Meet Mark Brown

Prior to coming to the O.T.C., Mark worked a number of different jobs. In his first position as a bagger at Acme, Mark’s supervisor immediately recognized his motivation and desire to learn and assigned Mark the additional responsibilities of cart collection and organization and removal of trash. Mark’s motivation and eagerness to learn flourished so his supervisor, recognizing Mark’s desire to challenge himself, decided to give him the new job of stocking shelves. Mark’s determination and yearning are what has made him an invaluable employee and those are the very traits that make Mark so successful today at the O.T.C..

In 1994 Mark was unhappy with his work and believed he could work to his potential if he was given the opportunity. As a result, he began searching for something that would offer him more of a challenge. Mark’s background and limited experience made searching for new, more challenging jobs, extremely difficult. It was during his search that Mark talked to his aunt who happened to be a supervisor in the O.T.C.’s Trenton Janitorial Program.

She explained the program to Mark and together they determined that the O.T.C. program sounded like a good opportunity. So Mark applied and received a position in the O.T.C.’s Trenton program.  It wasn’t long before Mark began building on the very traits that had served him so well in his earlier jobs. Many of the individuals who work in the O.T.C.’s Trenton Janitorial Program are limited in some way as to the type of work or location of employment. Mark has very few limitations. In fact, over the years he has become the “go to” guy. Whether it’s cleaning bathrooms, removing trash or filling in for someone in a different building, Mark has become notoriously dependable. Maggie Jewell, his Vocational Case Manager, says that “Mark is very independent and learns new jobs easily”.

The O.T.C.’s Trenton Janitorial Program works in a number of different buildings in the capital complex. Dependability and flexibility are cherished in this facility and Mark can not only fill in for different positions, he’s also allowed free movement between buildings.   Normally individuals are supervised when moving from building to building but Mark is allowed to move freely without supervision which allows supervisors much more flexibility.

When asked what keeps him motivated, Mark says he just loves to work – it gives him a real sense of accomplishment. He enjoys coming to work for the O.T.C., although Mark didn’t always like going to work at his past jobs. He says that he would quickly lose interest in his earlier jobs and just didn’t enjoy going to work because the work didn’t test him. All that changed when he began working at the O.T.C..   His supervisor, Brandon Stevens says that “Mark is a real pleasure to work with, he attacks his work with a real vigor and is always looking for something different to do – no matter what task you request, you can be assured it will be done professionally and on time.”

For his part, Mark enjoys working for the O.T.C., he says he has made more friends than he can count and, because of the money he makes, he has been able to save for his retirement. Not that he wants to stop working any time soon! He just wishes more people were as lucky as him and were able to find their perfect jobs.

“Mark is a real pleasure to work with, he attacks his work with a real vigor and is always looking for something different to do – no matter what task you request, you can be assured it will be done professionally and on time.”

Brandon Stevens, Mark’s Supervisor