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Contacts:
Julie Versman, Director of Marketing, 530-750-0150, ext. 116
Chris Coombs, US Business Vice President, 530-750-0150, ext. 180
AgraQuest Staffs up for US and Global Expansion
Industry heavyweights hired in sales leadership roles
DAVIS, Calif. (February 1, 2005) – AgraQuest is pleased to strengthen its US sales and marketing leadership with the hiring of William Valoff as Regional Sales Manager, Southern California; the promotion of Nevada Smith to Group Product Manager; and the appointment of Terry Bradley as Sales Consultant, Northeast US. Valoff, Smith, and Bradley will all operate under the guidance of Chris Coombs, Vice President of US Business.
AgraQuest’s International sales efforts have also been expanded with the hiring of Jorgé Alberto Cetti as Business Director, Latin America and Saúl Humberto Borbolla Ibarra Regional Sales Manager, Mexico, who will both operate under the direction of Bill Dunham, Vice President of International Business.
William (Bill) Valoff has over 30 years of crop protection sales and regional and divisional sales management experience for both chemicals and biopesticides. He is highly respected within the Western markets and has a close following by all key customer groups. In his early career, he worked for Stauffer and Zeneca before moving to Abbott Laboratories, where he managed sales in nine Western states. Most recently Mr. Valoff was with Agtrol International and Nufarm Americas as Western Division Sales Manager and Regional Account Manager. “I’m very pleased to join a company with effective biopesticides that provide enhanced value to our customers and a pipeline with so much potential,” said Mr. Valoff. Mr. Valoff has an agronomy degree from California State University, Fresno.
As AgraQuest’s new Group Product Manager, Nevada Smith will provide a central focus for the company’s rapidly growing fungicide product line. He began his career with Aventis Crop Science and was hired at AgraQuest as Regional Sales Manager, Coastal California in 2000. His responsibilities grew to encompass Southern Califonia and Arizona sales territories. “I’m looking forward to significant growth in our fungicide business with our enhanced Serenade® MAX label and the launch of our newly registered Sonata® biofungicide,” said Mr. Smith. “Our product portfolio will soon be diversified with introductions of an adjuvant, fumigant and insecticide.” Mr. Smith is a graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a Crop Science and Agriculture Business degree.
Terry Bradley was Global Sales Manager of Gaylord Chemical where he worked in the highly competitive solvents business. In the mid-90’s he worked for BASF in the sales and marketing of high value fungicide products. Most of Mr. Bradley’s 30+ year career was within the DuPont Company where he led many groups within the Wilmington headquarters. As U.S. Business Manager – Ag Products and Global Fungicide Manager, Mr. Bradley was instrumental in developing the fungicide flusilazole throughout Europe and also had sales responsibilities in South Africa, Greece and Switzerland. Mr. Bradley is a native of England and has a BS degree from Cambridge University.
Jorgé Cetti’s responsibilities at AgraQuest include business in South and Central America and Mexico. Mr. Cetti’s successful agribusiness career included Eli Lilly Argentina, and Monsanto Argentina before joining Stauffer Chemicals, where he earned an award from the Argentinean Marketing Association. He then founded Ariadna, building an extensive local customer base while working on business analysis and consulting projects. Mr. Cetti had most recently worked for Chemotecnica, where he significantly grew revenues and launched new seed treatment, herbicide and fungicide products. Mr. Cetti received an agronomy degree and a MBA from the University of Buenos Aires and Center of Macroeconomic Studies of Argentina.
Saúl Borbolla started his career as a college professor in agriculture at the Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa. He later became Sales Manager for Dow Agro Sciences de Mexico and worked for FMC de Mexico as Marketing Manager for Corn & Special Markets. Mr. Borbolla then became the Technical Advisor and independent consultant in his own successful business in Agave production. “Saul’s strong marketing, product development and sales experience, together with his broad base of contacts in the Northwest area of Mexico, will contribute to the rapid growth of AgraQuest’s business in Mexico”, states William (Bill) Dunham, AgraQuest’s Vice President of International Business.
About AgraQuest
AgraQuest is a biotechnology company that focuses on discovering, developing, manufacturing and marketing effective, safe and environmentally friendly natural pest management products for agricultural, institutional and home markets. The company sells Serenade® and Rhapsody® Biofungicides and recently announced registration of Sonata® biofungicide for control of powdery mildew, downy mildew and rust. Pending at the EPA are Arabesque™ biofumigant and Virtuoso™ bioinsecticide. In 2003, AgraQuest won the prestigious Presidential Green Chemistry Award from the EPA for the discovery and commercialization of Serenade Biofungicide. In 2004, AgraQuest received a Red Herring Top 100 Private Company Award and a World Technology Award.