“Growing up in a small town can be both a blessing and a curse.  Sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know,” says Patricia Loyde who graduated from Glen Rock High School in 1988. Since then, she branched out from our small town and found the job perfect.  After graduating from GRHS, Mrs. Loyde went to the University of Richmond and graduated with a BS in Business Administration and an MBA. She then spent 16 years in the investment management field and 4 years in direct sales. Ultimately, she discoevered a local business, The Farm Table that seemed perfect for what she was looking for.

The Farm Table is a community network in which neighbors deliver fresh produce from a local farm to one’s doorstep every week during the harvest seasons. She was attracted to this industry because she believes in eating local, sustainable, and environmentally friendly food. She had also made a recent personal goal to eat less processed & industrialized food, cementing this job as the perfect solution.  I asked Mrs. Loyde what her favorite part of working with The Farm Table and she replied, “Through experience, I’ve learned that I prefer to work with smaller companies, rather than at large corporations.  It allows me to wear different hats and means every day is different.” In her career path, education is not the biggest factor: “We look for like-minded people who believe in our mission: delivering fresh, local food that’s healthy for both people and the environment.”

Her advice for anyone starting out in any industry would be to perfect communication skills, being able to talk in front of any size group and being able to write efficiently is key. Currently, Mr.Loyde lives in Richmond, VA and is helping with the marketing and membership growth for The Farm Table.