News        from ABAC

Michael D. Chason Director of Public Relations ABAC 30 -- 2802 Moore Highway Tifton, GA 31793-2601 Phone 229-391-5055 Fax 229-391-5056 mchason@abac.edu

IMMEDIATE SEPTEMBER 2, 2005

STRUSS NAMED AS DIRECTOR OF PLANT OPERATIONS AT ABAC

TIFTON—Mark Struss is the new Director of Plant Operations for Sodexho at Abraham Baldwin College.

Originally from East Moline, Ill., Struss received a Bachelor’s degree in Botany and a Master’s degree in Plant Pathology from Western Illinois University.

“My first job was as a tree surgeon for seven years at Western Illinois, but I started my career in plant operations by accident,” Struss said.

Struss was working for Bradley University when the acting ground supervisor left. Struss was named as the interim and ended up holding the position for 10 years.

He then joined Sodexho and spent a year traveling with the company serving accounts. After traveling, he spent almost five years at West Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY and four years at Skidmore College in Sarasota Springs, NY.

“My strengths are really the business side of things and working with people. I have been lucky enough to work with people who really know the technical aspects involved.”

On his impressions of ABAC, Struss said, “It’s a pretty little campus with really nice people who are very gracious. In the past months I’ve been traveling and am really looking forward to putting down roots.”

Struss has a daughter who is married and a granddaughter born in June.

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