(Service Manager - Little Rock Office) - Ask Mark McKinney about leading his service team, and achieving a shared goal, and he’ll take you back to his football days.

Mark started in eighth grade, excelled in high school as a half back, and even went on to play full back and tight end at Arkansas Tech University from 1989 to 1992 (Side note: his college coach Ken Stevens also coached his father at North Little Rock High School). Years later, as the Arkansas Service Manager and leader of an award-winning team, he sees a common thread.

“Anyone who watches football knows that the person who leads the team well makes everyone else around them better,” Mark says. “That’s what makes a good manager; when the people around you believe in you. My goal is to lead by example, to build trust, and make these guys better at what they do.”

Mark also loves the football movie "The Program," particularly the quote "Are you hurt or are you injured?"

"In other words, if you're injured go see the trainer. If you're hurt get your butt back on the field you have a job to do. Everyone plays with pain whether it is work or home or car or spouse. It’s how you overcome the pain to come to work every day and make things better. The successful people play with pain and win. That is the difference in having a good team that trusts you to do your best and a group of people that just work for you," Mark said.

Make no mistake, Mark has an elite team. And he's a trusted leader. 

What led me to Datamax?

“A long line of fixers and repairers in my family passed down the ability to fix things. I worked summers with my father, starting at about 13 in refrigeration. I have an aunt that worked for Konica Minolta for 30-something years that told me one day 'get some experience and I will get you on at KM.'

I applied at Datamax and was hired. I began my training and found out shortly after that Datamax had become a KM dealer. Also found out KM will not steal technicians from dealers so the opportunity that was presented to me went away. And another door opened."

My experiences at Datamax:

"What kept my attention at Datamax was the old cliché, every day is a new day. Could not be more true. Every day is a new adventure, a new problem, a new solution. Fixing things, and helping people make the service department who we are.

Working as a team toward a goal goes back to my football days. Bringing my team together, making everyone better, and completing a various range of goals at the same time has to be the best experience I have had at Datamax."

What makes me want to stay at Datamax?

“I would have to say watching and managing the orchestration of a well-balanced department that can function through adversity is the one thing that keeps me here. Your family atmosphere.

Really what managers want is to see their creations function without support. That could be good and bad. On one hand good because they can function without me but bad in that the Manager would no longer be relevant. A good team, good people, and a great company are what make me want to stay at Datamax."