Nick Koshnick, Co-founder & CEO
Nick has over a decade of experience building tools for precision measurements. He received a B.A. in Physics from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Applied Physics from Stanford University. He grew up in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota and has a keen interest in agronomy, the need for better data and data management in agriculture, and rural business ecosystems.
Mike Preiner, Co-founder & President
Mike is an expert in high-tech sensors and detectors. He is from rural Minnesota, and received undergraduate degrees in Physics and Applied Math from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. He has a PhD in Applied Physics from Stanford University. Mike’s high-tech skills and rural background have united to bring next-generation measurement technology to agriculture. Mike is the PI on grants from the USDA and NSF to develop and commercialize new agricultural technologies.
Justin White, Co-founder & CTO
Justin received his B.S. in Physics from Caltech, and graduate degrees in Electrical Engineering (M.S.) and Applied Physics (Ph.D.) from Stanford University. Justin has a broad background in design, fabrication, and testing of optical and electronic sensors for everything from fundamental quantum optic experiments to ultra high-bandwidth microprocessor interconnects. Justin is passionate about bringing products to market to solve unmet needs with novel technical solutions–generally involving some photons and Python.
Landon Morris, VP of Business Development and Marketing
Landon has over 15 years marketing and business development experience within agricultural and food markets. Landon recently held executive positions with two agricultural start-ups, MachineryLink, a specialty asset management company, and ETS, a manufacturer of integrated tillage equipment. Previous to his start-up roles, Landon held senior marketing positions with two leading food ingredient manufacturers, providing him a first-hand opportunity to manage a wide spectrum of projects linking crop production and food markets. Landon began his career in the plant genetics industry, holding roles of increasing responsibility in marketing and business development with Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc., and DuPont. He received a BA in economics and a MS in agricultural economics from Iowa State University.
Sam Cheng, VP of Engineering, Software
Sam has developed software professionally for over 10 years, specializing in the development of scalable systems for the effective management of large data sets. He most recently worked as VP of Engineering for 3TIER, where he led teams of developers in the development of award-winning weather forecasting and assessment software for the renewable energy industry. Prior to a successful stint as a software engineer at Amazon, he operated a consultancy in the Bay Area. Sam holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering and Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University.
Diana Dang, Business Operations Manager
Diana is a California native who received undergraduate degrees in Biology and Criminology, Law, and Society from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to joining Solum, she worked at medical device company in Silicon Valley. She enjoys dipping her hands in all pots at Solum, from accounting to running soil samples. She finds it extremely rewarding to be part of an innovative and pioneering enterprise.
Dave Nerpel, Field Marketing Manager
A native of Washington, Dave held sales and marketing leadership positions spanning ag-retail, equipment manufacturing and precision farming. He has been instrumental in the ag-industry’s advancement of field imagery, farm GPS and computer mapping software, variable rate application, sensor technology, mobile computing and auto steer. Most recently, Dave initiated and led a national field technology program for Wilbur Ellis and the design and implementation of an enterprise level field data management system. In 2011, Dave was recognized by his peers with the Precision Ag Institute Entrepreneur Award of Excellence. He holds degrees from the University of Washington and the State University of New York.
Steve Curley, Field Sales Manager
Throughout his career, Steve has provided sales, agronomic and technical leadership to companies including A&L Midwest Laboratories, Helena Chemical, and Precision Labs. Steve has authored numerous technical reference manuals and CCA-based educational modules focused on soil fertility and plant nutrition, nitrogen management, soil-plant-chemical interactions and soil-air-water relationships. Most recently, Steve served as US Foliar Nutrition Specialist with Precision Labs. Steve is an active member of the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America, and holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Kansas State University.
Leon Zinck III, Field Sales Manager
Leon comes to Solum with over 15 years of management and business development experience in the production agriculture marketplace. Most recently, Leon held the position of Director of Sales for a start-up asset management/ equipment leasing company based in Kansas City, MO. Prior to his role as Director of Sales, Leon managed a retail sales and distribution facility for UAP and sales territory for American Cyanamid. He began his agricultural career as a field scout in West Texas, scouting corn, cotton and grain sorghum while in college. He then moved into a research position for Zeneca Ag Products. Leon received a BS in Composite Science from Wayland Baptist University.