Justin Clayton ~ Co-founder

 

As “big business” continues to amalgamate the agriculture industry, the small family farmer is finding it more and more challenging to survive. Sadly, I’ve come to realize that most people will freely forfeit taste and quality for price and convenience. More disturbing is that few consumers understand how their food is processed or from where it was grown. Well, that is all beginning to change. There is a new "good food" movement that is shifting the demand to local and organic produce and it's finally grabbing the attention of our elected officials.

 

Though originally from Bay City, I relocated to the Detroit area in 2006. Today’s Detroit is a hotbed for the grassroots farming movement. Energetic youth are working and learning hand-in-hand with experienced farmers. Sophisticated urban farms are popping up across the city. There is a bustling farmers market where streets overflow with a variety of cultures and ethnic tastes. Food, art and music fuse together in seamless harmony. Seeing this, I wondered why the movement hadn’t taken hold in the Great Lakes Bay area. While discussing our future aspirations, Ryan and I came up with the vision for Wildroot Food Collective.

 

I will apply my life’s experiences and studies to grow Wildroot into the premier food hub for the Great Lakes Bay Region. Currently, I am the Business Planning Officer for a Midwest community bank headquartered in Troy, MI. I have worked in various capacities for the big three automakers and their financing units and have managed program budgets exceeding $600 million. I have earned a master of science in finance degree from the University of Michigan and bachelors of business administration from the University of Hawaii.

 

While I'm not working my day job or building Wildroot, I spend time with my wife Akiko and son Jack. We enjoy back yard farming, crafting recipes, enjoying Michigan's beautiful forests and lakes and exploring our local vegetable markets and restaurants.

 

Best wishes,

 

Justin