ArborGen Appoints Richard I. Eisenstadt as Chief Financial Officer

Accomplished finance veteran will help chart the company’s path toward continued global expansion and further commercialization of its forestry technology

RIDGEVILLE, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ArborGen, the world leader in the development and commercialization of technologies that improve the productivity of trees, today announced that Richard I. Eisenstadt has been named chief financial officer (CFO) effective immediately. Eisenstadt brings an extensive track record of finance and business experience and a broad understanding of funding growth companies. As ArborGen’s new CFO, Eisenstadt will be responsible for the company’s finance, treasury and investor relations functions and serve as an executive business partner to Andrew Baum, president and chief executive officer of ArborGen.

“Richard’s wealth of experience will complement the current management team’s expertise in assessing and implementing growth strategies as we execute our vision and expand our global commercial operations.”

“As the principal financial and commercial strategist for ArborGen, Richard brings outstanding financial and analytical knowledge, strong leadership skills and an execution-based management style,” said Baum. “Richard’s wealth of experience will complement the current management team’s expertise in assessing and implementing growth strategies as we execute our vision and expand our global commercial operations.”

Eisenstadt has over thirty years of finance leadership experience in the healthcare, life sciences and emerging technology industries. For the previous nine years, he served as the CFO of Tranzyme Pharma (NASDAQ: TZYM), where he raised over $150 million in equity and debt, including the completion of the company’s Initial Public Offering (IPO). Prior to joining Tranzyme Pharma, he served as the Director of Finance for Cogent Neuroscience, Inc. He spent over eleven years with Nimbus CD International where he served as Director of Strategic Planning and Development and Treasury Manager, and where he was involved in an IPO and a $260 million sale and merger of the company.

Eisenstadt has a BA in Economics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and he received his MBA from James Madison University.

About ArborGen

ArborGen is revolutionizing productivity in commercial forestry. ArborGen is the largest global supplier of seedling products and a leading provider of improved technologies to the commercial forest industry. Through innovations in conventional breeding, improved genetics and emerging biotechnology advances, ArborGen is developing high-value products that significantly improve the economic returns and productivity of a given acre of land. These products enable ArborGen’s customers to grow trees that yield more wood per acre with greater consistency and quality in a shorter period of time. ArborGen’s work is improving the sustainability of working forests while helping to meet the world’s growing need for wood, fiber and energy. For more information, please visit www.arborgen.com.