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Local News

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Mark K Inc. marks 50 years in business
Oiler's Lube Express - Findlay
By LOU WILIN

STAFF WRITER

To survive in business, Mark K Inc. President Mark Mueller has had to be willing to change.

For 50 years, Mark K has helped companies promote themselves by selling them items bearing their name, from pens and caps to bags and clothing. The company's golden anniversary will be marked with a reception Thursday afternoon at the Lodge at Riverbend.

When Mueller's father, Walt, started the business, it offered 50 promotional products. Today it offers 800,000, including sundials and computer parts and accessories like flexible keyboards and flash drives.

Prices of many goods have decreased. Coffee mugs, once $3.50, now go for $1. Embroidered caps, once $10, cost $4. For Mueller it has meant a new challenge.

“When you see the price of the product that you sell remaining stagnant or going down, you have to sell more,” he said.

No change has been as abrupt and dramatic as the one that brought him back to his father's business as an adult. Before then Mueller had another dream.

“All I ever really wanted to be was an Army officer,” he said.

Mueller earned a bachelor's degree in education at Ohio State University to help him train soldiers. After he achieved his goal and became a major, however, Mueller became disappointed.

Under President Jimmy Carter, morale in the military declined, he said. Officers had much responsibility and little authority.

So Mueller left the Army to go into the FBI, but that was cut short when his father had a heart attack. His father could no longer run the business, so Mueller returned to Mark K.

“No matter how you plan your life, sometimes things do not go exactly to plan. I learned that in the Army,” Mueller said. “It never goes according to plan. A plan is nothing more than an idea of what you want to do.”

Mueller shows no sign of ever having second-guessed himself. The business always was a part of him, he said.

As a child, he helped his father by filing folders, burning trash and doing odd jobs. Mark K Inc. was and still is run out of the house Mueller grew up in at 908 W. Main Cross St.

“I know how hard my dad worked to get it going. I know what he went through,” he said. “My parents gave me so much in life. I could not just let something like that go.”

Mueller comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. Besides his father, his grandfather, Carl Mueller, had a plumbing business. In the late 19th century, his great-grandfather owned the American Mask Manufacturing Co., which for a while was the largest manufacturer of Halloween masks, he said.

Mueller's uncle, Ned Chatelain, owned the former Tasty Taters Potato Chips Co. Another uncle, Joe Alexander, owned Parker Lumber for a while.

But even with Mueller's pedigree and childhood, keeping Mark K Inc. afloat was not a given.

“I was young and stupid and I didn't really know how to approach a customer,” he said. “You learn what not to do before you figure out what you should do.”

Mueller recalls one day of fruitless sales calls in Lima.

“It was like 90 degrees that day and I had a car without air conditioning,” he said. “I was dying, and I will never forget because the last stop of the day was, like 4 o'clock in the afternoon. I thought, 'Aauugh' (sighing theatrically) well, I'll go in.”

To Mueller's delight, the insurance agent ordered pens.

“It was not a big order, but it was the fact that I busted my hump all day and accomplished nothing,” but did not quit, he said. “To me, the secret to success is, I show up every day. A lot of people do not.”

Wilin: 419-427-8413,

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Benton Ridge Shooting

This video, released by the Hancock County Prosecutor's Office, shows the shooting of a Lima man who led authorities on a three-county chase ending Aug.24 in Benton Ridge. Be cautioned, the video contains graphic content.
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Fornes Brake Service
News Briefs Firefighters discover 20 marijuana plants in house
After fighting a house fire early Monday at 815 Howard St., firefighters found 20 marijuana plants in the residence.

"They ran across it and called us," said police Sgt. Justin Hendren with the Hancock County METRICH Drug Enforcement Unit.

Police seized all 20 plants, and Hendren said charges are pending.

High-powered growing lights, fans, and a box filled with dried marijuana were also found in the house, according to a police report.

Investigators said an electrical short started the fire before 3 a.m. Monday.

The blaze caused an estimated $12,000 in damage to the residence, owned by Amanda Crawford. No one was injured, according to the Findlay Fire Department.

Carey announces holiday closing
CAREY -- Carey offices, including administrative, income tax and utilities, electric, wastewater treatment plant, and public works, will be closed Monday in observance of Labor Day.

The curbside recycling program will be held Tuesday through Thursday, Sept. 7-9.

Findlay trooper named sergeant
Trooper Jacob L. Fletcher, assigned to the Findlay post of the State Highway Patrol, was promoted to sergeant Wednesday by Patrol Superintendent Col. David Dicken.

With the promotion, Fletcher will stay at the Findlay post and serve as an assistant post commander, according to the patrol.

Fletcher began his patrol career in 2002 after graduating from the 139th Academy class and has been assigned to the Findlay post since.

Owens announces holiday schedule
The Toledo and Findlay campuses of Owens Community College will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Labor Day holiday.

There will be no classes and the college offices will be closed.

Classes will resume and offices will open again on Tuesday.

Holiday changes ad deadlines
The Courier won't be published on Monday, in observance of the Labor Day holiday.

Because of the holiday, some advertising deadlines have been moved up this week:

Black and white display advertising for Tuesday's newspaper must be placed by noon Friday. Display advertising for Wednesday's newspaper must be placed by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Color display advertising for the Thursday, Sept. 9 newspaper must be placed by Friday.

Classified advertising and City and Country advertising for Saturday's newspaper must be placed by 2 p.m. Friday. Classified ads for Tuesday's newspaper must be placed by 2:30 p.m. Friday.

Courier business and advertising offices will close at 3 p.m. Friday for the holiday.