PodPonics Expands Senior Management Team, Adds Chief Operating Officer

ATLANTA, March 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlanta-based PodPonics, an innovative technology-driven urban agriculture start-up, announced today the addition of two members to its senior management team.

Brad Bruckman has been hired as chief operating officer and Harry Riggs will serve as vice president of global business development. The two seasoned executives bring a strong track record of driving growth and fostering impressive success in their careers to date.

"PodPonics is fortunate to be able to attract leadership talent of this caliber and accomplishment," said Matt Liotta, founder and chief executive officer of PodPonics. "As an organization moves from early start-up to the growth stage, real-world operational experience is crucial. These seasoned professionals will play a pivotal role in our company's future growth and success."

Brad Bruckman started his career with Domino's Pizza as an area developer and later served as president of the Domino's National Franchise Association, serving over 1,000 franchisees. He left Domino's after 10 years to serve in a senior operations position with a small regional casual dining chain before joining PepsiCo Restaurants, where he worked in their U.S. and international operations. After four years as a successful operations executive with PepsiCo, Bruckman was promoted into the supply chain management group where he quickly rose to senior director, managing the group and over $1.6 billion in annual spending. Bruckman left PepsiCo to pursue an entrepreneurial venture, joining Krispy Kreme Doughnuts as an area developer in northern California. He quickly built his franchise into the leading franchise group in the Krispy Kreme system, winning "Area Developer of the Year" in 2001. His franchise was the wholesale business that served a variety of customers, including Albertsons, Safeway, and Whole Foods, representing a total of over 600 outlets. Combined retail and wholesale sales for the company reached nearly $50 million before Bruckman sold the business to Krispy Kreme Corporate. Bruckman attended Clemson University as an undergraduate and holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. His experience will provide PodPonics with a deep understanding of vendor expectations and multi-unit growth.

Harry Riggs has been a consultant to the global technology industry since 1990. Throughout the 1990s, Riggs worked in Europe and Africa as a consultant to communications, finance and retail and distribution companies that used disruptive "leapfrog" technology to gain competitive advantage in new markets. In 1999, Riggs became CEO of a global technology startup managing Fortune 100 clients operating in 129 countries to deploy sales strategy and web-based sales development capability for an increasingly distributed workforce. Since 2002, Riggs has focused on developing and implementing the global sales strategy for a large technology firm, working regularly on six continents implementing sales strategy throughout Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and Latin America. Riggs holds an MFA from the University of Alabama and a B.S. from Northwestern University.

About PodPonics
PodPonics is the future of farming. The Atlanta-based company answers the growing consumer demand for local food by producing it in urban centers, using an approach that does not require arable land. PodPonics utilizes a proprietary system that integrates advanced hydroponics, proprietary lighting, irrigation and nutrient technology with process control. Their growing system reduces cost, improves product quality and creates local jobs while answering the strong and growing demand for locally produced, natural foods.

The PodPonics approach to next-generation urban agriculture provides a number of advantages over traditional farming, including year-round crop production, much higher crop density and predictable results, as well as the elimination of crop failures caused by weather or pests. PodPonics meets these goals using far less water and foreign oil than traditional agriculture and without employing harmful pesticides. The benefits of the approach include providing a healthy, natural product grown in a controlled environment at or near the point of consumption.

PodPonics was recently named a Top 40 Innovative Technology Company in Georgia by the Technology Association of Georgia.

For more information on PodPonics, please visit www.podponics.com.

SOURCE PodPonics