Wyoming facility – which will double Plenty’s R&D space – enters next phase, progresses toward 2025 opening
Plenty Unlimited Inc. announced significant updates supporting the development of its new R&D facility, which will be the largest and most technologically advanced indoor vertical farming research center in the world. Following the announcement of the project earlier this year, made possible by Wyoming’s largest economic development grant ever given, the project steering committee has achieved its first major milestone, selecting MOA Architecture as the architecture and engineering (A&E) firm.
Plenty has appointed Sasha Preuss as the Vice President of Plant Science in its Laramie leadership team who will build on decades of experience heading up biology and biotech programs and labs for some of the world’s largest agriculture companies, including Bayer and Monsanto, Sasha is now leading Plenty’s team of more than 75 scientists in scaling up the company’s R&D work.
Growing more crops indoors is essential to make indoor agriculture a meaningful part of the global food supply, increase food security and improve supply chain resiliency. The Laramie research center will significantly expand Plenty’s new crop research, which has grown more than 50 different crops in Plenty’s 3-D vertical growing system. The new facility will also support the ongoing development and new releases of core Plenty technology – including Plenty’s custom LED lights, which play a pivotal role in increasing yield. The addition of the new facility will also enable Plenty to scale its leading teams of scientists and engineers, and to deepen its long-standing relationship with the University of Wyoming through additional partnerships and recruitment opportunities.
“Plenty’s investment in R&D and our work to develop a transformational new method of growing plants has been what set us apart. Building the most advanced vertical farming research center in the world will make it possible for us to further scale our innovation and to continue advancing the fields of agriculture and plant science in the face of an increasingly volatile climate,” said Dr. Nate Storey, Plenty cofounder and Chief Science Officer. “As we ramp up our cutting-edge crop research to scale what Plenty farms can deliver in the U.S. and beyond.”
Plenty’s new facility has received $20 million economic development grant through the Wyoming Business Council to the City of Laramie. The Laramie Chamber Business Alliance (LCBA) is also providing additional funding, land and support for the project, bringing total support for the project to $22.5 million. The project steering committee conducted a thorough, statewide review and chose MOA Architecture as the A&E firm. The selection was based on MOA’s capabilities and expertise from two decades of experience in Wyoming, as well as its commitment to achieving the project’s vision and objectives.
Brandon Daigle, Director of MOA Wyoming. “We’re honored to have been chosen as the A&E firm on this project, and look forward to leveraging our expertise and experience to design this groundbreaking new research facility.”
Following the installation of MOA as the A&E partner, the steering committee will move forward with the process to secure a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) to support the team on design and manage the shift to the building phase.
