Summit Ag Investors
Investment Team
Justin Kirchhoff, Managing Director - Head of Private Equity
Justin Kirchhoff, CFA, is a Managing Director and Head of Private Equity for Summit Agricultural Group. In this capacity, he is primarily focused on due diligence, structuring, and investment execution related to various funds and portfolio investments, with a particular focus on Brazil. He currently serves on the board of Iowa Premium, LLC, an Iowa-based beef processing company and FS Agrisolutions, a Brazilian corn-based ethanol production company. Prior to joining Summit in 2012, he was an investment analyst with Aviva Investors North America. He grew up in southwest Iowa, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance from Iowa State University, where he is a member of the College of Business Finance Executive Advisory Council. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation, and is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society of Iowa.
Kirk Beaubien, Managing Director - Head of U.S. Real Estate
As a Managing Director and Head of U.S. Real Estate, Kirk Beaubien is responsible for management of the day-to-day activities of Summit Ag Fund and its related entities. Prior to his current role, he served as an acquisition manager at Principal Real Estate Investors, where he was responsible for acquisitions/dispositions of commercial real estate properties in the state of California. He has also worked in the Cedar Rapids branch of U.S. Bank, serving as a portfolio manager in its commercial real estate group. He is a native of Denison, Iowa, and received bachelor’s degrees in both finance and real estate from the University of Northern Iowa, and a MBA with emphasis in finance from the University of Nebraska.
Rafael Abud, General Manager - Brazil
Rafael Abud is currently responsible for project development and management of all ventures under the management of Summit Agricultural Group in Brazil, where he is primarily responsible for the operation of farmland holdings and renewable energy ventures. Rafael has 10 years of experience in the agribusiness and renewable energy industries. Prior to joining Summit, he founded Bio Ventures Brazil, where he led the development of projects in biodiesel production and processing technology, biomass-based electricity generation, production of energy crops and aviation biofuels.
Jacob Lauritson, Director
Mr. Lauritson is a Director for Summit Agricultural Group and is primarily responsible for financial analysis and planning, in addition to reporting for various fund and portfolio investments both domestically and abroad. He has been closely involved from a financial analysis and structuring perspective in a number of portfolio investments, most recently FS Bioenergia. In addition to these responsibilities, he serves as the compliance officer for all aspects of fund operations. Prior to joining Summit in 2014, he was an auditor with Deloitte & Touche with a concentration in the financial services industry. He grew up in North Iowa and graduated with a master’s degree in accounting from Iowa State University. He holds a Certified Public Accountant License in Iowa (inactive) and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Iowa Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Izak Christensen, Investment Analyst
Izak Christensen joined Summit Agricultural Group in 2018 and now works as an investment analyst. Prior to joining Summit, Izak completed various internships in commodity merchandising and renewable fuels. He was raised on a diversified farming operation near Riceville in northeast Iowa before attending Iowa State University where he studied agricultural business and agronomy. In addition to his bachelor’s degree, Izak will graduate with a MBA in finance this May 2018.
Brian Mike, Business Development Specialist
Brian Mike works in business development for Summit Agricultural Group, with a particular focus on projects in Brazil including farmland and renewable energy investments. Brian started at Summit as an intern while attending Iowa State University. He has lived and travelled extensively throughout Brazil and is fluent in Portuguese. He grew up in northwest Wisconsin, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business and Economics from Iowa State University.