DIvIDEnD - Stephen M. Ross School of Business - University of ...

photo by aruna b.
MaRk seigle, BBa ’80, may have graduated from business school three decades
ago, but his name is ever-present on the Ross school campus. he endowed the
seigle cafe, a social hub at the center of the Davidson winter garden. “if i look
back at the strongest friendships i have formed in my life to date, i would trace
them to the university of michigan,” seigle says. “the cafe was appropriate for my
gift because it epitomizes the balance between the social and academic aspects of
college life.” Prior to Ross, seigle could be found pushing a broom in his family’s
lumber and supply company in elgin, ill. upon receiving his BBa, he ascended the
ranks and managed the business alongside his brother for 28 years. in 2005 they
sold seigle’s inc. to stock Building supply, a division of wolseley Plc. in 2009
mark bought back the cabinetry division and formed a strategic alliance on the
remaining products with PRo-Build, a fidelity investments company.
1 What keeps you up at night? Drinking
caffeinated coffee after 6 p.m.
2 What’s one of the last books you read? The Life
and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.
3 What is the first album/CD you bought?
Something by the Monkees.
4 What’s on your iPod? I’m stuck in the ’90s
and don’t have one.
5 What’s the most thrilling/adventurous
thing you’ve ever done? “Borrowed” a van from
the University of Michigan.
6 Pet peeve? Disorganization.
7 What did you want to be when you
were a kid? An architect.
8 Favorite sport to watch? Michigan football.
9 First job? Sweeping the floors at my
father’s business.
10 Best business decision? Selling in 2005,
before the bottom dropped out of the
housing market.
11 What is the one thing you learned in
business school that you’ll never forget?
By the second beer, it’s all in the marketing.
12 What is the most important room in
your home? The screened porch.
13 First website you access in the morning?
msnbc.com.
14 Three people, living or dead, you’d have
over to dinner? Bruce Springsteen,
Golda Meir, and Albert Einstein.
2Q
Twenty Questions with ...
#9
First job?
Sweeping the
floors at my
father’s business.
15 Favorite comfort food? Tomato soup
with grilled cheese.
16 If you had a theme song, what would it be?
“Don’t Dwell on the Past.”
17 Favorite line from a movie? “I’m just getting
warmed up.” —Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman.
18 What’s the best trophy/award you
ever won? Associate of the Year from the
Home Building Industry.
19 If you could read anyone’s mind, whose
would it be? My customers’.
20 Why do you feel it’s important for alumni
to financially support Ross? To provide the
necessary resources for the next generation
of business leaders.
spring 2010 DIvIDEnD 3