Emergent Connext Welcomes Mark Ripato to Board of Directors
Former Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness President and Kentucky Cattle Producer Brings Decades of Agribusiness Leadership and Firsthand Farming Experience to Guide Emergent's Next Stage of Growth
Plano, TX — July 21, 2026 — Emergent Connext, Inc., the connectivity and digital farming intelligence provider, today announced that Mark Ripato has formally joined the company's Board of Directors, effective July 21, 2026.
Ripato, who has served as a trusted advisor and investor to Emergent (and inspiration for Emergent’s RIP persona), brings more than 35 years of agribusiness leadership and a lifetime of hands-on farming experience to the role.
Ripato spent eight years as President of Agribusiness at Wilbur-Ellis, one of the country's largest privately held agricultural distribution companies, where he led a division generating more than $2 billion in annual revenue across a network of over 160 branch locations nationwide. Before joining Wilbur-Ellis in 2018, he served as President and CEO of Tenkoz, a national agricultural buying group, and also worked at Syngenta and its legacy companies, Zeneca Ag Products and ICI.
Alongside his corporate career, Ripato has remained close to the land as owner and operator of a cow-calf cattle operation in Kentucky — a perspective that keeps him grounded in the day-to-day realities farmers and ranchers face. That dual vantage point, spanning boardrooms and pastures alike, is central to the role he will play in shaping Emergent's strategy.
“Anyone who knows Mark, knows that he is a highly pragmatic individual and will call it as he sees it. Since day one, Mark has been an incredible partner stress testing our thinking and we see his deepeningcommitment to the company as a sign of us having passed another litmus test,” said Mike Roudi.
Ripato's move from advisor and investor to formal Board member is regarded internally as a meaningful vote of confidence in Emergent's direction. His continued involvement is viewed as validation that the company's approach to delivering reliable connectivity and practical automation across every acre, animal, and asset is resonating with experienced producers and agribusiness leaders alike.
“Farmers and ranchers today are facing technology overload — it's coming from everywhere but coordinated by no one. What convinced me to get more involved with Emergent is that they don't lead with the technology, they lead with the problem: a facilitated assessment of what's actually going on with the operation. Only then do sensors and connectivity come into play, and only where they'll pay for themselves,” said Ripato.
As a member of the Board, Ripato will join another industry stalwart in Bob Trogele. Collectively, these two individuals bring un-rivaled experience and insights across the industry and will work alongside Emergent's leadership team to help guide the company's scaling strategy, channel partnerships, and go-to-market approach.
ABOUT EMERGENT CONNEXT
Emergent Connext is an agricultural IoT and AI platform company built around the RIP PlatformTM, comprising carrier-grade connectivity infrastructure; a marketplace of IoT sensors and solutions; and Ask Rip, an AI-powered farm intelligence layer. Emergent's mission is to connect and translate on-farm data into decisions that help producers and enterprise agribusiness partners protect margin and operate more efficiently.
MEDIA CONTACT
Andrew Gardner
Emergent Connext, Inc.
agardner@emergentconnext.com, (609) 273-1686
