Origins
It started long before I came into the picture.
Larry Miller lived in Hungary in the early 1990s, just after the fall of Communism. It was a time when everything was changing and the air itself felt different. He was there while the country was finding its footing again, a place reinventing itself from the ground up.
I had also returned to Hungary in 1991, just after finishing law school, to work and explore that same new post-Communist world. Funny enough, we were there at the same time, walking the same streets, but we didn’t know each other then.
Larry spent years in Hungary and, against all odds, learned to speak Hungarian fluently. Anyone who has tried knows it is one of the most difficult languages in the world. I was born there but grew up in the United States, so the language has always been part of me. We didn’t meet until decades later, but perhaps that shared connection to Hungary explains why our paths eventually crossed.
The First Connection
In 2019, during one of his trips back to Hungary, a place and a people that have always stayed close to his heart, Larry returned with his wife, Dede. He had an idea for a stainless steel produce dehydrator, small but full of promise.
While searching for stainless suppliers, he found one in Székesfehérvár. They couldn’t help, but they gave him a name: Kázmér at HND Metals in Tata.
That same afternoon he went there. He showed Kazi his hand-drawn sketches, and Kazi, with the quiet curiosity of someone who sees potential in raw ideas, said, “It would be nice to do a project that helps people.”
The dehydrator didn’t work out. The design was too complicated. But the connection stuck.
A few weeks later, Larry and Dede visited Israel to see their friends Avi and Miriam. In their living room, they rolled out the early plans for something extraordinary: a stainless steel greenhouse that could grow food anywhere. It was an ambitious vision that later became part of the larger work our company is doing today.
When Avi later asked Larry to help locate a stainless manufacturer, Larry sent the drawings to Kazi at HND. That was the beginning of a long working relationship between our company and HND Metals.
Meeting HND
I joined the company in December 2021, after Larry had stepped away to care for Dede. At the time, I didn’t know him at all. I met him only when he returned in 2024, by which point the connection with HND had already become an important part of our operations.
When I first took over, I had never worked with a metal fabricator before and didn’t know what to expect. What I found in Tata wasn’t just a production facility. It was a team of people who took genuine pride in what they do.
Shared Growth
Under Kazi’s leadership, HND operates with precision, discipline, and a warm professionalism. It is not just about machines and metal. It is about people who care deeply about their work and understand that what they build is part of something larger and meaningful.
Our company is the creative force behind the ideas, the designs, and the technological development of our greenhouse systems and future initiatives. HND is a trusted supplier and fabricator, producing components according to our specifications and quality standards. Their consistency and skill play an important role in allowing us to innovate and move forward with confidence.
Kazi leads with calm authority, and his team reflects that same sense of purpose. Kriszta, his right hand and translator, has become a true friend. Jani, the technical manager, brings stability and deep knowledge. Péter, the young engineer, adds energy and precision. Feri, the factory floor manager, keeps operations flowing. Jozsef ensures that every detail aligns before fabrication begins.
Each visit leaves a lasting impression. The factory is spotless, calm, and organized. The workers are focused and confident, moving with quiet efficiency. The atmosphere is warm, respectful, and full of pride.
HND has grown significantly over the years, expanding its team, equipment, and capabilities. But what truly defines them is their understanding of what a good working relationship means. They deliver excellence while respecting creative ownership and the integrity of our designs.
Earlier this year, Kazi traveled to our headquarters in Yuma, Arizona, where he met with Avi and saw firsthand the full scope of what we are building. From transforming thousands of acres of arid desert into productive agricultural land through strategic planning and cutting-edge technologies, to our work in Singapore and our upcoming projects such as Yahav Living Systems, he saw the breadth of our vision. His visit helped deepen our shared understanding and mutual respect.
Reflections
Innovation is not only about technology or design. It is about people. It is about trust, communication, respect, and shared purpose.
We bring the vision, the concepts, the research, and the push toward what has never been done before. HND contributes by fabricating the components that give those ideas physical shape, following our direction and maintaining the highest standards.
It is a collaboration built on clarity and respect. The vision, the designs, and the intellectual property belong entirely to us. The skilled hands that help turn those designs into reality belong to HND. Together, we bring ideas to life, each of us doing what we do best.
That is what I feel every time I walk through the gates of HND Metals in Tata.
Steel that reflects not just light, but spirit.
