Meet Diesel – Our Shop Dog!

Diesel is our resident mascot and a master at stealing hearts. He wanted us to introduce you to one of his humans, Mark Bilyeu, who is our Maintenance Manager. Mark and his team keep our equipment and vehicles in proper working order so that crews can safely tend to our customers. Mark shared his “story” to us of how he came to join the MHT family in the summer of 1993. As a young man, Mark (like many young people), wasn’t quite sure about what he wanted to be “when he grew up”. So he worked at a variety of jobs trying to find his passion, but none of them held his interest. One day his mom handed him an ad from MHT and the rest is history. He began in our Plant Health Care department as a Spray Technician and, given his versatility, he also did some tree pruning. Then we discovered his mechanical aptitude! You see, when Mark would bring equipment or a vehicle in for repair, he didn’t just describe the problem, he would diagnose it! Mark agreed to transfer to our maintenance department, and as the maintenance assistant, he learned how to maintain and fix everything the “old farm” way. He worked his way up to Maintenance Manager, and has formed a great team with the skills and knowledge to keep everything in working order.

Mark and his wife Carri enjoy the outdoors, especially if it involves snow and/or motorized vehicles. They also foster dogs for Mutt Savers (founded by Carri’s mom). Mutt Savers bring dogs in from Kansas (which has an abundance of feral dogs), and holds weekly adoption events at Pet Smart in Westminster. Foster parents usually take in these dogs from Tuesday through Saturday, helping them to be healthy and look their best while they await adoption. Diesel and his brother Bauer are pretty proud of their humans. We at MHT also think highly of Mark and admire both Mark and Carri for their Mutt Saver efforts.