Dean Martel Joins BrightFarms as Vice President of Sales

Dean Martel Joins BrightFarms as Vice President of Sales

BrightFarms is pleased to announce that Dean Martel has joined the company as Vice President of Sales. Martel will lead supermarket partnership business development, sales and account management. 

Martel has more than 25 years of experience leading category growth in the consumer packaged goods industry. Most recently, he served as the Director of U.S. Retail Sales for It’s Fresh!, a food freshness technology company. Prior to his tenure with It’s Fresh!, Martel spent 16 years in category management and sales leadership positions at Fresh Express, which at the time was the nation's leading fresh salad brand. He began his career in the food industry at Kraft Foods, where he served in a variety of sales and supply chain roles.

Martel’s experience ranges from category management best practices to expertise in value added salads. He is known for building strategic relationships with key retailers in the U.S., which well-positions him to add value to the BrightFarms team during this growth phase.

With greenhouse farms built in close proximity to major metropolitan markets like Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, BrightFarms is currently the leader in producing local produce for supermarkets.  The company plans to construct more than a dozen greenhouse farms across the country in the next three years.

“We are on a fast-track to becoming the country’s first national brand of local produce,” said BrightFarms CEO Paul Lightfoot. “Dean’s background leading high-profile teams and growth initiatives within the category adds immeasurable value to our team. We’re entering a period of serious growth as we look to bring fresh, local produce to more grocery store shelves. We are very happy to have Dean in our corner.”

This hire also allows for Abby Prior, another key member of BrightFarms leadership team, to shift into a newly created role as the Vice President of Marketing. Before joining BrightFarms, Prior served as a Director of Marketing for Bimbo Bakeries, USA.

“Joining Paul and the BrightFarms team is an incredible opportunity to be part of a leading-edge company with innovative greenhouse farming technologies and practices to help solve the lengthy food supply chain problem,” said Martel. “At the end of the day, we’re helping to deliver fresher, higher-quality produce to the grocery shelves of consumers every day, and that is something to feel good about.”