PORTSMOUTH, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 9, 2025--
Hinckley, the world's leading builder of iconic yachts and provider of premier yacht service, appoints Craig Reid to its board as an Independent Director.
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Reid, the former President and CEO of Auberge Resorts Collection, brings four decades of leadership experience in luxury hospitality. At Auberge Resorts Collection, Reid oversaw a portfolio of 28 one-of-a-kind award-winning luxury properties. Prior to joining Auberge Resorts Collection, Reid was President of Hotel Operations for the Americas and a member of the Global Leadership team at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
"We are delighted to welcome Craig Reid to our Board," said Gavin McClintock, Hinckley's CEO, "Craig brings a wealth of luxury hospitality experience, and a keen understanding of how to build a rich team culture and provide an exemplary and highly differentiated service offering to exceed the expectations of the world's most discerning clients. With his leadership experience at the helm of two of the world's most prestigious hotel brands, Craig will be a great asset to our Board".
"Hinckley is truly an iconic brand," said Reid. "Their beautifully crafted yachts and their deeply dedicated team are beloved by boating, yachting, and sailing enthusiasts. I look forward to working with the Board and the fabulous Hinckley team to continue to build on the company's legendary strengths, and to optimize on all new opportunities."
About Hinckley
Founded in 1928, Hinckley is a pioneer in American yacht craftsmanship, renowned for its timeless designs, innovative technology, and world-class service. With a network of premium service locations and a legacy of excellence, Hinckley continues to set the standard in the marine industry.
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — When Russell Maichel started growing almonds, walnuts and pistachios in the 1980s, he didn't own a cellphone. Now, a fully autonomous tractor drives through his expansive orchard, spraying pesticides and fertilizer to protect the trees that have for decades filled him with an immense sense of pride.
“The sustainability of doing things perfectly the first time makes a lot of sense,” the first-generation farmer told The Associated Press at CES 2025, where John Deere unveiled a fleet of fully autonomous heavy equipment, including the tractor Maichel has been testing on his northern California farm.
Sustainability is a key theme this year at the annual tech trade show in Las Vegas. From Volvo CEO Martin Lundstedt announcing their commitment to net-zero emissions by 2040 to Wisconsin-based OshKosh Corporation showing off its electric fire engines and garbage trucks, companies big and small are showcasing their green innovations and initiatives.
“We absolutely need more climate-smart technologies,” said Jacqueline Heard, CEO and co-founder of Enko Chem, which researches climate tech solutions in agriculture — an industry Heard says is “under a lot of pressure right now.”
That much is clear on the CES show floor, where farming is on full display and company leaders are highlighting the impacts of climate change and labor shortages on farmers.
Not far from John Deere's booth where autonomous tractors and dump trucks are towering over conference attendees, Kubota, another equipment manufacturing company, is showcasing its AI technology that detects diseases in crops and sprays where pests have been identified.
Todd Stucke, president of Kubota Tractor Corporation, said AI is the future of farming, especially with “summers getting longer and storms getting stronger.”
Stucke himself grew up on a potato farm in Ohio. Each night after dinner, his father would scour the field for bugs and then send Stucke out to spray the crops with insecticides.
“We sprayed the whole field, but we might've only needed to spray a part of the field or a plant,” he said. “Take that analogy into vineyards, orchards and so forth, you don’t have to spray everything.”
This is known as “precision agriculture,” Heard said. “It allows farmers to really optimize their land."
The idea, Heard said, is that farmers can expand the lifespan and improve the quality of their crops while using fewer chemicals, like pesticides and fertilizer.
“It's good for the environment. It's good for farmers," she said.
Heard said she wouldn't be surprised if AI can one day help farmers map out their land, showing them the different soil types and what kinds of crops would grow best there.
“It could be that with climate change, they should move to a crop that's much more adapted to this new world," she said.
Back at the John Deere booth, Maichel, a tree nut farmer, said he's hopeful that advancements in AI will help him better manage the unpredictability of farming. Each year on his orchard is different from the last.
“There’s no sliding scale, per se, that we have to deal with as far as climate change goes,” he said. “We really bend to the climate that we’re dealt with. It’s not something I can predict. It’s really something we have to adapt to every growing season.”
If someone had told him just 10 years ago that a tractor would one day be driving itself through his orchard, he said he wouldn't have believed it. But now, he says, he sees how this evolving technology can help him adapt to the changing industry and climate.
"We all need to eat, right?" Maichel said. “A farmer’s job is one that we all need.”
Associated Press video journalist Patrick Aftoora-Orsagos contributed to this report.
Igino Cafiero, director of high value crop autonomy at John Deere, speaks during a John Deere news conference ahead of the CES tech show Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
People view an autonomous lawn mower at the John Deere booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The Articulated Dump Truck is on display at the John Deere booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People visit the John Deere booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The KATR robot with Smart Plant Imager designed to work in agriculture and construction is on display at the Kubota booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People view a demonstration of the KATR robot designed to work in agriculture and construction at the Kubota booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
People view a demonstration of the KATR robot designed to work in agriculture and construction at the Kubota booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
A convention goer exits a John Deere 9RX Tractor at the John Deere booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The Articulated Dump Truck is on display at the John Deere booth during the CES tech show Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
