GAINESVILLE, FL:  Mark Teixeira (BS ISE 1993) returned to campus on Tuesday, November 6 to address the Sales Engineering Seminar class.  He reminisced about his time on campus, including his part time job at a local scuba shop.  “I was naturally good at selling equipment,” he recalled.  “I was good at identifying (customer) needs.”

Now, as CEO of South Atlantic Systems Group, a Jacksonville based provider of material handling and storage solutions, Teixeira finds himself back in the role of salesman.  The company is growing in size, with 12 employees, and offerings, as it is expanding into services, such as material handling audits.  In these, the company evaluates storage systems and performs preventative maintenance.  This keeps them engaged with customers beyond just the sale and installation of equipment.  Teixeira believes his new marketing campaign will further grow the business.

He learned the business side of his job through a 10-year career at MFM Industries where he rose to Vice President of Operations.  It was also at MFM that he established a relationship with Lift Power, a forklift company.  It was through this relationship that South Atlantic Systems was born.

“Once we formed South Atlanta Systems, I had to learn a lot,” he recalled.  “I knew nothing about being on the sales and service providing side.”  He stressed the importance of his “on the job training” with MFM and urged students to get experience.  “Learn about businesses you want to get into,” he said.