Fall Creek Farm & Nursery has hired Brendan Driscoll as its new general counsel, succeeding Fall Creek’s first general counsel, Jim Baumgartner, who retired March 18, 2022. Driscoll will lead the company’s internal legal team and its global network of outside counsel and will be a member of the Fall Creek executive management team. He will oversee the design and implementation of the legal architecture for Fall Creek’s commercialization models, licensing of proprietary genetics, expansion initiatives, and business development to support the delivery of Fall Creek varieties, plants, and support to customers everywhere. Currently based in Colorado, Driscoll will eventually be based in the company’s Oregon headquarters. He reports to co-CEO Oscar Verges.
“Brendan and our legal team will continue to protect and ensure compliance with patented varieties, safeguarding the competitive advantage these blueberry genetics provide to our customers,” says Verges. “His experience with other large international organizations makes him a good fit for Fall Creek and we welcome his strategic insights to better serve our grower customers.”
“We are excited to have Brendan with us to lead the development of the legal architecture for the next phase of the business in service of the industry,” says Co-CEO Cort Brazelton.
Driscoll brings large-firm training and 10 years of in-house legal experience supporting brands in food manufacturing and event production. Most recently, he was senior counsel for Ardent Mills, the U.S.’s largest flour milling business, where he handled a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, and led strategic expansion and compliance initiatives, among other responsibilities. Previously, he served as associate general counsel for KIND Snacks in New York, and as assistant general counsel and director of venues for Tough Mudder in New York, managing the legal aspects of the endurance event series’ expansion into Europe. He started his career as an associate with the law firm of White & Case LLP in New York, focusing on aircraft finance, energy and infrastructure projects, asset-based and lease financing transactions, and restructuring and securities matters for international and domestic clients.
“This is a key moment in Fall Creek’s international growth, so it’s a great opportunity to build structures that serve the international reach, and are lean and resilient,” says Driscoll. “I’m excited to draw on my experience and also to work in my ‘stretch zone’ to learn some new skills as the company expands. Fall Creek has a lot of strength in intellectual property, a lot of internal expertise, and we anticipate growing the team in the near future.”
For more information:
Fall Creek Nursery
www.fallcreeknursery.com