Young Americans: For Mark Liston, work ethic and attitude trump degree

As the editorial editor of his school newspaper and an active volunteer in causes ranging from Muscular Dystrophy Association to Junior Achievement, Mark Liston had hoped to become a grade school teacher when he graduated from West High School in 1972.

Life got in the way.

My dad died when I was 14. I was married at 18, and I had three kids by the time I was 22, said Liston, one of 54 students chosen by the Register Star as Young Americans in 1972.

I started going to Rock Valley College. I liked school, and I wanted to finish, but I had to work.

For many, the value of a college degree cannot be overstated. Exact estimates vary, but a person with a college degree earns about $1 million more on average over the course of a lifetime than someone with just a high school diploma.

But Liston is one of the exceptions to the rule. After working in finance for seven years, Liston began working for a water treatment franchisor in 1981 because of his link to LTM Water Treatment now in Machesney Park.

He liked the franchising industry and stayed with it, working with several more companies before joining the Glass Doctor in 2010 as vice president of operations. The auto glass repair and replacement franchising group has more than 300 locations in Canada and the U.S.; in December, he was named president.

Just as he sometimes has to explain how hes succeeded without a college degree, Liston occasionally has to endure eye-rolls from people when they learn that hes in franchising.

Franchisers are regarded at times as people who cant do it on their own, said Liston, who is chairman of the Institute of Certified Franchise Executives board. Franchising provides a path for people who want to have their own business. They are in business for themselves, not by themselves.

The industry has carried him all over the U.S. He has lived in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida. He and his wife, Mary Kay, live in Waco, Texas; they have six grandchildren.

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Young Americans: For Mark Liston, work ethic and attitude trump degree