ken gerhart

Manage a 12-acre greenhouse as an industrial host to Las Vegas Power Cogeneration. Oversee day-to-day operations managing the strategic planning of growing/packing/shipping premium hydroponic beefsteak tomatoes for wholesale markets. Utilize high-pressure fog to accomplish necessary cooling for beefsteak tomato production. Increased employee productivity by implementing an incentive program. Optimize warehousing/inventory/supply processes to achieve maximum productivity and cost effectiveness. Implemented inventory system to reduce timely inventories and improved accuracy. Surpassed budget goals nine of eleven years. Authored safety programs, SOP’s and maintain OSHA compliancy resulting in zero lost hours for the life of the project.

Consulted, administered supervision, labor, material, and equipment to operate an experimental “Waste Heat Greenhouse” in coordination with Southern California Edison’s research division. Exploit NFT, peatlite mix, Oasis foam, and rockwool systems to produce beefsteak tomatoes, European cucumbers and peppers. Implemented passive and pressurized cooling systems, irrigation, and environmental controls. Devised computer programs changing weights of fertilizer in concentrate to final feed solution in the form of PPM. Developed growing system of perlite and compost bark containing the bacteria Microflora to eliminate use of fungicides in controlling root disease. Designed computer model for full-cycle nutritional needs of cucumber plants. Utilized integrated pest management and biological control agents.

Manage 16 hectares of greenhouse hydroponic tomatoes & European cucumbers. Responsible for the quick turnaround of high-wire cucumber crops on a 16-week cycle. Cultivate TOV, roma and cherry tomatoes in a continuous production cycle. Authored monthly reports for the executive management team.

Assist greenhouse operators in management and vegetable production in USA & Mexico. Enhance growing performance by advice to growers improving quality and productivity. Create site-specific pro-forma for greenhouse projects in US and Mexico. Project consultant growing Sweet Sorghum to maximize total sugar at harvest for ethanol production utilizing the minimum structural footprint located at U of A CEAC sponsored by the DoD