February 2023 – Future-Proofing Farming: Will Agriculture Move Indoors?

This event centered on the merits of indoor vs. traditional outdoor agriculture as we navigate the clean energy transition. Speakers addressed key environmental issues and energy usage in the context of society’s carbon reduction goals.

Introductory Speaker:

Marisa N. Bocci, Partner, K&L Gates LLP

Marisa Bocci is a partner in the firm’s Seattle office. She works on a range of transactional matters, including purchase and sale agreements, joint venture arrangements, and leasing. Her practice focuses on hotel and resort properties, commercial real estate assets, agriculture and agribusiness matters, and natural resource investment activities. Marisa advises asset managers and institutional investors on direct investing, co-investments, joint ventures, and other investment strategies relating to real assets in a variety of sectors. A number of Marisa’s matters include the purchase or sale of real estate portfolios, whether in multiple serial transactions or in a single large-scale multi-property transaction.  Marisa is certified in Legal Project Management.

In the agriculture sector, Marisa has specific experience in matters relating to agribusiness investments. She handles transactions across the country involving the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of farmland, often on behalf of family office, pension fund, investment management, and private equity clients. A significant number of her clients are involved in cross-border investment in U.S. farmland assets; she advises on their AFIDA and state equivalent regulatory compliance. Further, she advises clients on operational issues specific to the food packing and processing industry, including supply chain, labor, and AgTech matters. In addition, she also advises clients on agribusiness-related M&A transactions.  Marisa regularly speaks and writes on agribusiness topics, and she co-chairs the K&L Gates Firmwide Agribusiness and Food/Beverage industry groups.

Moderator:

Kari Larson, Partner, K&L Gates LLP

Kari Larson is a partner in the firm’s Seattle office. Her practice focuses on commercial real estate including the acquisition, disposition, leasing, financing, and development of commercial, timber and food and agribusiness holdings, including controlled environment agriculture (CEA) facilities. Kari regularly represents both borrowers and lenders (foreign and domestic) in lending transactions secured by commercial and agricultural properties, including the negotiation of intercreditor and co-lender arrangements. Kari also regularly advises clients on investments in various food and agribusiness assets. Kari is certified in Legal Project Management.

Kari grew up on a dairy farm in Skagit Valley, Washington. With this background in mind, Kari regularly counsels clients with respect to general matters affecting the ownership and operation of timber, farmland and other agribusiness assets. Additionally, Kari has developed particular experience in advising clients on regulatory issues impacting the growing, processing, manufacturing and distribution of food products, including issues under the Food Safety Modernization Act and state regulatory schemes, supply chain management issues, and transportation issues. Further, Kari regularly advises on jurisdictionally-specific permitting, licensing, certification, and product-specific requirements for producers, processors and retailers (including online retailers) of food, including those applicable to CEA facilities. Kari also counsels clients on filing requirements for foreign investors under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act and analogous state statutes.

Debate Speakers:

Elan Kramer, Investment Professional, Generate Capital

Elan Kramer is an Investment Professional at Generate Capital where his focus is on originating, analyzing, and executing new sustainable infrastructure investments in the Americas. In particular, he focuses on the Controlled Environment Agriculture and Front of the Meter Energy Storage Markets in the US and Canada. Prior to joining Generate in early 2021, Elan spent over 5 years on the Infrastructure Investment Teams at Canada’s largest pension funds, including OMERS and AIMCo where he was involved in transactions and management of portfolio companies across the Power, Water, and Transportation sectors.

Skye Root, Founder, Root Agricultural Advisory

Skye is the Founder of Root Agricultural Advisory where he manages and grows farmland portfolios throughout the Western USA. Skye is also a FINRA licensed investment banker with Galena Capital where he focuses on food and agriculture opportunities.

Skye has served or serves on many boards and committees, including the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), CFA Society of Idaho, Young Investors Society, Boy Scouts of America, BYU Management Society, Farmer to Farmer, and Realtors Land Institute. He is also a licensed real estate broker in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado & Utah, holds Series 63 and 79 licenses through FINRA, and is a graduate of Leadership Idaho Agriculture.


Sponsored by K&L Gates

Sponsorship Opportunities

Sponsoring a CleanTech Alliance event is a great way to get your brand noticed or connect your organization to a clean tech topic. Contact Rachelle@CleanTechAlliance.org for more info, or check out our infographic here.

Upcoming Events Include:

Previous Events:

2023 Event Topics:

2022 Event Topics:

2021 Event Topics:

2020 Event Topics: