Armando Martinez was born and raised on a ranch near the town of Valparaizo, in the state of Zacatecaz, Mexico. Following other family members, Armando immigrated to the United States in 1987. He first worked for a raspberry and Christmas tree grower in Lebanon, Oregon. In 1988, he began working as a field worker for O'Connor Vineyards in Salem.

His hard work and ability to manage large, complex farm operations led to his promotion to Vineyard Manager at O'Connor. In 1997, he was hired by Willamette Valley Vineyards in Salem as Vineyard Manager for one of Oregon's largest and most visible winery operations. In 1999, he was hired by Results Partners of McMinnville as a Vineyard Supervisor, working in many vineyards in and around Yamhill County.

In 2001, he joined Lemelson Vineyards as the Vineyard Manager. In his current position, Armando works with Eric Lemelson to manage over 100 acres of high-density vineyards on six distinctly different sites in Yamhill County.

Armando and his wife have two sons, David and Oscar.