With any business, there will be many ups and downs that one must learn to navigate through to be successful. Mark Segress, the newly retired Dealer Principal of Southern Material Handling, is all too familiar with the many twists and turns the road to material handling can take. Before beginning his career in material handling, Mark started his journey at Oklahoma State University, where he studied business. After graduation, he began his career as a Customer Service Sales Representative in July 1978 at Clarklift of Tulsa, which would later become Southern Material Handling. It was through hard work and dedication that he became the Dealer Principal of one of the most successful Toyota Dealerships in the country.
When asked if Mark built a specific type of culture at Southern Material Handling, Steve Belmear, Vice President & General Manager, said, “Mark has lived by the mantra ‘God, Family, and Southern Material Handling,’ in that order. It was very simple, but it carried a lot of weight. He has always encouraged us to take care of the customer first and placed a lot of emphasis on us doing the right thing. He understands the importance of building a strong and trusting relationship with each customer,” Steve added, “ Mark has always gone above and beyond to show that he truly cared for our customers and our employees.”
After 44 years, Mark and his wife Linda will retire in Owasso, Oklahoma. Congratulations on reaching the end of your tenure. Mark’s daughter Megan, brother Kent, and nephew Harry continue to work in material handling.
On behalf of everyone at Toyota Material Handling, we want to thank you for your hard work, leadership, and dedication to this industry. We know you are leaving the business with a strong team to take care of our Oklahoma customers. Congratulations!