Welcome to my website

A businessman who happens to be a professor

Professional with board experience delivering turnarounds, international growth, and M&A value capture.

  • $90M+ holding restructuring
  • 12+ markets opened
  • ERP modernization & process integration
sagrove@utep.edu • 860.391.9717 • LinkedIn

View projects Curriculum Vitae
Researcher and Practitioner in Artificial Intelligence
Led restructuring for a $90M+ multi-business holding
Opened 12+ international markets
Scaled exports to Top-20 in the U.S. blueberry market

What I do

Operational Turnarounds

Stabilize cash, redesign operating models, and drive sustainable margin improvement across multi-unit businesses.

M&A & Alliances

Price, structure, and integrate deals; governance for value capture with clear KPIs and post-close accountability.

International Expansion

Market entry playbooks, channel design, logistics, and risk management across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Selected Work

Holding Restructuring

Financial and operational restructuring of retail & agriculture units; restored profitability and governance discipline.

Global Agribusiness Scale-Up

Expanded from domestic sales to 12+ international markets; increased turnover from USD 2M to 13.5M in one year.

ERP & Process Modernization

Led ERP-driven process integration improving delivery speed, coordination, and decision visibility.

Experience

2009 – 2013
COO & CFO (Holding) | CEO & COO (Agriculture)
Multihogar Holding / Gonzagri S.A. · Curicó, Chile
  • Orchestrated financial and operational restructuring across retail and agriculture units.
  • Expanded agriculture revenues from USD 2M (domestic) to USD 13.5M (international) within one year.
  • Opened supply chains and distribution in 12+ countries (e.g., China, Taiwan, USA, Germany, Russia).
2009 – 2013
CEO & Founder
First Chile S.A. (Agrifood Exports) · Chile
  • Built an export platform reaching Top-20 in U.S. blueberry market by cartons volume.
  • Owned end-to-end P&L, contract sales, logistics, AR, and credit risk for global customers.
2004 – 2012
CEO & Founder
Red Legal S.A. (Corporate Legal Services) · Chile
  • Negotiated enterprise contracts with Liberty Mutual Group, ING (Zurich), Mapfre, Ripley, and ISE.
  • Scaled third-party representation services; executed staged ownership exits to investors.
2023 – Present
Assistant Professor (Applied Strategy)
The University of Texas at El Paso · El Paso, TX
  • Industry-facing advisory and executive education; research translating AI/text analytics into decision support.

Education

Ph.D. – Management (Strategy)

University of Connecticut, 2020

M.S. – Economics (IO & Law)

University of Illinois, 2015

MBA – Finance

Universidad Gabriela Mistral, 2006

B.S. – Industrial Engineering

Universidad Gabriela Mistral, 2004

Skills

Corporate Strategy Operational Excellence Turnarounds M&A & Alliances Corporate Finance International Expansion Governance & Boards ERP & Process Design Risk Management Negotiation Data & AI-assisted Insights

Contact