Melinda Goodman

Founder & Principal Strategist

Melinda’s food story is intimately tied to her agriculture roots. She says, “You grew what you ate because a no stoplight town didn’t lend itself to fast food or dining out.” Born into a working ranch family and a scratch cook Mom, Melinda knows the meaning of three square meals and loves fresh chocolate chip cookies right out of the oven, along with a few scoops of cookie dough for good measure. Gardens, plucked chickens, a rouge pig and show steers are her history, but agriculture and its direct connection to food is not only her past, but her present and future.

Throughout her career, Melinda has worked in diverse roles including sales, marketing and new business development. Melinda has also leveraged her creativity to conceptualize and expand brand concepts and retail promotions, overseeing the development and implementation of more than 350 new packages, dozens of trade promotions and brand awareness campaigns for a variety of clients, including national brands like Disney, Paula Deen Enterprises, The Biggest Loser and the Sneaky Chef.

She loves getting her hands dirty in a field, learning what makes the business of food tick or enjoying an artfully crafted plate from the best chefs. It’s the deep appreciation for the people who produce food that helps Melinda find the story for every brand.

Jen Velasquez

VP of Marketing

Jen excels in client relations and has built her career in the fresh produce industry over the past 14 years with her bilingual graciousness and can-do attitude. Throughout her career, Jen has been a project and account manager on campaigns for the Chilean Avocado Importers Association, Produce for Kids, Georgia Pecan Commission, Georgia Blueberry Growers Association, and the Vidalia Onion Committee where she worked to increase consumer awareness both in print, online, and in-store. Additionally, she worked with produce brands to rebrand and create packaging and point-of-sale materials leading to increased brand awareness in-store as well as online. This helped such brands to meaningfully connect with consumers before they even set foot in a retail store. Jen is a cultivator of strong media and trade relationships and is a successful event and promotions expert. She is seen by her peers and clients as an optimistic and authentic communicator.

Melissa J. Edwards

Director of Marketing

Melissa began her career in software gaming and entertainment spending nearly 7 years with Blizzard Entertainment and several more with Infiniti broadcasting in the KROQ-FM Los Angeles building. Melissa‘s introduction to the agriculture industry came with the launch of the Disney Garden^® brand, where she was employed by Imagination Farms as their project manager, managing the development of print, packaging, and digital projects for the brand launch. Marketing healthy foods to children developed her love of the industry and cultivated a desire to make meaningful connections with consumers. 

Olga Sacal

Marketing and Events Specialist

Olga is a dynamic soul whose journey spans from the vibrant streets of Mexico City to the cultural town of San Antonio, Texas where she have been embracing the best of both worlds for the last 16 years.

As an event and marketing specialist, she has a passion for creating intimate gatherings and grand celebrations to craft unforgettable experiences that resound in the hearts of the people who attend them. Beyond the boardrooms and analytics she is a collaborator, a visionary, and a relentless advocate for the power of a well-told brand story.

In her free time, she is a seasoned foodie and a curious traveler. Whether it’s exploring the mystical ruins of Peru, savoring the richness of sushi in Tokyo, or indulging in the vibrant spices of Mexico City, she believes every journey gives her the opportunity to create memories that last a lifetime.

Shelby Miller

Billie Lentz

Account Manager

Billie wears many hats—farmer, storyteller, advocate, and leader. Based in Rolla, North Dakota, just miles from the Canadian border, she helps manage her family’s fifth-generation grain farm, Lentz Farms, where they grow soybeans, wheat, canola, and malt barley. As the first woman to manage her family’s farm, Billie combines hands-on agricultural experience with a passion for sharing the realities of modern farming and helping others better understand the industry. 

A graduate of North Dakota State University with a degree in Agricultural Economics and a minor in Business Administration, Billie has taken her passion for agriculture well beyond the farm gate. Through agricultural leadership programs, she has traveled to Costa Rica, Vietnam, and Thailand to learn about global food systems, trade, and production practices. She currently serves on the North Dakota Soybean Growers Association Board and remains actively involved in initiatives that advance agricultural leadership, education, and advocacy. 

When she isn’t working or farming, Billie can often be found telling agriculture’s story. Through her Lentz Farms Facebook and Instagram accounts, she shares an authentic look at life on the farm, helping consumers connect with where their food comes from and the people who produce it. She is also a host of the CommonGround North Dakota podcast, where she helps facilitate conversations about food, farming, and the issues shaping agriculture today. Whether she’s in a combine during harvest, interviewing a podcast guest, or speaking with consumers about agriculture, Billie is always looking for opportunities to build connections, spark meaningful conversations, and support the agricultural and rural communities she loves.  

Lizzy Voth

Account Manager

For more than four years, Lizzy has helped bring the farm-to-fork story to life for apples, pears, and cherries grown throughout the Pacific Northwest. With a background in journalism and a passion for authentic communication, she helps brands connect with consumers through strategic storytelling, retail activations, media relations, social media, web content, email marketing, and integrated campaigns.

Known for asking questions with intent and listening first, Lizzy approaches every project with curiosity, care, and a desire to understand what matters most. She enjoys bringing people, ideas, and goals together to uncover opportunities, solve challenges, and help meaningful stories take root. Whether she’s refining the details of a campaign or supporting a big initiative, Lizzy is driven by a belief that great work happens when strong relationships, thoughtful strategy, and a little creativity come together.

Living in her hometown of Wenatchee, Washington, Lizzy can often be found spending time with her nieces and nephews, paddleboarding the Columbia River, or looking for any excuse to add another houseplant to her growing collection. She’s quietly delighted when weekend plans shift and a sunny day opens instead.

Anna Martinez

Account Manager

Anna  is passionate about great brands, great people, and meaningful work. She believes the best marketing starts with a story worth telling and enjoys helping brands connect with the people they’re made for through creative, authentic, and strategic marketing. 

Over the past 4.5 years, Anna has built and led marketing initiatives in the CEA/Leafy Greens industry, gaining experience across a wide range of disciplines. Her background includes brand strategy, digital marketing, content creation, product launches, retail marketing, and sales support. She especially enjoys projects that blend creativity with strategy and challenge her to think outside the box to bring ideas to life. 

Anna is a graduate of Georgia Southern University and is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. She now calls Texas home. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, traveling, writing, horseback riding, cross-stitching, and spending time with her two dogs. She’s happiest when she has a good book nearby, a trip on the calendar, and an exciting new project to tackle. 

Ardi Wahyudi

Visual Storyteller – Graphic/Motion/Web Designer

 Ardi has worked as a graphic designer, motion graphics and web designer for almost 13 years for businesses in many different industries across the globe. His creative eye has reached from primary schools in Australia, to writers, church and corporate companies throughout the US and UK.

Ardi has won over 110 design contests for logo & web design over the course of his career. He is passionate about design and always looking for new things to learn. As a result, he has a wide range of work experience, skills, and hobbies.

Candy Zimmer

Visual Storyteller – Graphic Designer

“Mommy, what’s for dinner?” Asked everyday. Not to mention, what’s for breakfast, lunch or snack? This Mom gravitates toward simple, kid-friendly foods that simplify daily life. Single serving size fruits and veggies – yes! Quick recipes with common ingredients – yes! A help-yourself cupboard full of “growing food” snacks – yes! Candy says she’s not a foodie, and can be a little bit of a picky eater, but every day she tries hard to provide tasty, healthy food for her family. And because potatoes are one of her favorites, they will find a way into many meals and chocolate always holds the #1 spot on her taste buds.

Being a working mom guides Candy’s passion for visual storytelling that uses design to clarify and simplify messages. It’s the words and messages that must work together to drive visual storytelling across every format from social media to packaging, advertising, literature and more. Candy brings more than 15 years of design experience that cover banking, healthcare, food and education.

Lilli Steeke

Marketing Intern

Lilli is a senior at South Dakota State University majoring in Agricultural Communications with minors in Digital and Social Media, Public Relations, and Journalism. Growing up on her family’s ranch in southwest North Dakota, she developed a strong work ethic and a deep appreciation for agriculture while helping raise cattle, sheep, and goats.

With a passion for storytelling and strategic communication, Lilli enjoys creating content that helps brands connect with their audiences in authentic and meaningful ways. Her background in agriculture provides her with a unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing rural businesses and agricultural organizations. Through her experiences in FFA, higher education, and the communications field, she has developed skills in content creation, social media strategy, public relations, and digital marketing.

When she’s not working on marketing projects, Lilli enjoys spending time with family and friends and returning home to the ranch whenever she can. She is passionate about telling stories that highlight the people, businesses, and industries that make rural communities strong.