About UrbanPonics

The Mission is all about,
Empowering Local Neighborhoods with the Vision and Tools to Provide Foods, Year-Round through Education, Advocacy, and Hands on Experience.
See what happens when you take a dream and share it!
We’re having a journey, you’re welcome to join in!
The need to create a synergy can work in many directions. For over a year I had heard about this friend of a friend who wanted to create a vertical garden in an abandoned Kmart.
Let me introduce him, and our board since we now have UrbanPonics with a whole group of people contributing towards this dream of growing food and fish while helping our neighbors be self-sufficient.

Webb Stone
Mastermind
Webb Stone has talents and compassion aimed at making a difference. A career spent to develop and create technological solutions for many endeavors enables him to persevere into sustainable adaptations for our communities. Innovative problem solving is a skillset that has brought him here for the development of aquaponics and the education of life skills that will support our community and environment.

Bill Scheffler
Renassaince Man
Bill Scheffler is the owner, studio director and lead artist of VisualWright Inc., a multi-disciplinary creative commercial art studio in the heart of Chicago. He is also an amateur astronomer/ telescope builder, gardener, mushroom hunter/grower, poulterer, home chef, beekeeper, and conservationist.

Larry Rubin
Deep Thinker
Larry Rubin has served as CEO for the Association for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (AADD) since 2008. This social services organization helps its members live full and independent lives within their communities. Larry has a BS in Community Health Education from Temple University and started working in his field even as a student.

Ann E Martin
Happy Herbalist
Ann E Martin has both of best worlds for UrbanPonics as a professional gardener and therapeutic educator. Her love of gardening led her to start Ann E M Landscape Design in 2003. Prior to that she worked in recreation therapy for mental health and geriatrics facilities. She works artfully with soulful connections to people and plants.

Laura Pedrick
Pictures Extraordinaire
Laura Pedrick is a visual storyteller, documenting life events as a photojournalist for over 30yrs. 20 of those for The New York Times, in their NJ news and features coverage. Happy to capture the UrbanPonics story from seed to blossom and put it out in the world loud and proud!

Andrew Sklarz
Money Man
Andrew Sklarz is a seasoned relationship leader with over 20 years of experience. I ensure all client and related stakeholders are maximizing the strategic value of our partnership. I cultivate successful long-term partnerships through transparency and shared outcomes. Over my career, I have demonstrated the ability to be creative in marketing client brands in a way that is unique to a market and targeted audiences.

Merrill Pierce
Ponic Engineeer
Merrill Pierce Cantankerous old curmudgeon who recently gave up retirement to work in the aquaponic arena to ensure that his grandchildren will have plenty of healthy and delicious food.

Barbara Stange
Work Goddess
Barbara Stange is a work goddess who in addition to helping business owners succeed, cooks intuitively, gardens and wildcrafts to support her herbalism and loves listening to live jazz. Seeing a synergy with all she does, growing year-round and helping people compliments her idea of living artfully.

The time is now to change how we support ourselves!
We can build better food security for every community!
Bring work to neighborhoods by growing their own food!
Thank You to
Our Partners


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