Joan Allgaier
Joan is special counsel and practices as a litigator. She is a seasoned trial attorney and specializes in general casualty, medical malpractice, board actions, hospital liability, automobile liability, premises liability, aviation matters, recreation and amusement liability, product liability, professional liability, commercial matters, construction defect, and provides guidance on insurance coverage issues. Ms. Allgaier also counsels insurance professionals, adjusters, recreation providers, and non-profit agencies on safety, risk management, and issues such as best practices to prevent accident and, when the inevitable happens, accident response.
Ms. Allgaier is active in several local and specialty bars and is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusiveness efforts in the legal industry. She presents at safety seminars for amusement and recreation providers to teach on matters related to risk management, requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act, responding to accidents, and claims handling. Ms. Allgaier teaches at continuing legal education classes on trial skills and how to navigate privileges in order to identify and locate pertinent medical records. Joan was selected for inclusion in Colorado Super Lawyers Magazine, Rising Stars Edition 2013-2017. Most recently, Joan was selected as a “Super Lawyer” in the Medical Malpractice Defense practice area 2021-2024.
Janine Aquino
Janine Aquino is an agritourism consultant with 30 years of experience working with wineries, cideries, and farms. She owns Aquino Baron Consulting and offers a one-on-one consulting hands-on approach with startups and existing businesses producing high-quality results. She specializes in business operations, revenue generation, strategic planning, problem-solving, and transitional ownership.
Her experience starts in the Hudson Valley region of NY where all types of farming businesses thrive such as wineries, orchards, cattle, horse, flower, duck, and agritourism farms. She worked at farmers markets, wineries, and horse farms through college. Her family owned a small vineyard and orchard farm and farming became second nature. She then moved to Columbus, OH and owned a winery and farm to table restaurant for 10 years. It was during her time in Columbus when she began consulting owners of businesses on operations. She moved to Virginia in April 2020, took the reins of a couple farm wineries, and after setting them up for success, she started her consulting company and consults all types of farms.
Janine is also an agriculture and agritourism real estate agent licensed in Virginia with WISE, LLC, Berryville, VA. She specializes in craft alcohol farms (wineries, cideries), farms, land, estates, and historic sales.
Kim Ayers
Kim Ayers has been a dedicated insurance agent at Leavitt Group since 2016, specializing in commercial insurance for Agritourism, Haunts, and any manner of outdoor recreation. Her approach to serving clients is rooted in her deep understanding and experience in these specific sectors. Kim’s expertise extends to understanding these risks and providing appropriate insurance solutions. She values the opportunity to meet with her clients and industry leaders in person. As an educator she strives to meet the needs of the participants in a session, they are often lively and robust with real time data to help participants feel more involved and educated about their insurance choices. Now an agent for Risk Services Leavitt out of Louisiana, you can find more information at https://www.leavitt.com/louisiana/staff/kim-ayers
Maureen Ballatori
Maureen Ballatori is the founder and CEO of 29 Design Studio, an award-winning creative agency for food, beverage, and agriculture brands. Her experience in brand strategy helps companies scale business growth, define their unique marketing message, and attract their ideal audiences.
Maureen grew up on a dairy farm in Upstate NY and leverages that experience to help agribusiness leaders level up.
Eric Barrett
Bio coming soon.
Roddric Bell
Roddric Bell began his career with Alcorn State University Cooperative Extension Service as an Agribusiness Management Specialist in Bolivar County, Mississippi providing technical assistance to small and limited resource farmers. After serving two years in that capacity, he accepted his first federal position as an Agricultural Statistician with the United States Department of Agriculture(USDA)- National Agricultural Statistics Service in Little Rock, Arkansas where he served as lead statistician for several crop estimates and survey section leader for 4 years.
In 2001, Roddric accepted the position of Risk Management Specialist with USDA-Risk Management Agency(RMA) Jackson Regional Office. As a specialist, he served as crop insurance expert for the state of Louisiana for nine years. In 2010, he was promoted to the position of Senior Risk Management Specialist serving as regional crop insurance subject matter expert. In 2014, he was promoted to the position of Deputy Director serving in the areas of personnel management and development, budget officer, and congressional and industry point of contact.
In October 2015, Roddric was promoted to the position of Director of the USDA-RMA Jackson Regional Office becoming one of only ten insurance services regional directors in the United States where he is responsible for overall delivery of the federal crop insurance programs in the states of Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Tennessee.
Sarah Benoit
Sarah Benoit is co-founder and lead instructor of the JB Media Institute, a digital marketing school, and President of Creative Original, Inc., a small business web design and consulting firm.
She is an SEO, social media, and marketing strategist who has worked in the field since 2003. She has also led classes, workshops, and presentations about digital marketing and entrepreneurship across the U.S. since 2006.
Sarah specializes in destination and tourism marketing training. She also designs and hosts educational programs for health and wellness providers, outdoor brands, hospitality professionals, artists, creative professionals, and other small businesses focused on digital marketing, SEO, advertising, content strategy, and social media.
Sarah is also the co-founder and curriculum developer for the DIY Tourism Marketing Conference held in Asheville, NC.
Dale Bertrand
Dale Bertrand is a marketer and founder of Fire&Spark, an SEO and content marketing agency. He has two decades of experience in AI and marketing, drawing on his graduate work in artificial intelligence at Brown University's Laboratory for Engineering Man/Machine Systems. At Fire&Spark, Dale deployed AI technology to make operational improvements. Now, he consults with marketers and businesses to help them integrate AI into their strategies and develop new capabilities.
He holds a BS and MS in Electrical Engineering from Brown University with a focus on AI and computer engineering. Dale worked on a team of engineers who designed and built a 5,832-processor supercomputer for the NSA. Dale was an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Harvard Alumni Entrepreneurship Program and he speaks at marketing conferences such as SXSW, AI Summit West, Content Tech and the MIT Enterprise forum.
Lyndsay Biehl
Lyndsay Biehl, the owner of Wildroot Flower Co, located in Marietta, Ohio, has over 20 years of commercial growing experience. She is a Landscape Horticulture graduate from The Ohio State University. Wildroot grows seasonal cut flowers from March-October. Their customers enjoy their flowers through a seasonal CSA, on-farm workshops, and a flower U-pick. Agritourism is the heart of her farm, and she loves sharing her passion for horticulture with others.
Kati Bowman
Kati Bowman has rejoined the KCARD team in 2024 after spending time in the healthcare industry. She brings over six years of technical assistance to Kentucky producers and will be assisting producers as they look to expand their markets, increase direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales, scale up their businesses, or explore new markets. Kati received her bachelor's degree in Community and Leadership Development with a minor in Agriculture Economics from the University of Kentucky. Before KCARD, Kati worked for several Kentucky Agritourism entities in Central Kentucky. She and her two kids enjoy venturing to Kentucky's amazing agritourism destinations, baking delicious treats, and hiking.
Justin Brown
Justin and his wife Pam live near Lanesboro in southeast Minnesota with their three children where they have operated Big Springs Farm since 2021. In addition to their agritourism business, they are full time row crop farmers raising corn and soybeans. Justin received a B.S. in agronomy from the University of Minnesota and was a Certified Crop Advisor until retiring from consulting in 2021.
Michael Diettrich – Chastain
Michael Diettrich-Chastain is an expert on peak performance in the workplace and is passionate about helping leaders and teams create company cultures of engagement, sustainability, and purpose.
He is the founder and CEO of Arc Integrated, a leadership development and organizational consulting firm based in Asheville, NC.
Michael is widely regarded by the various CEO's and leaders he has worked with as the “go to resource” for helping to transform the company cultures in which he works. His writing has been featured in Time, Money, Entrepreneur and The Washington Post and his first book (CHANGES) released in 2019 became an instant best seller in multiple categories. Michael and his team have trained and coached thousands of leaders from around the globe in just the last three years alone. Michael's mission is to help create and maintain purpose driven organizations that elevate the consciousness of all involved.
Andrew Davis
Andrew Davis is a bestselling author and internationally acclaimed keynote speaker. Before building and selling a thriving digital marketing agency, Andrew produced for NBC’s Today Show, worked for The Muppets in New York and wrote for Charles Kuralt. He's appeared in the New York Times, Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, and on NBC and the BBC.
Davis has crafted documentary films and award-winning content for tiny start-ups and Fortune 500 brands. Recognized as one of the industry's "Jaw-Dropping Marketing Speakers”, Andrew is a mainstay on global marketing influencer lists.
Wherever he goes, Andrew Davis puts his infectious enthusiasm and magnetic speaking style to good use teaching business leaders how to grow their businesses, transform their cities, and leave their legacy.
Angie & Chris Eckert
Angie Boeker Eckert earned a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Illinois in Horticulture and a Master’s of Science in Agricultural Education from The Ohio State University. Angie taught horticulture at Southwestern Illinois College, coordinated Adult Education Classes for the Missouri Botanical Garden and ran a horticultural speaking business for several years before joining her husband’s seventh generation orchard and retail operation. At Eckert’s, Angie initially managed the greenhouse and landscape design entities. Currently, she serves as the Vice President of Retail Operations for Eckert’s located in Belleville, Illinois where she oversees the specialty food store, garden center, as well as retail products at four seasonal locations.
She is avid promoter of local foods and she speaks regularly to visitors and groups. She has co-authored three cookbooks with her sister-in-law: The Eckert Family Spring, Summer and Fall Cookbooks.
In her free time, Angie loves to cook and garden at her home on the farm where she lives with her husband Chris, and two children and golden retriever. Angie believes the best family memories are made around the dinner table with good food and company!
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Chris Eckert is the President and CEO of Eckert’s Country Store and Farms in Belleville, IL. Chris is a member of the seventh generation of Eckerts to farm in St. Clair County. Eckerts grows approximately 600 acres of fruit and vegetable crops and operates a farm market, restaurant, garden center and the largest pick your own fruit business in the country.
Chris also serves the fruit industry as Past President of the National Peach Council, and the Illinois State Horticulture Society. He has advocated on behalf of the fruit industry for immigration reform both locally and nationally.
Chris is married to his high school sweetheart, Angie. Angie also works in the family business and serves as the Vice President of Retail Operations. They reside in a historic family home on their farm in Belleville with their children, daughter Ella and son Theo.
Gaylee Gillim
Gaylee W. Gillim has more than 30 years of experience in providing legal services to the amusement industry. She was both general counsel to and an owner of Kentucky Kingdom, LLLP, which reopened Kentucky Kingdom and Hurricane Bay in 2014 and operated it until the recent sale of the park to Herschend Family Entertainment. Gillim served in the same capacity for the “original” Kentucky Kingdom from 1990 until its sale to Premier Parks, Inc. in 1997. In addition, Gillim was general counsel to, as well as an owner of, Magic Springs Development Company, L.L.C., which redeveloped the closed Magic Springs theme park in Hot Springs, Arkansas in 2000, added the Crystal Falls water park, and operated the park until 2008.
Gillim graduated from Duke University (B.A., summa cum laude) and earned a J.D. from St. John’s University in 1978. She is admitted to practice in both New York and Kentucky. Gillim has been a member of the Board of Directors of the International Amusement and Leisure Defense Association (IALDA) since 1995 and currently serves as Secretary of the organization. Gillim served two terms on the World Waterpark Association’s Board of Directors, is a member of the WWA’s Government Relations Committee, and was inducted into the WWA Hall of Fame in 2023.
Jeff Greenwood
With over 20 years of experience in the agritourism industry, Jeff Greenwood has a proven track record as the owner/operator of a highly successful agritourism business that welcomed 80,000+ guests annually. Today, Jeff is a recognized leader who is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise. Through his specialized consulting company, Growing with Greenwood, Jeff has assisted farmers nationwide in improving their operations. He works with clients to drive strategic improvements and develop creative solutions that boost profitability while also enriching the experience for guests, employees, and owners.
Shawn Hackett
A frequent contributor to the likes of Farm Journal, Market to Market-IPTV and Chip Flory-AgriTalk, Ag commodities expert Shawn Hackett has a passion for helping Ag industry leaders and farmers with financial risk management, hedging, and the utility of indicator-based Ag commodity price forecasting tools. His extensive research on long-term cycles, correlations, and statistics on climate, currencies, and geopolitics offer objective actionable information. Shawn simplifies them into an easily digestible framework for a wide audience and discusses them regularly in his subscriber-based Hackett Agricultural Report and Hackett Dairy Report.
Shadi Hayek
Shadi Hayek is the Vice President of Sales at TicketSpice, the leading event ticketing software platforms in the agritourism industry. The TicketSpice event technology platform is used by millions of people every month and has processed over 1.5 billion dollars for events around the country.
Shadi has worked with several hundred agritourism businesses, helping them maximize revenue through ticketing tools and strategies. When the events industry was severely impacted by the pandemic, Shadi helped hundreds of events move to online tickets, many for the first time. As the market and needs for agritourism has constantly changed, Shadi has collaborated with farmers to establish tools that have made significant impact in revenue, operations, staffing, and support for agritourism.
Shadi has over 15 years of leadership and business development experience. He’s active in several communities and non-profit organizations in the Sacramento Region. In an average week you can find Shadi hosting a Bar-B-Que or meetup with friends, coaching other professionals, or changing diapers in his growing family.
Hilary Jensen
A first-generation farmer, Hilary Jensen likes to say she went from “corporate to Carhartt”.
Prior to starting her farm in 2012 she followed a windy career path including 20+ years in corporate training, sales, marketing, and operations, starting a successful corporate gift and gift basket business, and working as an on-air radio DJ sidekick.
Most recently she worked as the General Manager for a resort winery in WA state and served as an adjunct professor for Central Washington University.
Now, a fulltime farmer, she and her husband John continue to grow The Patch at Jensen Farms with new revenue streams and recently brought their first value-added product to market.
Doug Joyer
Doug is one of three 4th generation farmers at Waldoch Farm that celebrated its centennial in 2016. Waldoch Farm is a diverse organization with a garden center and produce farm. The agritourism part of the business is called Joyer Adventure Farm and includes an educational barnyard, U-pick strawberries & vegetables, a Honeybee Experience, Sunflower Festival, a Pumpkin Patch, and Corn Maze.
Doug started working full time at the family farm in 2008 after getting his bachelor’s in environmental horticulture at the University of Minnesota. Doug has had many roles on the farm but is currently the general manager, beekeeper, and marketing coordinator. Doug has been attending NAFDMA conventions since 2012, the year after he started Waldoch Farm’s corn maze, and he has not missed a convention since.
Rob Leeds
Rob Leeds is an Agricultural/Natural Resources Extension agent in Delaware County, OH. He has worked in Extension for 32 years, specializing in Direct Ag Marketing and agritourism. Rob has presented at several state and national direct marketing conferences and served on the North American Farmers Direct Marketing Association (NAFDMA) board. Rob and his wife Christy are co-owners/operators of Leeds Farm.
Jeff Manley
Jeff Manley has dedicated over 30 years to enhancing revenue opportunities for local farm families. Mentored for over 40 years by Chick-fil-A's founder, S. Truett Cathy, Jeff co-founded The Rock Ranch in 1989. This venture evolved from a successful cattle operation into a premier Agritourism destination, welcoming thousands of visitors. Jeff has led various business sectors, including Kelly Wholesale Food Group and H&A Farms - the largest blueberry packer on the East Coast. At H&A Farms, he pioneered the shift from commodity farming to experiential Agritourism across multiple locations. His consulting portfolio includes many corporate and family-owned farms, ranging in size from small to large. Presently, he is excited to be part of Endurance Farm Partners, a group dedicated to preserving the legacies of family farms through investment in Agritourism. A devoted family man, Jeff lives in Jackson, Georgia, with his wife, Dr. Haley Manley. They have three grown children who are amazing and his greatest joys. Jeff's passions include archery, hiking, gardening, and anything outdoors. He stays active in industry and community initiatives, serving on various boards, committees, councils, and foundations.
Sara Mazzolla
As a shareholder in our Casualty Department, Sara actively defends matters involving premises liability, amusements, sports and recreation, construction, automobile, and condominium/community association law. Sara also defends professional liability claims involving sports coaches and real estate professionals.
In her career, Sara has defended Fortune 500 retailers, restaurant businesses, and major hospital networks in New Jersey premises liability actions. Sara routinely represents sports facilities, World and Olympic coaches, athletes, sports teams, and contractors in a wide array of matters.
She is a former U.S. International Figure Skating TeamCompetitor, two-time U.S. National Figure Skating Championship Medalist (including winning a National Championship) and World Junior Team Member.
In conjunction with a pro bono organization, Partners for Women and Justice, Sara has successfully represented domestic violence victims in obtaining final restraining orders in New Jersey family court.
Fran McCall
Fran McCall severs as the Commodity Specialist for Kentucky Farm Bureau Federation. She is the coordinator of the Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Farm Market Program, a statewide program for members who direct market and sell products from the farm to the consumer and most incorporate agritourism. With this responsibility she coordinates the program annually, coordinates many educational meetings throughout the year, plans the annual Certified Farm Market Tour out of state, and manages the Certified Farm Market Facebook page. The Kentucky Farm Bureau Certified Farm Market program has grown significantly over 10 years Fran has served as the coordinator and now has over 160 market members. The program has served as a model program for other states and farm bureaus across the United States.
Fran holds a bachelor’s degree from Western Kentucky University and master’s degree from the University of Kentucky. She resides in Eminence, KY with her husband David and their three sons: Lane, Cooper, and Ryan. When Fran is not chasing her kids around, she enjoys helping her husband on the farm, volunteering for 4-H, gardening, baking, traveling and showing Shorthorn cattle and Mini Rex rabbits.
CJ McClanahan
For more than 19 years, CJ McClanahan has helped hundreds of overachieving professionals achieve record sales and profits. More importantly - he’s taught them how to find more joy and satisfaction in all their hard work.
CJ’s professional career began at Arthur Andersen where he helped large corporations reengineer their business processes. In his next executive role, CJ was responsible for managing operations, finance and IT. His last corporate position provided him with the opportunity to manage a sales team in the software industry.
In 2003, CJ decided to venture out on his own and started an executive coaching firm. Since then, he’s spent more than 10,000 hours in front of entrepreneurs, executives and their teams.
After only a few years, CJ noticed that no matter how much success these professionals achieved, very few every seemed to truly enjoy the journey. It didn’t matter if they exploded the top line, doubled their income or become CEO – it never seemed to be enough.
CJ’s latest book, The Overachiever’s Dilemma, lays out a proven strategy to help overachievers get more satisfaction and joy in their lives while still achieving all their professional goals.
CJ lives in Indianapolis with his wife and two kids.
Hugh McPherson
Hugh McPherson, the seasoned Maze Master at Maize Quest, has been entertaining and ‘losing' guests with his “corny” jokes since 1997. Maize Quest Corn Maze & Fun Park is home to the signature Fall Festival and now features a Lavender Festival, Sunflower Festival, and HalfToberFest events.
He’s the 5th generation at Maple Lawn Farms which welcomes guests to pick their own peaches, apples, pumpkins, cherries & blueberries throughout the season. In 2015, Hugh launched Maple Lawn Winery to add value to the fruit crop and welcome a new market of wine-loving guests.
Hugh, the mastermind behind Maize Quest and Super Mega Slide, has a proven track record of innovative, profitable attraction design. He brings value across the agritourism industry with online courses in marketing, employee training, and pricing strategy, as well as his books “The 31-day Turnaround” and “Customers Coming Out Of Your Ears,” which debuted at the top of Amazon’s Agriculture Books category.
Hugh holds an Agricultural Business Management degree from Penn State University and serves as the choir director at Centre Presbyterian Church in New Park, PA. His pride and joy are his wife Janine, daughter Annie, and son Ian.
Janelle Moss
Janelle Moss is the General Manager at BlueSkies Admin Services and has a Master's of Professional Accountancy from the University of South Dakota. Growing up on a farm gave her a first hand look at how hard it is to run a business and it's given her a passion for helping business owners hold on to as many of those hard earned dollars as possible. She loves helping put bookkeeping systems in place and teaching business owners to use their numbers to confidently make great operational decisions.
Channing Muller
Channing Muller is an award-winning marketing consultant and public speaker. As Principal of DCM Communications, she helps event professionals and business owners boost their brand and grow through customized marketing and sales strategies.
With over 20 years of experience in marketing, editorial, advertising, and business development, Channing has held top corporate roles and received numerous accolades, including “The BizBash 500 Most Influential Event Pros” and “40 Under 40” by Connect. She has been featured in Business Insider, Forbes, and BizBash. Originally from New Orleans, Channing now lives in Chicago with her rescue cat and two labradors. She’s a heart attack survivor, a marathon runner, and a passionate advocate for the American Heart Association. Follow her on Instagram @ChanningMuller or @DCMCommunications.
Kellie Padgett
After spending time in the manufacturing industry, Kellie Padgett has rejoined the KCARD team in 2024. She brings over five years of technical assistance to Kentucky producers and will be assisting producers as they scale up their businesses, transition to the next generation or explore new markets. Kellie holds a master's degree in Community and Economic Development from Murray State University and received her bachelor's degree in Agriculture Economics from the University of Kentucky. Prior to KCARD, Kellie was a crop protection sales rep in both Illinois and North Dakota. She and her husband are settling back home in central Kentucky with their two kids.
Erika Petrelli Bayh
A leadership development specialist, speaker, trainer, advisor, author, & adjunct professor, Erika has been in people-development for 30 + years.
Erika cultivated her leadership development skills as the New York City-based The Leadership Program’s Senior Vice President of Leadership Development, where she worked in service to K- 12 youth, writing leadership curriculum honored by CASEL, OJJDP, SAMHSA, and more, as well as creating programmatic initiatives for youth and youth-serving professionals across NYC and the entire country. She oversaw the growth of The Leadership Program’s afterschool leadership and violence prevention programming for youth in grades K-12, becoming one of NYC’s largest providers of youth leadership programs, offering services in over 200 schools across all five boroughs of NYC.
Outside of the educational realm, Erika has spent the last decade lending her leadership expertise to college campuses, corporate boardrooms, community organizations, and individuals seeking to expand their personal and professional approach to Emotionally Intelligent Leadership and Motivation.
As a DiSC certified trainer, Erika enjoys guiding individuals and organizations towards greater insights into how teams thrive.
She is the author of the interactive personal growth journal, “On Wings & Whimsy: Finding the Extraordinary in the Ordinary,” as well as the deck of cards, “52 Ways to Connect,” designed for leaders to strengthen their team time. Both are available on Amazon.
Erika offers interactive leadership experiences centered around Emotional Intelligence, and she works in partnership with her clients to transform their personal and professional approach to relationship- building, communication, and lasting impact.
Jordan Pierce
Jordan Pierce is the COIT (Chief Owner in Training) at Stuckey Farm Orchard and Cider mill. His technical title is COO. He has been full time at the Farm since 2016 after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering technology. Jordan loves working at the farm and there is always some new challenge to overcome which keeps him engaged. Jordan is a christian and a husband to his beautiful wife, and a father of a 2yr old son who was born October 1st (the best time to have a baby).
Frank Price
FL Price is a consulting and training firm for the family entertainment and leisure industries. Frank Price personally challenges new starts, modernizations and current owners with over 25 years’ experience, to deliver high level, quality experiences. He specializes in providing the tools to build the perfect staff, including placement by personality temperament type and the training systems that make your people an attraction.
Frank designs and customizes key revenue center processes. He develops the systems and processes that mold your business beyond the design and build phase, by redefining the way you do business.
Frank founded Birthday University in 2000 to answer the need to produce high quality, profitable commercial birthday parties. Birthday University continues to tour in its 18th successful year, teaching businesses like Disney, Hershey Park, Bam Fun Center, Hollywood Park, Andretti Thrill Park, San Diego Ice Rink, Roseville Skate Town, The Ontario Science Center, The Florida Aquarium, Hero’s and thousands of other family entertainment enterprises, the business of remarkable and profitable birthday parties.
Courtney Ramsey
With a focus on relationship-building and communication, Courtney Ramsey helps leaders and high performers quit hitting snooze on the things that drive employee satisfaction, retention, and engagement.
Courtney received her MBA and BBA from Texas A&M University and was part of the adjunct faculty at SMU’s Cox School of Business. She’s a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) with the Society of Human Resource Management and Certified Training Professional (CPTD) with the Association for Talent Development. She’s also the President of the National Speakers Association of North Texas.
As a wife and mom, her idea of a good time is true crime, a glass of wine, and being in bed by nine. (Dateline is her favorite!)
Kirsten Ramos
For over 18 years, Kirsten Ramos has worked in the learning and development field, with experience working for both large and small organizations.
In 2016, she founded Elevate Performance Solutions which helps individuals and teams communicate better for greater employee retention and job satisfaction leading to higher organization profits.
Kirsten is an executive coach, conference speaker, podcast co-host of The Savvy Session, and pained Chicago White Sox fan.
Chris Roehm
Chris Roehm is a Certified Financial Planner™ located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Three years ago, he created a niche offering tax savings plans for farmers across the USA. To date has installed eighty (80) custom designed retirement plans.
Chris has a degree in Food Science from the University of Florida.
Outside of work, Chris has many interests. He's been a rugby referee for 40 years and loves getting pulled around the neighborhood on a skateboard by his 70-pound pit bull Toto.
Chris Ross
Chef Chris Ross began his culinary career at the age of 18 as a server at Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland, Kentucky. He began volunteering in the kitchen both before and after his shifts, peeling potatoes and doing other prep work in order to absorb as much as he could about the kitchen operations. He then decided to go to Sullivan University in Louisville to obtain his culinary degree. In October of 2000, after graduating from Sullivan with a Culinary Arts Associate of Science Degree, Chris returned to Bellefonte Country Club as Sous Chef and was promoted to Executive Chef in September 2005.
In late 2012 Chris left the country club scene for the public sector to serve as the Executive Chef and the creative force behind Bristol Catering, and to run the kitchen at the original Highlands location of the Bristol Bar & Grille. Here his Hot Brown Soup garnered national attention in Food Network Magazine. With many successes gave way to new opportunities, Chris left the Bristol to open the Dundee Gastropub in 2014.
At the restaurant he served upscale Southern food in a sports bar setting, while garnering a 3 star review from the Courier Journal. Having a love for catering, Chris parted ways with the restaurant to join Levy Restaurants in late 2015.
During his time with Levy Restaurants, Chris has graduated the Top Gun leadership program, worked the Kentucky Derby, the Grammys, Kentucky State Fair, the MLS World Soccer Championship, Big Ten Championship, Big 12 Championship, Land Rover 3 Day Event, the National Horse Show, assisted in Canada as the Bell Center opened new restaurants, as well as many other sports and entertainment related catering events. Ross is currently the Senior Executive Chef of the Central Bank Center, Rupp Arena, and the Lexington Opera House as well as overseeing the food operations at the Kentucky International Convention Center and the Kentucky Exposition Center. He is a professional-minded, leadership driven, innovative chef and his passion for Southern food and French culinary technique allows him to offer a wide variety of catering menus for special events. He won the International Fresh Produce Association Business in Industry Award 2022. Chris has been named a Kentucky Colonel and was recently awarded the Spirit of Lexington Award. He has been featured on Great Day Live, Secrets of Louisville Chefs, Secrets of Bluegrass Chefs, Every Day Kentucky and CNN.com. Chris currently lives in Georgetown with his amazing wife, Great Dane and French Bulldog. He is also the proud PawPaw to 2 year old Liam Cash Ross.
Jim Ross
Jim Ross is the Founder of Audience Media Group (AMG), a creative growth consultancy based in College Station, Texas. Started in 2014. AMG specializes in working with theme parks, festivals, farms, and unique destinations across the U.S. and Canada. With a proven track record of helping hundreds of businesses unlock their potential. AMG focuses on maximizing attendance, revenue, guest experiences, and bottom-line profit.
AMG brings deep expertise in supporting experiential venues and events, including some of the largest and fastest-growing farms, festivals, and destinations in North America. Through a combination of data-driven strategies, deep insights, and tailored marketing solutions, AMG empowers its clients to scale successfully in today’s competitive marketplace.
John Stanley
John Stanley lives in Australia but is very familiar with NAFDMA and the agritourism sector in the USA. John interprets global retail trends to help businesses worldwide adapt to changing economic and political situations and is recognized as the leading consultant and presenter in the sector around the world, working in 35 countries.
John is also a farmer, he and his wife have an award-winning farm, Chestnut Brae, just outside Nannup. WA, Australia. The Global Agricultural Network awards in 2024 recognized this farm as one of the ten outstanding Global Agritourism farms
To further help his clients, John put his ideas on paper in his best selling retail management books: Just About Everything a Retail Manager Needs to Know, Think FOR Your Customer, Setting Up Shop and Agritourism Tourism, a Practical Marketing guide.
John’s uncanny ability to translate economic and consumer lifestyle trends into winning strategies for his clients has made him one of the most sought after consultants and speakers on the planet today.
Adam Stoker
Adam Stoker has worked closely with tourism destinations across the country since 2012. In 2016, he acquired the agency where he was employed, subsequently rebranding it as Relic—a widely recognized tourism marketing agency. Leading a team of 36 professionals, Adam is committed to holistic marketing, providing comprehensive solutions to various challenges. For nearly a decade, he has specialized in owned media, stakeholder engagement, destination branding and more. Adam is also the host of the Destination Marketing Podcast, a weekly show with over 120,000 total listens showcasing engaging discussions with industry professionals worldwide. Adam’s industry influence has allowed him to present at various events, including the North Carolina Tourism Conference, Myrtle Beach NTTW Summit, Utah Tourism Conference, Texas Travel Summit and Destinations International Advocacy Summit, among others. Currently, Adam serves as a board member of the Utah Tourism Industry Association.
Tulleys
Tulleys Farm is situated south of London in the UK. We are a four generation family farm with our roots in fruit and veg production for the wholesale markets, pick your own through the 70’s and 80’s and a farm market through the 90’s and 00’s.
Tulleys is now a diverse seasonal events venue, incorporating events for all seasons, with a Tulip Festival, Sunflower Festival, Summer Drive in Cinema, Pumpkin Farm, Pumpkin Nights, Shocktober Fest, Santa Christmas attraction, and new for 2024 - a Christmas Light Festival. Along with a year-round escape room business and tearooms, Tulleys finds itself at the forefront of the AgriTourism industry.
Tulleys is always innovating and evolving, we attracted 280,000 visitors in 2021 and are predicting 455,000 visitors to the farm during the 2024 season.
The Team
Stuart Beare
Stuart is the third generation of the Beare family to live and operate at Tulleys Farm. Stuart has a degree in commercial horticulture, but his passion is in the creative, set design, pushing the boundaries, and creating a supportive community around the farm. Stuart joined the family business to work alongside his parents Denis and Marion in 1991. Stuart has been a member of NAFDMA since 1998 and was on the NAFDMA board from 2004 to 2006. He was chairman of the UK’s Farm Retail Association from 2008 to 2010. He has been on the board of NFAN, the UK’s farm attraction association and is a founder member of the HSAA, the UK’s Halloween & Scare Attraction association.
Chris Bailey
Chris joined the team in 2008 aged 15, with his superb people skills, he quickly established himself as an invaluable member of the team. Chris studied media and marketing, and as well as overseeing much of this marketing function for Tulleys, Chris is the Operations Director for the Escape Rooms, Shocktober Fest and the Christmas Santa Experience.
Sam Beare
Stuart’s son Sam joined Tulleys full time in fall 2017, Sam studied at the Royal Agricultural college Cirencester and gained a first degree in international business. Sam’s work placement was at Underwoods Farms in CA, and he’s spent time helping out at both Vala’s Pumpkin Patch and Saunders Farm.
Sam is the Operations Director for the Tulip and Sunflower festival, Pumpkin and Pumpkin Nights experiences and works very closely with Chris on the marketing and business strategy.
Kellie Ward
Kellie Ward is a graphic and web designer with nearly two decades of experience working with marketing agencies, higher education, and major corporations. Alongside her professional career, she has taught graphic design at the University of Tennessee and founded CryeStudio, a design studio and educational YouTube channel. Kellie's core mission is to make design and software learning accessible for all.
Christie Welch
Within the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Welch serves as the Direct Food and Agriculture Marketing Specialist to assist Ohio's agricultural and food producers increase their profitability and sustainability through best marketing practices, increase marketing efficiencies, and market diversification. Ms. Welch has a strong interest in the economic development of rural Ohio and is especially interested in family farms and agribusinesses within this region.
She and her husband are the third generation on their diversified family farm. They currently produce small fruits which they direct market from the farm. She was actively involved in the Chillicothe Farmers’ Market where she served on the board for 8 years. She is currently serving on the Board of Directors of Farmers Market Coalition.
Eric Unterberger
Eric is the TicketSpice Digital Marketing Manager leading a team of digital advertisers and helping bring the brand into new territories. Formerly the owner/founder of GrowthSocial, a results-driven digital advertising agency, Eric has helped countless small businesses sell more online.
“I'm a builder, a strategist, and a ride-or-die team player. I like to get into the trenches with others to understand the nuances that make up their business and generate more demand online for their products and services.” - Eric U.
Eric lives in Park City, Utah with his wife and spends as much time as he can playing in the mountains.
Justin Zoradi
Justin is the Vice President of Marketing at TicketSpice and a certified StoryBrand Coach. He started the TicketSpice marketing team in 2021 and has helped grow the brand into one of the premier event platforms in North America.
A social entrepreneur in the early parts of his career, he was the founder of These Numbers Have Faces, a nonprofit organization investing in young leaders throughout East Africa. In 2018, he published Made For These Times, a how-to-guide for young entrepreneurs to build enterprises that impact the world.
An obsessive soccer fan and weekend landscaper, Justin lives with his family in Portland, Oregon.