Q: Tell us a bit about yourself…
Mark: My parents moved back to Hannibal when I was four years old. I went through the Hannibal Public Schools, and I received a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
During my 25 years at Klingner, I have had the opportunity to participate in many different projects. I originally wanted to be a structural engineer. I worked on one structural engineering project and then was pulled away to assist with levee and drainage district permitting. This involved modeling portions of the Mississippi River. Eventually, I moved into assisting with hydraulic and structural design of culverts for IDOT projects. I also got to design some local street projects and assist with site design projects. In 2001, I found a permanent home in designing and managing municipal water and wastewater projects in Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa. In 2016, I became the manager for Klingner’s Water / Wastewater Department. In 2021, I became the Hannibal Office Branch Manager.
I have been married to my wife, Lisa, for 24 years and we have three children (two in college and one in the workforce).
Q: Why did you want to become an Engineer?
Mark: When I was six years old, my family took a trip to the St. Louis Arch. I was too scared to go up, so I watched the movie on how the Arch was built. I found it to be fascinating and decided then that I wanted to follow a path toward engineering.
Q: Is there a project you’ve worked on thus far in your career of which you’re proudest?
Mark: I don’t know that I can name just one. Working on infrastructure projects in the town where you live is special. In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to lead the design on a water treatment plant that my family now drinks water from; assist on the renovation of the Hannibal Riverfront, which will improve tourism in our community; and manage a roundabout project.
Q: What do you enjoy most about the types of projects you work on?
Mark: I enjoy meeting with clients to understand their vision for the project or the problem they have, then working to solve that problem or bring that vision to reality.
Q: If you could meet one famous person from history, who would it be?
Mark: Meriwether Lewis. Can you imagine what he saw as he scouted what is now the western US?
Q: What is one little known fact about you?
Mark: I used to pencil sketch magazine covers for fun. Mostly Sports Illustrated or National Geographic.
Q: What sports teams do you root for?
Mark: I’m a fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Cardinals, and St. Louis Blues.