Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert and Kincannon & Reed’s Aaron Locker Join the Stratovation Agriculture Growth Exchange as the Network Builds Depth Across the Food and Ag Value Chain

Two prominent industry leaders have joined the Stratovation Agriculture Growth Exchange (SAGE) Network. Phil Lempert, widely known as the Supermarket Guru, will provide food sector expertise, and Aaron Locker, Managing Director at Kincannon & Reed, adds expertise in executive leadership and talent strategy. The additions expand SAGE into two areas that have become central to how ag and food companies compete.

Launched earlier this year by Stratovation Group, the SAGE Network is a structured platform that helps ag and food innovators gain investor-ready positioning, establish go-to-market pathways, and connect with a trusted network of senior industry leaders through the signature SAGE Growth Blueprint. The platform is anchored around the FARMCON event ecosystem and built for companies that need access to experienced professionals who can help them execute and grow.

Phil Lempert Brings the Consumer Perspective to SAGE

For more than 30 years, Phil Lempert has been one of America’s most recognized and sought-after analysts of consumer behavior, food retail trends, and how people buy and interact with food. Known broadly as the Supermarket Guru, Lempert is the founder of SupermarketGuru.com, a leading food trends resource serving both consumers and the trade since 1994. He is also the author of multiple books on food marketing and consumer trends.

Lempert has served for more than two decades as food trends editor and correspondent for NBC’s Today Show and has appeared regularly on ABC’s The View, Fox Business, CNN, and numerous other national outlets. He hosts the Farm Food Facts and Lost in the Supermarket podcasts. His perspective spans the full arc of the food system, from farm and production to retail shelf and consumer decision.

“Phil Lempert brings a perspective that very few people can offer,” said Stratovation Group Founder and CEO Cam Camfield. “He understands the consumer side of the food equation as well as anyone in the country. For ag and food companies trying to understand how their products and stories land at the retail level and with the people who ultimately buy them, that insight is invaluable.”

Aaron Locker Brings Executive Leadership and Talent Strategy to SAGE

Aaron Locker joins the SAGE Network from Kincannon & Reed, the global retained executive search and leadership advisory firm serving the food and agriculture industries since 1981. A Managing Director at the firm, Locker brings more than three decades in agriculture spanning agribusiness, crop inputs, and organizational strategy. He holds a Bachelor of Science in agricultural economics from The Ohio State University and has completed advanced executive education at Wharton and Harvard Business School.

Locker’s focus is the question most growth plans leave unanswered: whether an organization’s leadership capability can keep pace with its ambitions. He will counsel SAGE participants as they assess the leadership their strategy actually requires and build the executive teams to deliver it. Getting a critical leadership hire wrong is among the most expensive mistakes a growing company can make. It is also among the easiest to defer.

“Most companies we work with have a sound plan. What determines whether it happens is whether the right people are in the right seats before the plan needs them,” Locker said. “That decision usually gets made later than it should have been.”

“For many companies, leadership and talent strategy are the hidden variables that determine whether a sound business plan translates into actual organizational performance,” Camfield said. “Aaron’s addition ensures that SAGE participants have access to expert guidance on some of the most consequential decisions any company faces.”

A Continuously Growing Network of Expertise

The additions of Lempert and Locker reflect the intentional expansion of the SAGE Network into areas that companies often overlook but consistently need: a clear line of sight to the consumer marketplace and the leadership infrastructure to execute. The SAGE Network now spans food and production agriculture, capital markets, public policy, regulatory affairs, technology, livestock and biosciences, specialty crops, and now consumer insights and executive talent strategy.

“The whole premise of SAGE is that the companies which will lead the next era of ag and food innovation need access to the right people at the right time,” Camfield said. “Every addition to this network is deliberate. Phil and Aaron each fill a meaningful gap, and together they make SAGE considerably stronger.”

Companies interested in participating in the SAGE Network through a Growth Blueprint are encouraged to connect with Cam Camfield (cam@StratovationGroup.com) or Mace Thornton (Mace@StratovationGroup.com) at Stratovation Group.

About the SAGE Network

The Stratovation Agriculture Growth Exchange (SAGE) Network is a structured network platform that connects agricultural and food companies with nationally recognized subject matter experts to support investor-ready positioning, go-to-market strategy, and long-term growth. The signature deliverable, the SAGE Growth Blueprint, is customized to each participating company’s priorities and is reinforced by ongoing network access, roundtables, and peer connections.

About Kincannon & Reed

Kincannon & Reed recruits and develops leaders for organizations that feed the world and keep it healthy. Founded in 1981, the firm provides global retained executive search, board director recruitment, and leadership advisory services to organizations across the food and agriculture value chain. Through K&R EDGE Leadership Solutions, the firm extends its work beyond placement into executive onboarding, leadership assessment, executive coaching, executive performance, and succession planning. Learn more at krsearch.com.