Mark joined the army 1975 and spent 10 years as an enlisted soldier; rising to the rank of Sergeant First Class (E-7).  He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in 1985 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from Iowa State University;  Mark also graduated with a MBA from the University of Minnesota. Mark has 35 years progressive worldwide warehouse/logistics/engineering executive experience, including his positions at NSP (now Xcel Energy) and on the Executive Team at Ergotron, Inc.. Mark has served on numerous nonprofit committees including the Executive Committee for the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce; Board of Directors for the Elite SDVOB Network, a national organization comprised of certified Service-Disabled, Veteran-Owned Businesses whose headquarters is located in San Diego, CA.  In 2010, Mark founded JEMNI, Inc., a Service-Disabled, Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) Packaging Distribution Company. As a Value Added Supplier,  JEMNI Inc. assists customers in gaining competitive advantage through efficient packaging solutions, facility sourcing, supply chain management, and logistics. Mark is the founder of Veterans Small Business Foundation (VSBF), a 501(c)3 organization, which is now doing business as Project Got Your Back (PGYB). Mark is a Bush fellow graduate and continues to provide leadership to mobilize communities to find solutions to tough problems in the veteran community. Born in Ames, Iowa, he now resides in Woodbury. He and his wife, Karen, are the parents of three grown children, and have two grandsons.