Grow & Fortify

What Grow & Fortify does

Grow & Fortify was a private business consulting firm headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, dedicated to building and sustaining value-added agriculture start-ups and businesses within the state. Founded in 2015 by Kevin Atticks with Janna Howley as COO, the firm operated for approximately nine years before ceasing operations and transferring its work to a successor entity, Cultivate & Craft. The firm served agricultural entrepreneurs, industry stakeholders, policymakers, and commercial interests across Maryland's diverse value-added agriculture sectors, including grain, fruits and vegetables, spices, hemp, forestry, nursery, animals and dairy, poultry, seafood and aquaculture, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and agritourism.

The firm's core offerings were research publications and educational guides rather than traditional consulting deliverables or technology products. Its principal artifact was a 124-page economic study of Value-Added Agriculture in Maryland — the first comprehensive analysis of the industry — developed in collaboration with the Business Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) of Salisbury University, the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, and incorporating 2017 USDA Agricultural Census data. A second publication, "An Introduction to Southern Maryland's Forestry Industry," was co-developed with the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC). Both deliverables were distributed as free digital downloads via Google Drive and Dropbox.

The firm operated as a lean consultancy with 1-10 employees and a single-state geographic footprint. No proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI capability is documented. No pricing model, fee structure, or revenue mechanism is disclosed, and no funding rounds or institutional investors are recorded. The business model appears to have rested on institutional partnerships with quasi-governmental and academic entities rather than on a scalable commercial product, and the firm's closure after nine years points to the structural challenges of sustaining a niche, mission-driven consultancy without a clear revenue engine.

Name

Grow & Fortify

Legal name

Grow & Fortify

Website

https://growandfortify.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Grow & Fortify was a Maryland-based consulting firm that produced economic research and educational guides for value-added agriculture start-ups and businesses. Founded in 2015 and closed after a nine-year run, it covered grain, forestry, agritourism, beverages, and seafood sectors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Consulting Services

NAICS

Soil Preparation, Planting, and Cultivating (115112)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Nutrient Management Planning & Fertility Programs (AFACABAB)

Keywords

• Value-added agriculture consulting
• Agricultural economic research
• Industry impact studies
• Forestry sector analysis
• Agritourism advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Annapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Core offering

Grow & Fortify was a business consulting firm that built and sustained value-added agriculture start-ups and businesses in Maryland. The company produced commissioned economic impact studies and educational guides for the state's agriculture sectors, including a comprehensive 124-page economic study on Maryland's value-added agriculture industry and a forestry industry guide developed in partnership with the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission.

Product overview

Grow & Fortify is a value-added agriculture consultancy and research organization. The company produces economic studies, reports, and educational guides focused on Maryland's agricultural sectors. Its two main offerings are the Value-Added Agriculture Economic Study (a comprehensive 124-page research report on Maryland's agriculture industry including grain, produce, forestry, dairy, poultry, seafood, and beverage sectors) and An Introduction to Southern Maryland's Forestry Industry (an educational guide on forestry economics and ecology). The organization ceased operations after 9 years, with its work continued by Cultivate & Craft.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Value-Added Agriculture Economic Study (Maryland) A 124-page commissioned economic study providing the first comprehensive analysis of Maryland's value-added agriculture industry. It incorporates data from the Baltimore Metropolitan Council Value-Added Agriculture Report & Recommendations, the Business Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) of Salisbury University, and the 2017 USDA Agricultural Census, and covers sectors including grain, fruits and vegetables, spices, hemp, forestry, nursery, animals and dairy, poultry, seafood and aquaculture, wineries, breweries, distilleries, and agritourism.
• An Introduction to Southern Maryland's Forestry Industry A digital educational guide developed in partnership with the Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC) that explores the importance and economic impact of forestry in Southern Maryland. It highlights how responsible forest management benefits the state's ecology and economy and is positioned as a digital educational resource for residents, entrepreneurs, and commercial interests.

Quantifiable outcome

• 74,000 jobs supported by Maryland's Value-Added Agriculture industry
• +4 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMADC and Grow & Fortify partnered to develop 'An Introduction to Southern Maryland's Forestry Industry' guide to highlight how responsible forest management benefits the state's ecology and economy. The guide serves as a digital educational resource for residents, entrepreneurs, and commercial interests. SMADC Director Shelby Watson-Hampton commented on the importance of forestry for rural communities.
• Baltimore Metropolitan CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerData source incorporated into the economic study of Value-Added Agriculture in Maryland. Contributed results from the Value-Added Agriculture Report & Recommendations.
• Business Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) of Salisbury UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner providing data for Maryland's Value-Added Agriculture economic study. BEACON conducted analysis showing the industry's job creation and economic impact figures.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Emerging players

• Foodshed Capital: Small nonprofit providing capital, technical assistance, and business support to value-added food and agriculture entrepreneurs in the Mid-Atlantic — overlapping customer segment of value-added agriculture start-ups Grow & Fortify served.

Broad incumbents

• Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE): USDA-funded program supporting sustainable agriculture research, education, and professional development across the Northeast, including Maryland — comparable grant-funded research and outreach operating model.
• Maryland Department of Agriculture: State regulatory and promotional agency for Maryland agriculture; produces industry data, marketing, and economic analyses that overlap with Grow & Fortify's research mandate, and competes for the same policy and stakeholder attention.
• USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS): Federal agency that funds and publishes value-added agriculture research, market analysis, and grant programs — a broader incumbent whose datasets Grow & Fortify leveraged and whose programs compete for the same agricultural clients.
• National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA): Umbrella association for U.S. state agriculture agencies; produces cross-state economic analyses, policy research, and marketing programs that overlap with Grow & Fortify's value-added agriculture research at scale.

Regional players

• Southern Maryland Agricultural Development Commission (SMADC): Maryland state-affiliated agricultural development agency and Grow & Fortify's core partner; conducts industry research, farmer support, and economic development for Southern Maryland's agricultural sectors — overlapping mandate and customer base.

Direct peers

• American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit that produces economic studies, policy research, and educational resources on agriculture and food systems — closely comparable research-and-advocacy model applied to a broader U.S. geography.
• Cultivate & Craft: Direct successor to Grow & Fortify, run by the same team, continuing the value-added agriculture advisory, research, and education work in Maryland. Closest comparable in mission, geography, and customer base.
• Center for Rural Affairs: Rural-focused nonprofit delivering research, policy analysis, and business development support to agricultural entrepreneurs — overlapping value-added agriculture and rural economic development positioning.
• Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC): USDA-funded center providing value-added agriculture market research, business development resources, and commodity profiles for farmers and entrepreneurs — directly comparable research and educational content mission.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GrowandFortify

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Grow & Fortify