OUR TEAM
Our experienced consulting team brings years of both ranch and retail expertise. We have experience all along the path from farm to table at scale, and we’ve successfully implemented vertically cooperative programs in various agricultural arenas.
Lamar Steiger
Lamar's upbringing on the 12,000-acre JH Ranch in NE Wyoming fueled his passion for agricultural innovation. Learning from his father's early adoption of artificial insemination and continental breeds in the 1950s, Lamar developed a deep expertise in the beef industry. Moving to NW Arkansas in the 1970s, he managed a beef/dairy operation before becoming general manager of Jac’s Ranch in 1983, Arkansas's largest Angus seed-stock producer.
Based in Bentonville, Arkansas, Lamar served as Wal-Mart’s beef supply chain consultant for a decade, driving transformative change starting in 2014. His consultancy extends to significant retailers, global AgTech firms, and ranchers nationwide, specializing in ranch-to-retail beef supplies and profitable ranch management.
Lamar is a founding partner of Ranch2Retail and advises on the boards of New Zealand's FoodCap and Norway's Völur, driving innovation in protein packaging and artificial intelligence-driven packing plant optimization. He and his wife Shari own The 808 Ranch, a technologically innovative, retail-focused purebred Black Angus breeding ranch on the lower Elk River in SW Missouri.
Neil Mellers
Neil is a CPG professional with 15+ years of experience at big CPGs and startups. He loves data and human success stories and is an expert in turning consumer and shopper data into results. Neil is passionate about problem-solving and brings an execution-up mindset to every project. Entrepreneur at heart, Neil confounded GEN Z Water, which Langers Juice Company successfully acquired. Neil is a senior partner at Fulcrum Collective and general manager of Ranch2Retail, which is focused on building more cooperative supply chains.
Doug Batie
Doug draws on his knowledge of more than 25 years of experience in big CPG business within the Walmart ecosystem. From his small ranch west of Bentonville, Doug has built a formidable network of industry partners, vendors, and advisors within the 1,800+ WM suppliers that have expanded into his hometown. His experience included 17 years of partnering with the 800 family farmers of Welch’s Grape co-op and leading Welch’s most prominent business unit to record growth. Doug then became an entrepreneur and founder of GEN Z Water, which Langers Juice Company successfully acquired. Doug leads an NW Arkansas family office focused on protein category management and supply chain innovation for customers and strategic partners across all 50 states.
Emily Jandak
Emily's lifelong passion for the land and livestock merges with her 14 years of experience in branding, design, social media, and public relations at Ranch2Retail. She comes from a multi-generational ranching family and balances her time between digital work and ranch work. Emily worked at the PR agency Mitchell (acquired by Dentsu), where she created and maintained brand identity and design for global brands in retail, hospitality, and energy. She is relentless about promoting and protecting brands and brings a "ride for the brand" mentality in both content and design.
Nick SMith
Nick focuses on sourcing, due diligence, and execution of investments at Ranch2Retail. He has robust experience investing in disruptive companies and supporting founders in Series Seed thru IPO capital raises—most recently as a founding member of SymBiosis, a biotech-focused venture capital firm with $500m+ AUM. Prior to SymBiosis, Nick worked at Walton Enterprises where he supported deal teams in the evaluation and execution of venture investments across a range of industries from consumer brands and renewable energy to biotech and sustainable food systems.