Key Takeaways
- Six independent ag consultants have launched ACME Ag Consulting, a St. Louis-based network offering on-demand senior expertise to ag and food companies.
- The network is designed to serve both fast-moving startups that cannot afford full-time hires and larger companies with downsized teams seeking experienced project-based support.
- Founding members cover a broad range of disciplines including government relations, brand strategy, business development, communications, go-to-market strategy, and media relations.
- Consultants operate as fractional team members or project-based advisors, with all six based in the St. Louis metro area but working with clients globally.
- Collectively, the founding members have worked across crops, geographies, and company stages from startups to global crop science and food companies.
Six Ag Consultants Launch ACME Ag Consulting Network in St. Louis
Six independent consultants with backgrounds spanning crops, geographies, and company stages have launched ACME Ag Consulting, a St. Louis-based advisory network giving ag and food companies on-demand access to senior expertise. The model is designed to serve clients without the overhead of full-time hires or large agency relationships, with founding members working directly with clients as fractional team members or project-based advisors.
The launch comes as ag innovation increasingly depends on small, fast-moving teams. Startups need senior counsel they cannot afford on a full-time basis, while downsized teams at established companies are filling capability gaps with experienced outside advisors.
“Bringing those trusted advisors together under one collective means you don't have to figure out who to call. You message us and we help sort out the right combination of expertise and relationships for what you're trying to do — whether that's one of us or several. If we can't help, we may know of someone else who can,” said Janice Person, Grounded Communications.
ACME Ag Consulting Founding Members and Disciplines
The six founding members each bring distinct areas of focus to the network. Brent Boydston of Ag Center Solutions covers government relations, trade policy, grower organizations, coalition building, and sustainability. Lisa Humphreys of Lisa& specializes in brand strategy, repositioning, brand voice, sustainable innovation, and marketing activation. Matt Luetje of M2L Ag Consulting focuses on business development, commercialization planning, operations, strategic partnerships, and supply chain. Janice Person of Grounded Communications handles communications strategy, stakeholder and consumer engagement, issues management, and product communications. Jon Riley of Riley Consulting covers product launch, go-to-market strategy, commercial scaling, product stewardship, and innovation scouting. Carly Scaduto of Carly Scaduto Consulting specializes in media relations, executive visibility, narrative development, digital engagement, and editorial content.
A Collective Model for the Modern Ag Market
All six consultants are based in the St. Louis metro area and work with clients globally. ACME positions itself as a connective layer for companies navigating the full range of commercial and strategic challenges across the ag and food sectors, from early-stage ventures to established crop science and food companies.
