTI gets excited about it, so it's really just a matter of time.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being present is really important to me, whether in work or personal life. Taking time for yourself and with family and loved ones while you can. Valuing the people in my life that I love, and letting them know often. Enjoying every day as much as I can. Transparency is important, and being okay with saying “I don’t know” —I can always find out.
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