Owners

After winding down successful businesses in Dallas, where they maintain a home, Gary and Sandra Fernandes now spend a great deal of their time at the family compound at Lyday Farms.

The Fernandes’ life together has been shaped to a large degree by Gary’s thirty year career with EDS. After retiring from EDS, he founded and is still involved with several technology and venture capital oriented business interests. However, he believes that he has won the constant battle to keep his priorities in perspective.

“I’ve learned to keep in mind that business is just that: business,” he says. “There are other very important things in life, like family and friends. If you allow yourself to become dominated by business, the rest of your life will suffer.” He states further that his family and friends are truly the foundation on which he built his career. “I couldn’t have done it without my family,” he says. “I often need to call on someone else’s strength…another moral compass and guide.” He adds, “I believe one needs to have some reason for doing what they do other than self-gratification.”

Currently Gary and Sandra serve on many boards, including charitable organizations as well as several public companies; yet they now enjoy a special kind of fulfillment through life on the farm with their straight Egyptian Arabian horses. The Fernandes brood includes three children, eight grandchildren... and counting. Sandra’s delight in watching her children’s children enjoy the land on which her family has prospered for generations is evident in the farm’s special touches such as the picnic area, playhouse, and swings mounted on the horse walker!