Mark Merchen -
Managing Member
Mark Merchen started his first business at age twenty and for 40 plus years since has been active in economic, corporate and organizational development. Mark’s experience includes working with the Department of Defense, energy sector, corporate development & finance, agriculture, real estate project development, project visioning and planning, resulting in pragmatic implementation of projects into real world results.
Implementation of the vision is something Mark has excelled at throughout his career. “It’s fine to have vision, but who gets up on the mountain - like Mt. Rushmore - every day and carves the vision? You have to match talent with tenacity in order for vision to become reality.”
Mark has conceived and shepherded a number of private and public endeavors from start-up to multi-million dollar balance sheets and income streams.
Mark has held Series 7, 63, 65, and 3 securities licenses and has a passion for corporate finance.
Mark recently completed the development of CFO role for one of South Dakota’s largest family farms, operating over 50,000 row-crop acres and 500 beef cows.
Mark has extensive experience in public and government relationships and helped conceive of, organize, get passed by the SD Legislature and act as its initial executive director — the South Dakota Ellsworth Development Authority which has received the prestigious Association of Defense Communities Outstanding Community of the Year Award.