Farmland Partners Inc. (NYSE: FPI) (the “Company” or “FPI”) today announced that Luca Fabbri has been elevated to the role of Chief Executive Officer and appointed to the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) as part of the senior executive succession plan that was approved by the Board and announced in November 2022. Paul Pittman, who previously served as Chief Executive Officer, will remain as Executive Chairman of the Board and as a full-time FPI employee.
Fabbri, whose title is now President and CEO, co-founded FPI as a public company with Pittman in 2014. He served as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer from its inception, before assuming the position of President in October 2021.
“Luca played a key role in the initial formation, capitalization and formulation of the strategic direction of FPI, has the undivided confidence of our entire team and has over time taken on an increasing number of top executive duties. Moreover, Luca has been a close colleague and friend for many years, and I am confident will work extremely well with me as Executive Chairman,” Pittman said when the succession plan was announced. “This appointment is a natural progression in a process started with Luca’s appointment as President in 2021. There is no one I trust more than Luca to help chart a course for FPI’s future, and I look forward to continuing our close collaboration for years to come.”
Prior to co-founding FPI, Fabbri was an executive in finance, technology, and agriculture. He has a B.S. with Honors in Economics from the University of Naples (Italy) and an M.B.A. in Finance from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
“At the heart of FPI is an entrepreneurial spirit and a talented team that’s passionate about agriculture and farmland,” Fabbri said. “I’m proud to lead this tight-knit group as we continue to deliver for shareholders. And I will always be grateful to Paul and the Board for the trust they’ve placed in me.”
About Farmland Partners Inc.
Farmland Partners Inc. is an internally managed real estate company that owns and seeks to acquire high-quality North American farmland and makes loans to farmers secured by farm real estate. As of December 31, 2022, the Company owns and/or manages approximately 196,100 acres in 19 states, including Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Virginia. In addition, we own land and buildings for four agriculture equipment dealerships in Ohio leased to Ag Pro under the John Deere brand. We have approximately 26 crop types and over 100 tenants. The Company elected to be taxed as a real estate investment trust, or REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, commencing with the taxable year ended December 31, 2014. Additional information: www.farmlandpartners.com or (720) 452-3100.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, without limitation, statements with respect to our outlook and the outlook for the farm economy generally, the Chief Executive Officer transition described herein, proposed and pending acquisitions and dispositions, financing activities, crop yields and prices and anticipated rental rates. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates” or similar expressions or their negatives, as well as statements in future tense. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, beliefs and expectations, such forward-looking statements are not predictions of future events or guarantees of future performance and our actual results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Some factors that might cause such a difference include the following: the on-going war in Ukraine and its impact on the world agriculture market, world food supply, the farm economy, and our tenants’ businesses; general volatility of the capital markets and the market price of the Company’s common stock; changes in the Company’s business strategy, availability, terms and deployment of capital; the Company’s ability to refinance existing indebtedness at or prior to maturity on favorable terms, or at all; availability of qualified personnel; changes in the Company’s industry, interest rates or the general economy; adverse developments related to crop yields or crop prices; the degree and nature of the Company’s competition; the timing, price or amount of repurchases, if any, under the Company's share repurchase program; the ability to consummate acquisitions or dispositions under contract; and the other factors described in the section entitled “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and the Company’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Any forward-looking information presented herein is made only as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of unanticipated events, or otherwise.
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