About Mark

Mark is the Director of Client Solutions at Construx Software. He has worked in hardware and software technology for 40 years, gaining rich experiences in the first half of his career as a design engineer, as a software automation manager, and as a strategic technical liaison to personnel in the field. An ability to convey value in deeply technical issues in a convincing fashion led him to move from in-house to a career in sales. He uses those accumulated skills with Construx to build trust and offer solutions to clients around the world. Mark holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Lehigh University and a Masters in Engineering from RIT.

What Mark Says About Himself

Beer – what was the question again? I have been “researching” beer since I was 18… and homebrewing for 15+ years. Had craft brewing started 20 years ago, I might have made a career change. I became a BJCP beer judge and have entered many of my original beers in competition, with one taking a Bronze medal at the 2014 National Homebrewing Conference.

Photography – I started my professional career designing integrated circuits for Kodak, perhaps you’ve heard of them. Learned a lot about using a camera from my Dad as well as the experts that would visit Rochester NY. I still own all of my film-based cameras plus a mirrorless DSLR. But some of my best pictures come from my phone. Travel photography and complex night photos are my passion.

Cycling – I took up road biking because of my cranky knees (and I hated running anyway). I don’t ride in the rain and cold, but I do ride lots of times a week in the summer. I do longer rides each year, like Seattle To Portland (STP, 207 miles – no, not in one day) or Ride Seattle Vancouver and Party (RSVP, 187 miles uphill to Vancouver BC). I ride because I drink beer. I plan weekend rides around breweries. I may have a problem.

Gardening – I’ve had gardens wherever I’ve lived and enjoy designing and installing plants. There is a zen/meditative quality to working the seasons. I had a neighbor that lived to be 99 who planted a tree in his yard when he was 97. I like the idea that he knew it would be there long after he was gone. Admittedly there are days when I prefer talking to plants over people. I do not run a plant hospital – if something doesn’t like my terroir, it’s outta here. I grow vegetables year round – you can’t kill kale.

Golf – I started playing miniature golf on the boardwalk in Ocean City NJ when I was 5 years old. In high school, I carried a 7 handicap. I’m more like a 16 now. I stopped being able to beat my son when he turned 14. I agree with John Feinstein, “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” I have played all over the world. The real golf season starts at the Masters. Desert golf is nonsense.

Challenging myself – I do several physical challenges every year just to make sure I can still do several physical challenges every year. In addition to the 200+ mile bike rides, they include things like the Big Climb for LLS, climbing 69 flights of stairs in a building in downtown Seattle and the Space Needle Climb for Fred Hutch Cancer Research.