The Big-Shot

We grew up fast during the Internet era, moving from ordering with wholesalers to local supplier representatives. So we were pretty intimidated by the idea of working closely with a big-shot national executive. But Mark was so down-to-earth and accessible, he put us at ease. He’s also a genius about the ins-and-outs of the industry — and he freely shares his knowledge and expertise. He shared buying strategies on 4 a.m. email strings (turns out he’s a night owl too) and finding solutions that served all sides. We learned so much from him on how — and how not — to conduct our business. By treating us with respect, Mark helped us believe we belonged in the big time.