Tribe

Henry Melendy, Founder, Managing Partner and Lead Agricultural Consultant, is an Entrepreneur with a strong background in Project Planning & Management, Operations, Sales and Marketing. Having grown up on his family’s farm, Henry has always been immersed in the growing and gardening scene and has had a passion for clean, accessible food coupled with a philanthropic desire to feed communities at large.

Henry is the founder and Managing Partner of My Yard Farm, LLC, which he launched seven years ago. My Yard Farm (MYF) is an expanding company specializing in consultation, design, build, maintenance and propagation of Sustainable Agricultural projects focused on growing and delivering hyper-local, hyper-organic foods and the design, build and management of edible landscapes for both the Residential and Commercial level. The company has cornered the niche specialty food market for Microgreens, its flagship product, with an extensive distribution network to Central Florida’s Farm-to- Table restaurants, grocery stores and high-end luxury resorts.

Henry wears many hats and has assembled a tribe of like-minded team members that are as equally versed and flexible in various business disciplines and all have a commitment and passion for sustainable agriculture. Daily responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Business Development, Public Relations, Retail Management and Development, Scheduling & Job Logistics, Resource & Project Management, Design, Community Involvement, Greenhouse Production and Distribution. Prior to launching MYF, Henry was a longtime Business Process Analyst and Project Manager at LandAmerica Financial Group.

Mandi Rokx, Operations and Management, has a disciplined, multi-tasking background that was solidified during her six years in the Air Force National Guard of which she joined at the age of 17. She not only served in Iraq while working on munitions systems, but she also ranked at end of enlistment as an E-5/ Staff Sergeant- receiving this rank in her fourth year.

Mandi has been at MYF since its inception and is credited in helping with the growth of the company. Her attention to detail and keen sense of business operations has positioned her as a valuable asset to MYF due to the fact that she serves many functions including, but not limited to the: growing, harvesting, sales, marketing, packaging and distribution of the greenhouse operations. She leads the task of accounting, account management and customer service, employee management, distribution and data analysis. In fact, she developed many of the data gathering systems that are currently employed by MYF on a daily basis.

Mandi is a foodie at heart and begun her entrance into the local foods market space by co-running a local restaurant that specialized in farm-to-table bison and ostrich meats. She is an art enthusiast and a community advocate. She has also frequently supported children’s programs as well as the House of Blues Foundation by teaching the arts as her commitment to volunteer work.

Blair Aquilia, Distribution, Production and Technical Efficiencies, studied at the University of Florida and has had an entrepreneurial mindset since his mid teens. He thrives on designing, building and selling ‘anything electronic’. At 15, Blair began buying and selling electronics on Craigslist. Soon thereafter Blair was buying and selling clothing many items through various e-commerce websites.

Blair was raised in Winter Park. During his teen years, he ran the sound and recording equipment for his church. He has worked with music artists to develop a certain sound of music that would be appealing to a certain audience. From a young age, Blair has been involved with electronics and the wiring / plumbing of buildings. When he was14 years old, he rewired his parents old Winter Park home and installed a new subpanel in the garage. By the time he reached 16, he had begun installing home theater systems for friend’s parents. From this experience, Blair started selling home theater components on eBay.

Brittany Williams, Farmers Market Manager, grew up immersed in agriculture and farming. She is a health and wellness advocate with a background in healthcare and the sustainable food industry.

Brittany has a Bachelor of Science from the University of Central Florida and is currently studying to be a nurse. Brittany is an avid yoga practitioner and conscious eating – of which she has her pet pig, Mr. Pepper, as her brand ambassador. She is committed to all things organic – including the use of organic essential oils in her daily regime. Brittany heads sales, marketing and distribution for My Yard Farm’s presence within various Central Florida Farmers Markets.