Partnership will help GROW awareness and access to award-winning agricultural education, curriculum, and growing technology for schools and communities nationwide.
NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 21, 2026 / Green Bronx Machine (GBM) is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with SOBX2 Strategic Operations & Business Consulting to help GROW the national reach and impact of its award-winning agricultural education curriculum, resources, and innovative growing technologies.
Founded in 2011 by educator Stephen Ritz, Green Bronx Machine has grown from an innovative school-based program in the South Bronx into a nationally and internationally recognized model for using food, agriculture, and hands-on learning to strengthen students, schools, and communities. Green Bronx Machine's approach goes far beyond growing vegetables. Its comprehensive model, including acclaimed whole-school curriculum, incorporates the art and science of growing food as the point of entry for all learning. Their unique project-based learning model connects food cultivation and preparation, science and academic learning, health and wellness, life skills, and workforce development-helping students better understand where food comes from while developing healthier and more meaningful relationships with food.
Today, Green Bronx Machine's K-12+ model integrates urban agriculture into standards-based academic instruction while supporting healthier students, stronger schools, and more resilient communities in over 1,100 schools across the nation, with 100% teacher satisfaction. Green Bronx Machine was named a "Top Ten Health and Wellness Program in the Nation" by the Harkin Institute and a Fast Company Most Innovative Company. Recently dubbed "The Miracle in the Bronx" by New York Weekly, the new partnership will make its public debut at The Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) NYC Conference on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at the New York Hilton Midtown. Through this strategic partnership, SOBX2 will bring its extensive experience in institutional management, strategic planning, school foodservice, partnerships, business development, and operational improvement to support Green Bronx Machine's continued growth.
"Green Bronx Machine demonstrates what is possible when food, education, health, and community development come together," said Stephen O'Brien, Founder and President of SOBX2. "This partnership is about helping more schools and communities discover these incredible resources and giving educators practical tools to connect students with food, agriculture, learning, and future opportunities. We are excited to help GROW something greater."
Aligned to the conference theme "Leading with Purpose: Innovate, Engage, Transform," together, SOBX2 and Green Bronx Machine will work to increase awareness of Green Bronx Machine's curriculum, educational resources, growing technologies, and whole-school approach while identifying opportunities to bring the model to additional schools, districts, institutions, and communities across the country.
"We could not be more excited about this partnership, and we welcome Stephen to the Bronx with open arms, open minds, open ears, and grateful hearts, ready and eager to work with him," states Lizette B. Ritz, Executive Director of Green Bronx Machine. She adds, "Stephen O'Brien is the ultimate professional, in a class by himself, bringing decades of proven leadership and experience, in the largest school system in America, in our own backyard, to the front and center of our organization. His experience and wisdom are second to none and provide us with exactly what we need to properly and effectively scale our mission, vision, and impact."
"For years, I've watched Stephen O'Brien with awe, respect, and admiration, not only for what he does, but for how he does it, the results he achieves, and most importantly, how he makes people feel in the process," says Stephen Ritz, who adds, "Stephen is the consummate professional who understands people, processes, systems, accountability, organizational needs, planning, innovation, and implementation. Stephen's skills and strengths compliment and support Green Bronx Machine's relentless innovation and bring tremendous validation, credibility, and gravitas to our work and our organization. I'm the first to admit that two Stephens are better than one. Together, with Lizette and the rest of Team GBM, we are a dedicated tour de force - with service and satisfaction built into our DNA - who are determined to make epic happen and we could not be more excited to do so."
About Green Bronx Machine: www.greenbronxmachine.org. Green Bronx Machine is an award-winning, impact-driven nonprofit organization dedicated to building healthy, equitable, and resilient communities through inspired education, local food systems, and 21st-century workforce development. Its school-based model uses urban agriculture and hands-on learning to help grow healthy students, high-performing schools, and thriving communities. To date, Green Bronx Machine has trained over 13,000 teachers and impacts over 400,000 students daily. Green Bronx Machine offers curriculum, growing technologies, and multiple opportunities to bring their program to your school or community,
Contact: Stephen Ritz, 917.873.6449, stephen.ritz@greenbronxmachine.org
About SOBX2 Strategic Operations & Business Consulting: www.SOBX2.com. SOBX2 Strategic Operations & Business Consulting works with organizations, institutions, nonprofits, school districts, and businesses to turn ideas into actionable strategies and sustainable results. SOBX2 brings extensive experience in institutional operations, strategic partnerships, foodservice, procurement, sustainability, business development, and organizational improvement.
Contact: Stephen O'Brien, 917.565.7725, sobfood2@gmail.com
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SOURCE: Green Bronx Machine
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/sobx2-and-green-bronx-machine-announce-strategic-partnership-to-1239345
