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Business event to focus on ag-tech and food innovation in Yakima – Yakima Herald-Republic


Yakima business group Fulcrum will mark its first year with a different kind of party.

The first Fulcrum Think Big Festival, planned for Nov. 1-2, will kick off the organization’s efforts to establish Yakima as a hub for agricultural technology and food innovation.

The festival will feature more than 30 ag-tech and food innovation experts and investors for a weekend of brainstorming, presentations and networking.

The heart of the festival is a daylong think tank where experts and other invited community members will have the opportunity to brainstorm ideas and strategies that can be developed over time, said Chelann Gienger, executive director for Fulcrum.

The hope is that these ideas will turn into new businesses and innovations that are further developed at a physical business incubator. Fulcrum has the former Liquidation World building at 16 N. Third St. under contract and plans to convert it into a multiuse center that will provide living, working and office space to local entrepreneurs. The building will house several businesses under the Fulcrum umbrella, including a real estate arm, a business development and coaching services firm and venture capital fund.

“The goal is to facilitate this innovation mindset around ag-tech in Yakima, so we’re literally bursting at the seams with ideas by the time we have a physical space,” Gienger said.

The public portion of the festival includes a conference featuring speeches and talks from ag-tech and food innovation experts and investors; an expo that highlights ag-tech and food innovations already present in the Yakima area; and series of parties where the community will have the opportunity to talk and network with experts.

Gienger said she hopes the festival will show community members the innovation already present in the region along with ideas for future development.

“We truly live in one of the most incredible places, I believe, on the planet,” she said. “If not all of the people in Yakima haven’t quite realized that aspect yet, it’s because it hasn’t been showcased in this way.”



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