About

Mark is a highly qualified Chief Financial Officer offering over 45 years of accomplished financial management, accounting and tax expertise, including many years of operational experience. After obtaining a B.S. Degree in Accounting from the University of Illinois – Chicago and his CPA certification, he began his professional career with a large national public accounting firm in their Chicago office. After a few years, Mark left public accounting and became the Controller of a client, a then very small entrepreneurial company owned by two brothers and a sister. During his tenure, the company became one of the largest real estate development companies in the United States. Mark served in many financial and operational roles for almost 15 years and then became the President and Chief Operating Officer of the company.

During Mark’s career he has developed concentrated experience in structuring, organizing and implementing complex financial transactions including arranging debt and equity financing, recapitalizations and liquidations. He is proficient in negotiating acquisitions and dispositions as well as performing strategic planning.

His operational experience includes having served as a Senior Vice President and the head of a Division for a $20 billion Fortune 100 company. Under his leadership he managed a staff of over 125 people who were responsible for producing gross sales revenue in excess of $800,000,000 and over $130,000,000 in operating profits with an overall margin of 25% over a four-year period.

Mark’s extensive and varied background has given him the tools necessary to work with businesses large and small. Highlights of his career included the following:

• Restructured indebtedness and negotiated a Development Agreement with a local municipal authority

• Developed a financial model, which was incorporated into timely monthly financial reporting, and criteria for a small company to predict their financial opportunities, costs, and other factors

• Served as the temporary COO of a national real estate brokerage franchise company where Mark reorganized the financial and administrative operations of the company

Mark currently lives with his wife, Robin, in Fairview, North Carolina. He is currently a member of the American Institute of CPAs and is serving as a coach for Mountain BizWorks, a local not-for-profit organization in Asheville providing counseling and financing resources for local businesses. He has served as a mentor for the Venture Asheville Elevate Program, a high-growth initiative of the Economic Development Coalition for Asheville-Buncombe County and the Asheville Chamber of Commerce. In his free time, Mark enjoys playing the piano and spending time with his family.