For more than 20 years, Pacific Business News – Hawaii’s premiere business publication and an affiliate of American City Journals – has been recognizing young professionals who are making a difference in their workplace and shaping the future of Hawaii’s community through its annual 40 Under 40 awards recognition program. Selected as one of Hawaii’s 40 Under 40, Class of 2021 is Bayer’s own Patrick Keoni Rich, Senior Production Lead for Bayer Crop Science Hawaii.

Patrick joined Bayer Hawaii in 2010, steadily moving up the ranks to Senior Production Lead where he now provides key leadership guidance on sustainable farming practices to ensure consistent, reliable, and high-quality seed production, ultimately providing a seed source for farmers in 40 countries across the globe. He has been responsible for leading  several successful efforts during his time at Bayer, including an effort to adopt custom irrigation systems at the Haleiwa farm by utilizing automation tools that collect data every 15 minutes, allowing farmers to make customized irrigation schedule adjustments and reduce potential waste. Bayer operations in Haleiwa was the first farm to adopt the automation irrigation concept, and the system is now in place across all Bayer farms on Oahu, Maui and Molokai.

Patrick has also helped to lead wildlife conservation efforts at the Haleiwa farm by creating and maintaining flourishing wildlife habitats, including the planting 27 plant species - many of which are native to the Hawaiian Islands. In 2015, Bayer was the first organization in the State of Hawaii to achieve the Conversation Certification by the Wildlife Habitat Council for conservation efforts including cultivating and protecting native species like the yellow hibiscus.

“Congratulations to Patrick for receiving this prestigious honor. He is a valuable leader that has made a significant impact on our farming operations and I can’t think of anyone more deserving of this award,” said Bart Lofton, Regional Business Lead at Bayer Hawaii. “Patrick takes as much pride in his work as he does his family and community. He is a true champion for long-term sustainable practices and is sure to make a positive impact on the future of the agricultural industry and the next generation of modern farmers.”

Patrick is born and raised in Hawaii and is a graduate of Kamehameha Schools and Brigham Young University-Hawaii. Among his many community service initiatives, he currently serves as a board member of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association and is a Bishop of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints where he provides stewardship, spiritual guidance, and career inspiration to more than 800 young adults. He has also spent many hours giving back to the community through volunteer efforts, including beach cleanups, Kahana Bay Papio Fishing Tournament, Ka`a`awa Elementary School 5K Run, as well as the Institute for Human Services where he helped to build gardens as part of their agriculture education program.

PBN honors the 40 outstanding young business professionals, under the age of 40, who demonstrate business excellence and contribute to the overall success of their company, who stand out among their peers and colleagues, as well as present a strong current and past community involvement. Patrick and the other awardees will be honored in the cover story and special section of the August 27 issue of Pacific Business News.

Congratulations to Patrick Rich for being recognized by PBN as one of Hawaii’s 40 Under 40, class of 2021!

Watch this HiNow video where Patrick discusses our water conservation efforts.