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Mark Ayers knew from a young age he wanted to join the U.S. Air Force. His father served in the United States Air Force (USAF) for 25 years, and Mark has always been fascinated with aviation. Mark had lots of other dreams, including working a cattle farm and fixing International Harvester tractors with his grandpa. 

Mark knew his dreams were big and he needed a safety net, so he decided to pursue a degree and certificate in Diesel Mechanics and Shop Service Management at Lincoln College of Technology before joining the USAF in January 2018.

“I knew there would always be jobs in this field,” Mark said. “I was told growing up I needed to have a useful trade and this was my solution.”

During his time in the Air Force, Mark deployed to the Middle East once and returned to work on the B52 bombers at Barksdale Air Force Base. Through his work at Barksdale, he managed millions of dollars worth of aircraft and worked on process improvement for several operations. As his time in the service came to a close, he began to worry about what his next move would be.

 “I had recently gotten married and now it was about more than my future at stake,” Mark said. “I needed to find something stable that we could do on our own terms, not like the military moving us around. We wanted to put down roots.”

While finishing up his time in the USAF Mark found Tyler Reyes, �ԹϺ����� Veteran and Military Recruitment Program Manager and U.S. Army Reserves Captain, on LinkedIn and reached out to him about working for �ԹϺ�����.

“Tyler has been like my guardian angel through this process getting the fellowship set up and my foot in the door,” Mark said.

Mark began his fellowship with �ԹϺ����� as a corporate fellow in summer 2021 at the El Dorado, Ark., location. During his fellowship, he worked every position at the rental location for two weeks at a time to determine where his skills were best used. Mark completed hands-on training as a yard technician, shop and field technician, parts and service manager, delivery driver, rental coordinator and territory account manager. This experience allowed Mark to identify his strengths and weaknesses and choose a position that best suits his talents and passions.

Many service members, like Mark, enter the military to pursue their calling in life. however, when they leave or retire from the military, it can be a challenge to discover their second calling. �ԹϺ����� has a goal to build a reputation of being the place for veterans and service members to find their next mission.

“Once I decided to stop at one enlistment with the military, I began looking into companies that were fast-paced, competitive, cared for their employees and would provide me with opportunities to grow,” Mark said. “I found �ԹϺ����� through LinkedIn and started following the company and saw that it had what I was looking for.”

As our first Hiring Our Heroes corporate fellow and member of the United States Air Force, Mark found his new home at �ԹϺ����� and will become an official member of the team when his enlistment ends. Mark will begin his new mission as a territory account manager for �ԹϺ�����’s Tyler, Texas, location at the end of his fellowship. 

“I am very excited to be a part of this team, and I believe that with my work ethic, passion for helping others, problem-solving and communication skills, I will excel in this role,” Mark said. “My ultimate goal is to rock this job as a territory account manager and find a great piece of land in Texas to raise cattle with my wife, Brittany. �ԹϺ����� is our home and family now, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

We have no doubt Mark will take on this mission and succeed.

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If you are a veteran and love to solve problems, serve others and make a difference, come work with us. Find your second calling and check out our open positions.