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Mark grew up near Defiance, IA and joined Farm Financial Strategies in 2005 after his family went through their planning process. Being the off-farm heir, with a farming brother, and a brother with special needs, he saw the value of having a solid plan in place. He’s helped farm families design their own customized strategies ever since.
Prior to 2005, Mark was an engineer. He tested design concepts at the manufacturing level and resolved customer issues. He graduated from Iowa State University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1998. Engineering taught him systematic problem-solving skills which he now uses to keep farms in the family.
Farm succession hit Mark on a personal level when his dad died in a farm accident in 2008, and his grandma passed away eight years later. He credits his family and the proactive estate strategies for growing the farm through five generations. Mark owns farm land and bought into a hog operation with his farming brother through these strategies.
Mark is a co-founder of Farm Estate GPS along with Myron Friesen. Farm Estate GPS is an online resource designed to help families understand their options and make informed decisions for their estate and farm succession strategies, all at a pace that works for them.
Mark is a contributing columnist for Successful Farming Magazine. He also loves to serve through his church, coaching, and faith-based youth programs. He likes to say he lives in Ankeny, IA because it strategically provides interstate access for his Midwest clients. However, the truth is that his wife is from Ankeny, and there’s no place he would rather be than with her and their three above average kids!
Mark is an Advisory Representative of Lincoln Financial Securities.