Agriculture and Beyond
Pam Marrone , pioneer of biological agricultural products , expands her reach through advising
BY Jennifer Junghans | PHOTO BY Wes Davis
In December 2019 , less than a minute after the news release announced Pam Marrone ’ s plans to retire as CEO from Marrone Bio Innovations in Davis , her phone rang . It was Roger Tripathi , CEO of Primary BioAg Innovations and Global BioAg Linkages . He wanted Marrone — a pioneer in the industry of biological-based , nonchemical products to control agricultural pests and promote plant health — to work for the two companies he founded in 2019 .
After 30 years as a CEO of bio-ag companies , Marrone , 64 , was ready for a change . Leading a public company since 2013 — with quarterly reportings and strict regulations — had become a grind , and she knew she could have a bigger impact on more entrepreneurs by advising startups . “ It ’ s really difficult to scale a company in this industry . Really hard . And I think my legacy is I ’ ve done it twice ,” says Marrone who founded MBI as well as AgraQuest , an agricultural research company .
Marrone ’ s passion began in childhood when she spent “ nearly every waking hour ” studying and identifying the insects at her family ’ s pond in Killingworth , Connecticut . Around the age of 10 , her mother wrote a letter to the U . S . Department of Agriculture on her behalf , inquiring about careers in entomology . When she read the “ grainy black-and-white brochure ” the USDA sent back about integrated pest management , she knew what she wanted to do . “ It was looking at how you control pests in a totally different way and not just slamming them with chemicals ,” says Marrone . “ What most people have known me for is that all the things I ’ ve done have dramatically changed the perception of biological and nonchemical products for agriculture . And without what I have done , the industry wouldn ’ t be where it is ,” she says , noting the shift from a “ snake oil ” image to a science-based , reputable industry that is going mainstream .
It took nearly eight months for MBI to find Marrone ’ s successor . On Aug . 2 , 2020 , Marrone formally retired and headed out on a one-week vacation with her husband , Mick Rogers , to Westport- Union Landing State Beach in Mendocino County . While on vacation , it was announced Marrone would join Tripathi as partner and chair of the board of both of his Utah-based companies , mentoring the innovation stream at Primary BioAg Innovations and serving as managing
director for mergers , acquisitions and fundraising at Global BioAg Linkages . That ’ s when “ all the calls and emails and LinkedIn ( messages ) came in , so I didn ’ t have much of a vacation ,” she says .
“ What I really like about it is we ’ re getting companies with very different technologies than Marrone Bio ,” Marrone says . For example , she ’ s working with a startup in Alabama that processes manure with insects . The insects digest the manure and their feces , called frass , is harvested and used as an organic fertilizer , which has a lot of potential , she says . While there ’ s significant venture capital investment in the explosion of technology and startups in the bio-ag sector , bringing products to market is extremely challenging , explains Marrone . “ We don ’ t want anymore failures … so we ’ re helping with go-to market strategies .”
Marrone works 10-12 hour days advising global companies for Primary BioAg Innovations and Global BioAg Linkages in Asia , Europe , Latin America and the U . S . She ’ s also advising startups through her private holding company , Chestnut Bio Advisors (“ marrone ” means chestnut in Italian ), which she launched in August 2020 , in the fields of artificial intelligence and bio-imaging technology , soil health using nematode pheromones ,
“ What most people have known me for is that all the things I ’ ve done have dramatically changed the perception of biological and nonchemical products for agriculture . And without what I have done , the industry wouldn ’ t be where it is .”
and consumer lawn and garden . Marrone is also a board member of StemExpress and Marrone Bio , and interim CEO of The Redmelon Company , a startup in Davis that uses technology to produce health products from the gac fruit .
“ I ’ m able to apply my business skills and my experience beyond just ag-bio inputs ,” she says , “ so that ’ s really satisfying to be able to help a broader range of entrepreneurs .”
Jennifer Junghans holds degrees in biological sciences and horticulture and writes about food systems , wildlife and conservation . More at www . jenniferjunghans . com .
February 2021 | comstocksmag . com 45