November 2015 Luncheon - Greg Richards '85

Greg Richards '95

 Greg’s raised nearly $ 40 million to buy and manage farmlands in the Pacific NW.  Our luncheon heard the story of farm values in the heartland and the trends of values in the Pacific NW.  We learned the reason Greg and team believed there was a way for money to be made buying farmland.

For the past 5 years, Greg Richards ’95 has been the Co-Founder & Managing Director of HarvestWest Investments with offices in Bellevue, WA and Grangeville, ID

HarvestWest Investments is an investment fund focused on farmland in the Pacific Northwest. To date they have acquired over 12,000 acres of farmland as a secure, income-producing asset capitalizing on the growing demand for food and in a period of higher inflation. Greg has gathered a team of experienced locals with strong ties in the Pacific Northwest farming, business and finance communities.

Description of HarvestWest from their website: HarvestWest Investments is an Agriculture Fund formed exclusively to invest in farmland. We have built a unique vehicle for investors to own a diverse group of properties in this generally stable and long-term appreciating asset, while relieving them of the burden of property management. HarvestWest partners with the best farmers in the region to lease and operate our land.

For regular grad luncheon attendees, you may recall that Greg spoke to our group about 10 years ago, when he had executed a leveraged buyout of Rung Industries.  Rung was a company that manufactured the screens used in quarries, sand and gravel pits. Greg owned and managed this business from 2001 until a successful sale to a strategic buyer in December 2010.

It was a top rate presentation by Greg and his story of pursuing farmland as the target for an  investment fund.  

Greg Richards '95