“We may not have had much, but our home was full of love,”  Mike Martella recalls as he reflects on his upbringing.  “As far as I can remember, we never truly felt like we were missing anything.” Born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of two hard-working parents, Mike Martella feels fortunate to have two wonderful brothers and a sister. His dad was a hard worker, never earning a high salary, and his mom was responsible for raising the four kids while her husband worked two or sometimes three jobs at a time.   Martella was an accomplished baseball pitcher in high school and tried out for two major league teams in his senior year—the Montreal Expos and the Baltimore Orioles. In his freshman year of college, however, he decided that pursuing a life with his future wife was more important than baseball. “I met my wife Kathy in high school and we have been married for almost 48 years,” he shares. “We have three outstanding daughters, Marisa, Kim and Kelly, and eight grandchildren.” In 1977, Martella started working for Boar’s Head Provisions, where he has remained for close to 49 years. He was asked to relocate to Midlothian, Virginia in 1987 to open a manufacturing facility there and he accepted. “Midlothian was a fantastic area to raise our children and we enjoyed our 15 years there,” he says.

In 2002, Boar’s Head relocated their headquarters to Sarasota and again, Martella was asked to relocate with the company. He was promoted to president shortly after relocating and held that position for almost 20 years, until he retired from it in 2021. Today he is employed as an advisor for Boar’s Head, a company which he feels proud to be a part of. During COVID in 2020, Martella owned a restaurant in the Rosemary District called The Overton. Knowing there was a food shortage for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and DeSoto Counties, he reached out to the organization’s president/CEO, Bill Sadlo and asked what he could do to help. This was his first exposure to the Club. For four months, The Overton donated 250 lunches a day to the Newtown Club. Lunch consisted of a turkey sandwich, a fruit, a bottle of water and a cookie. “We delivered every day by 11:30am, and each and every day, the line grew longer,” he recalls. “I then asked Dick Vitale for a donation and he supplied money for me to continue for an additional month.”

After the pandemic, Bill Sadlo and board member Lee Dileto visited Martella at the restaurant and asked him to join the board. After visiting to get a better understanding of what was involved, he accepted. “The continued effort that the staff and board members make to develop and enhance the Club kids’ skills continues to amaze me. I can only hope that more kids, as well as adults, take the time to learn what the Boys & Girls Club is all about,” he says.

Beyond his philanthropic involvement with the Club, Martella dedicated nearly 19 years to the Van Wezel board, serving as chairman for six of those years before stepping down in June 2024. He also holds positions on two other business boards. His wife, Kathy, contributes to the community through her work with Meals on Wheels and Tidwell Hospice. The notion of giving back seems simple to Martella. “I’ve been very fortunate to be in the place I’m in. I’ve worked hard for what our family has and was never really given anything without working for it,” he says. “I truly believe that if you have the resources to help others—time, talent and treasure, it’s your responsibility to do so.” He feels that this quote, often attributed to Winston Churchill, says it all: “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”

Martella says with confidence that every single day, he treats others the way he wants to be treated. “If you ask the people in my life, I believe they would say the same thing,” he says. “Since I started at one of the lowest positions at Boar’s Head Provisions in 1977 and then ascended to the highest position in 2002, I give credit to all the people who helped me. Most of the credit is pointed to the line employees in the Virginia manufacturing facility that I worked with from 1987 to 2002. They taught me how to work hard and to be a leader and I will forever be grateful to them. I experienced all the highs and lows during that time and used those experiences to help others accomplish their goals, too.”

For those hoping to become more philanthropically involved, Martella shares this advice: “First, decide what’s important to your family, your values and seek out an organization that matches those values. Sarasota has many organizations that need your help. Don’t just concentrate on one organization if you have the capacity to do more. Once on the board, get involved as a board member. Don’t just say you’re on the board, make a difference on the board.”

On being recognized as a good hero, Martella is grateful that his efforts are appreciated. “You do it because it’s what’s in your heart and part of your core DNA,” he says. “I hope that it will encourage others who are sitting on the sidelines to get involved.” SRQ Mike Martella was honored as a Good Hero by SRQ Magazine in December 2025.