By John Carpenter

Blue Sky Reporter

Mark Thomann made a name for himself as an entrepreneur who resurrects dormant iconic brands from the junkyard of unused corporate assets.

These days, he’s also a farmer.

“Smell that,” he said as he walked a visitor through racks of pungent basil growing in a warehouse building in Bedford Park one recent afternoon. “Wonderful, isn’t it?”

Thomann is a capitalist who follows his nose, so to speak. As CEO at River West Brands, he continues to sniff out value in old brands such as Brim, Coleco and Aiwa. And now as CEO of FarmedHere, he’s hoping to prove that healthy food can be grown indoors, organically and at scale.

To read the rest of this story, published in the Chicago Tribune May 20, 2015, click here.