Ohio State gave him the formal start: a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1977, followed by a Master of Science in Agricultural Education in 1980. Even before his career fully took shape, though, two things were already becoming clear: Mark knew how to grow, and he knew how to teach. While finishing his master’s degree, he taught Vocational Agriculture and coached football at Westland High School in Columbus. It was there that he met Linda, an English teacher down the hall who would become his wife.

The jump to horticulture sales came in 1980 with Ball Seed Company and a relocation to Naperville, IL. That move marked the start of what would become 41 years on the road, including 13 with EHR, serving Northern Ohio. Calling on wholesale growers and independent garden centers, many of them stock geranium growers in those early years, Mark built relationships through a firsthand understanding of their crops, their operations, and their pressures. His passion for horticulture and his love of teaching shaped the way he approached sales from day one, and it still shows in the philosophy he carries today:

“The best sales reps in this industry take care of their customers,” he says, “and in return, their customers take care of them.”

Across four decades, Mark has represented what he calls “the four best horticultural brokerage companies” in the country. Still, the part he talks about most is not the résumé line, but the people. “I’ve worked with the brightest and best in this industry,” he says. “I truly love the family aspect of the horticulture businesses I’ve called on and serviced over these years.”

His commitment to horticulture reaches well beyond his sales territory. Mark served as Northeast Ohio Representative to the CFAES Alumni Board at Ohio State from 2018 through June 2024, and in 2020 joined the D.C. Kiplinger Chair Advisory Committee, supporting the first endowed Chair in floriculture in the United States. He was a student in Kip’s last floriculture class in 1977. “He taught us that plants are like people,” Mark reflects. “Good roots provide stability and nutrition.” He carries that lesson with him still. It’s a fitting idea for someone who has spent a lifetime helping others do exactly that. Each semester, he also joins Ohio State ATI Wooster’s Phone a STEM Professional program, talking with chemistry students about careers in horticulture.

Outside of work, Mark and his wife Linda live in Westlake, Ohio. They have built quite the Buckeye household, as proud parents to three daughters and three sons-in-law, all Ohio State Buckeyes. They’re also grandparents to four grandsons, with the newest having joined the family in February 2026. Their whole crew lives in the Columbus area, which makes for loud football Saturdays and an easy commute for grandparent visits.

Thank you, Mark, for bringing six decades of experience, a teacher’s instinct, and the kind of credibility that can only be grown over time.