AppHarvest, Inc. (Form: 8-K, Received: 02/09/2022 16:36:03)

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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 7, 2022

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware	001-39288	82-5042965
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)


500 Appalachian Way Morehead, KY			40351
(Address of principal executive offices)			(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (606) 653-6100

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligations of the registrant under any of the following provisions:


☐			Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐			Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐			Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

Common Stock, $0.0001 par value per share

APPH

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Warrants, each whole warrant exercisable for one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $11.50 per share

APPHW

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).


Emerging growth company			☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

Resignation of Robert J. Laikin as Director

On February 7, 2022, Robert J. Laikin notified the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of AppHarvest, Inc. (the “Company”) of his resignation from the Board and all committees thereof effective immediately. Mr. Laikin’s decision to leave the Board was not the result of any disagreement between the Company and Mr. Laikin on any matter relating to the Company’s operations, policies, or practices.

Appointment of J. Kevin Willis as Director

On February 9, 2022, the Board appointed J. Kevin Willis to serve as a director of the Company, effective as of February 19, 2022. The Board also appointed Mr. Willis to serve as chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board, effective as of February 19, 2022.

There is no arrangement or understanding between Mr. Willis and any other person pursuant to which he was selected as a director of the Company, and there is no family relationship between Mr. Willis and any of the Company’s other directors or executive officers. The Company is not aware of any transaction involving Mr. Willis requiring disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.

J. Kevin Willis, age 56, currently serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ashland Global Holdings Inc., a public company, a position he has held since September 2016. Mr. Willis held the same positions at Ashland Inc. and served in such capacities since May 2013. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Kentucky University and an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mr. Willis will be entitled to receive a $75,000 annual retainer for service as director. At each annual stockholder meeting following which his respective term as a director continues, Mr. Willis will be entitled to receive a restricted stock unit award having a value of $100,000 which will vest in full on the date of the following year’s annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders (or the date the date immediately preceding the date of the following year’s annual meeting if his service as a director ends at such meeting as a result of his failure to be re-elected or not standing for re-election), subject to continuous service as of such date and subject further to acceleration of vesting upon a change in control. Mr. Willis have also entered into the Company’s standard form of indemnification agreement.

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On February 9, 2022, the Company issued a press release (the “Press Release”) announcing the appointment of Mr. Willis to the Board. A copy of the Press Release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information in this Item 7.01 of the Form 8-K, including Exhibit 99.1, is furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing made by the Company under the Securities Act, whether made before or after the date hereof, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.


Exhibit No.						Description
99.1						Press Release, dated February 9, 2022.
104						Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.


	AppHarvest, Inc.

Dated: February 9, 2022
	By:	/s/ Loren Eggleton
		Loren Eggleton
		Chief Financial Officer
		(Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

Media Contact: Travis Parman, Travis.Parman@appharvest.com

Investor Contact: Kaveh Bakhtiari, appharvestIR@appharvest.com

AppHarvest unanimously appoints Kevin Willis to Board of Directors

MOREHEAD, Ky. Feb. 9, 2022 — AppHarvest, Inc. (NASDAQ: APPH, APPHW), a leading AgTech company, public benefit corporation and Certified B Corp building some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms to grow affordable, nutritious fruits and vegetables at scale while providing good jobs in Appalachia, announced today the unanimous appointment of J. Kevin Willis as a director of the company, as chair of the board’s audit committee and as a member of the nominating and corporate governance committee, effective Feb. 19.

Willis currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ashland (NYSE: ASH), a global specialty materials company, and joins the AppHarvest Board of Directors with nearly 35 years of corporate governance and financial leadership experience. At Ashland, he shares responsibility for setting global strategy, managing capital and upholding Ashland's operating principles with a commitment to sustainability. He earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Eastern Kentucky University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

“Kevin is a seasoned leader who brings expertise, talent and independence to complement the skill sets of the Board,” said AppHarvest Board Member Kiran Bhatraju. “I expect that Kevin’s leadership, including as audit committee chair, will accelerate our efforts to create long-term value for all shareholders.”

A native of Richmond, Ky., Willis understands Central Appalachia and his unique perspective on the region is key as the company works to quadruple its farm network by the end of 2022 and diversify its crops to include berries and salad greens.

The 15-acre Berea, Ky., salad greens facility and the 60-acre Richmond, Ky., tomato facility are both approximately 65% complete, and the 30-acre Somerset, Ky., berry facility is more than 50% complete. All three new farms are expected to be operational by the end of 2022. AppHarvest’s flagship Morehead, Ky. farm has been harvesting since January 2021, and its tomatoes have been sold in more than 1,000 stores and restaurants across six states.

Willis fills a board seat vacated by Robert Laikin who served as chairman of Novus Capital Corporation, which was the company that AppHarvest merged with to become publicly traded. “Bob’s contributions during our first year of hyper-growth got us where we are today,” said Jonathan Webb, Founder & CEO of AppHarvest. “As he pursues more environmental and social impact investing opportunities, we wish him well.”

AppHarvest is an applied technology company in Appalachia developing and operating some of the world’s largest high-tech indoor farms, designed to grow non-GMO, chemical pesticide-free produce, using up to 90 percent less water than open-field agriculture and only rainwater while producing yields up to 30 times that of traditional agriculture on the same amount of land without agricultural runoff. The company combines conventional agricultural techniques with world-class technology including artificial intelligence and robotics to improve access for all to nutritious food, farming more sustainably, building a domestic food supply, and increasing investment in Appalachia. The company’s 60-acre Morehead, Ky. facility is among the largest indoor farms in the world. For more information, visit https://www.appharvest.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements included in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements for purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements generally are accompanied by words such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “should,” “would,” “plan,” “predict,” “potential,” “seem,” “seek,” “future,” “outlook,” “can,” “goal,” “works to,” “target” and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. All statements, other than statements of present or historical fact included in this press release, regarding AppHarvest’s intention to build high-tech CEA farms, the anticipated benefits of and production at such facilities, timing and availability of tomatoes at top national grocery stores and restaurants, anticipated benefits of the second season harvest, AppHarvest’s future financial performance, as well as AppHarvest’s growth and evolving business plans and strategy, ability to capitalize on commercial opportunities, future operations, estimated financial position, projected costs, prospects, plans and objectives of management are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of AppHarvest’s management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied on as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction, or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of AppHarvest. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC by AppHarvest on November 10, 2021, under the heading “Risk Factors,” and other documents AppHarvest has filed, or that AppHarvest will file, with the SEC. If any of these risks materialize or our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect AppHarvest’s expectations, plans, or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this press release. AppHarvest anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause its assessments to change. However, while AppHarvest may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, AppHarvest specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing AppHarvest’s assessments of any date subsequent to the date of this news release. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed upon the forward-looking statements.