Growers Edge, a provider of data-backed financial technology solutions for the agricultural industry, announces the appointment of Hollie Bunn as vice president of lending operations to expand the company’s offerings into ag lending. Bunn will focus on hiring the lending platform team, developing the financing organization, and cultivating relationships with ag retailers and industry suppliers to give growers access to the capital they need to transform their farming operations.
“We are creating a suite of financial solutions that meet the ag industry’s unique needs, and Hollie Bunn has the ideal mix of personal passion, ag industry understanding and financing expertise to grow our lending arm,” says Dan Cosgrove, CEO of Growers Edge. “Her experience building and leading teams will help us quickly bring the Growers Edge ag lending vision nationwide—giving ag retailers access to the financial solutions growers need to adopt new technologies confidently.”
Based on her 25-year career in ag financing and customer relationship management, as well as her own family farming connections, Bunn brings intense enthusiasm and energy for improving the ag lending industry to her new position at Growers Edge. Most recently, Bunn served as vice president of commercial ag lending for Farmers National Bank in Canfield, Ohio. Before that, she dedicated two decades to Farm Credit Mid-America, where she held various positions, including vice president of sales strategy and regional vice president. At Farm Credit Mid-America, Bunn developed regional business plans and localized marketplace analysis, later leading the development, strategy and execution of redefined roles and responsibilities for the entire retail sales team across multiple states.
“Knowing firsthand how difficult it can be for growers to find loans at reasonable rates, I am thrilled at the prospect of working with my longstanding ag network to make capital more accessible for farmers as part of the Growers Edge team,” says Bunn. “Growers Edge will be bridging the financial gap between ag retailers and the growers who need access to capital so they can adopt the innovations needed to make their operations more profitable and sustainable.”
The Growers Edge lending platform will offer private label financing programs for ag retailers to support growers’ utilization of crop inputs and other technology.
Bunn earned a master’s degree in agriculture economics from Southern Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology from Wilmington College. She has also served as a consultant and speaker for Women in Ag and on the Indiana 4-H board of directors.