When we graduated I was working at Zehner's Garage. I always loved to work on cars. In 1990, I opened my own business, Mark's Auto Center on S. Main St. in Green Ohio.

I met my wife Candace in 1989. We live in the house I grew up in as a kid in Ellet. I had to redo everything for my wife, though. We raised her two daughters Leah and Kylie and welcomed our son, Mark Jr. in May 1990. Leah is now 28, married with four little girls. Kylie (a former Ellet cheerleader, class of 2003) is 23 and a Sergeant in the U.S. Army, doing her second tour of duty in Iraq. She is stationed at Camp Liberty in Baghdad. God willing she will be home in March 2009. Mark Jr. graduated from Ellet (class of 2008) and is planning on starting at the University of Akron in January 2009. We took him to Ohio University in September 2008, but he called and said, “Dad, I can't take all of the partying, I can't study, I want to come home.” With all of my wild ways and wild days, how did I end up with such a good kid? He has his sights on politics someday.

Over the years I haven't lost my passion for cars, right now I have several classic cars.

I love the chase; finding the cars, restoring them, and showing them.
I've been across the country searching for the right cars for me. During the summer my wife and I go to car shows and cruise ins.
I've been in the Ellet sports parades and homecoming parades numerous times with my cars.

In the past five years I started to dabble in real estate. I have rental properties in Ellet, Springfield and Lakemore.

And so the adventure continues . . .