Ben Calkins- Managing Director and Farmer

Ben Calkin has been a sheep farmer since 1964 producing all-natural lamb. Ben grew up on a family farm in Hamburg, New York. As a youngster, he started to breed Polled Dorset sheep, exhibiting them at local county fairs and manufacturing wool into custom blankets. Throughout his professional career, Ben has remained involved in farming. Today, he lives with his wife and four children on a 100 acre farm in Newbury, Ohio, where they run several hundred premium Polled Dorset and Suffolk sheep. He introduced the concept "Rent A Sheep" to the Rent Mother Nature catalog and successfully implemented that concept. He is actively involved in lamb production as well as beef and pork. Ben’s vision through Great Midwest Lamb Company is to offer consumers premium lamb, all-natural lamb and family farm produced lamb that is hormone free. Being a farmer himself, he understands the value of all-natural lamb that is family farm produced.  Throughout his many years of farming, Ben has gained practical knowledge in producing and marketing farm products through a variety of channels.

Ben is a graduate of Harvard College and the University of Michigan Law School.


Fred Elabed- Managing Director and E-Commerce Expert

Fred Elabed has over 10 year experience directing e-commerce companies and business models and a track record of using his strategic business, sales, and marketing skills, e-commerce expertise and entrepreneurial background to deliver superior results and returns for growing e-commerce companies. Fred is also the President and CEO of ROI Commerce, an end-to-end and partnership-centric e-commerce solutions firm that develops and operates direct to consumer e-commerce websites and businesses. Prior to founding Great Midwest Lamb Company and ROI Commerce, Mr. Elabed founded ROI Supply, a Web Services and E-Commerce solutions firm, which was sold to Americaneagle.com, where he became Managing Director of the Ohio office. At ROI Supply, he built the company with both his personal funds and company cash flow achieving 30% growth and profitability each year until the company was acquired by Americaneagle.com. Prior to ROI Supply, Mr. Elabed attended Baldwin Wallace University while operating SaveMor, a family-owned grocery store chain that he successfully sold to a local investor group.

Fred Elabed brings significant entrepreneurial expertise in starting and growing technology companies. Now on his fourth venture, Fred has started, built, and sold two successful companies. He has been called by his peers a dynamic and innovative business leader in e-commerce, technology, entrepreneurship, sales, and High Touch Marketing (HTM), an interactive approach in building relationships for sales and revenue growth. In 2004, Fred was named "Who's Who in Technology" by Crain's Cleveland Business. His articles on the subject of E-Commerce and technology have appeared in over 20 major publications. He also has been a guest speaker to over 30 associations and organizations across the country. In 1999, he was distinguished as the youngest President and member and awarded "President of the Year" by The Alternative Board (TAB), a President/CEO business forum with over 6,000 entrepreneur members across the world. Fred earned a BA degree from Baldwin Wallace University.