Mark Warner | Alumni, Class of 1985
Hometown: St. Helens, OR
For Mark Warner, a lifelong love of making things turned into an education and career built around solving problems.
Growing up in St. Helens, Oregon, Mark gravitated toward shop and technical drawing classes. He initially imagined becoming a welder, but after arriving at Oregon Tech, one opportunity led to another. What began as a plan for a two-year welding degree ultimately became five years of hands-on learning in welding, machining, and manufacturing engineering.
That practical foundation would take Mark into aerospace and manufacturing, but the most important lesson he carried with him was even broader.
When people ask what he learned in college, Mark has a simple answer:
“I learned how to think.”
Finding His Path
Mark’s path to Oregon Tech started with a high school teacher who recognized his interest in technical work. His drafting teacher, Mr. Tainter, encouraged him to consider Oregon Tech, where Mark discovered a two-year welding program that seemed like the perfect fit.
“I thought, well, I just want to be a welder,” Mark recalled. “They make pretty good money and I like to weld and see what I produce on a daily basis.”
He enrolled in 1980 intending to spend two years at Oregon Tech. Instead, he found himself drawn deeper into manufacturing. With significant overlap between the welding and machining programs, Mark learned that one additional year could earn him a second degree. Then, an advisor encouraged him to continue into the four-year manufacturing program.
By the time he graduated in 1985, Mark had studied welding, machining, and manufacturing engineering.
Learning by Doing
The hands-on nature of Oregon Tech stood out to Mark from the beginning.
“Everything about OIT is very hands-on and practical,” he said. “You actually learn skills; really good skills.”
Years later, a mentor in Mark’s career described his education as “very pragmatic,” a description Mark came to appreciate. He credits Oregon Tech’s emphasis on practical experience with preparing him to step into the industry ready to solve real problems.
Mark also remembers faculty who brought industry knowledge into their classrooms including Dr. Skudstad, Bill Brown, Ed Jarecki, Paul Fouch, George Marostica, Mr. Cornelius, and Jerry Norman. The instructors in the manufacturing program helped Mark understand why the technical concepts they were learning mattered. Lessons that seemed theoretical at first became essential tools once Mark entered the workforce.
For Mark, however, a strong technical education was only part of the equation. Classes in subjects outside his major stretched his thinking and helped him become a more well-rounded problem-solver.
“Some students think, ‘Well, why am I even taking classes like Psychology and Principles of Aesthetics? I’m going to be an engineer,’” Mark recalled. But over time, they all came to recognize the value of those courses.
From Oregon Tech to Aerospace
Mark graduated during a strong period for aerospace recruiting, and companies came directly to Oregon Tech looking for graduates. Before he finished his degree, Mark had a job offer. He remembers choosing Oregon Tech for the strong job placement rate of around 98% at the time. He chose McDonnell Douglas in Long Beach, California, launching a career that allowed him to put his manufacturing education to work almost immediately.
He spent about eight years there, primarily working on machining projects for aircraft parts. His work connected him with programs involving aircraft including the MD-80, MD-11, C-17, T-45, F-15 and F-18.
Eventually, Mark and his wife Lisa decided to return to Oregon. Mark took a manufacturing engineering position with Warn Industries in Milwaukie, Oregon, before later joining Kennametal. Now, he has been with the company for nearly 30 years and is highly involved at OMIC.
His approach to his work reflects the problem-solving mindset he began developing at Oregon Tech. Rather than simply offering customers a product, Mark starts by asking what problem needs to be solved or what process could be improved. He then looks for ways to reduce cycle times, address production challenges, or create a better solution.
Finding His Voice at KTEC
Some of Mark’s favorite Oregon Tech memories happened outside the machine shop.
For over four years, Mark was a DJ at KTEC, Oregon Tech’s student radio station. He also spent three years as program director, helping train DJs and gaining early leadership experience.
A fan of ska music, Mark loved discovering and playing music listeners might not hear on commercial stations. He remembers the station receiving new records and encouraging DJs to introduce listeners to music they couldn't hear elsewhere.
He also remembers an exciting period when KTEC increased its signal from 10 watts to 100 watts, expanding its reach into Northern California and more of Southern Oregon.
“I had a blast with KTEC,” Mark said. “I didn’t want to leave mainly because being on the radio was so much fun.”
More Than a Classroom
Mark’s memories of Oregon Tech also center on community.
As a member of the welding club, Mark remembers the club’s challenge to roll large oxygen bottles used for welding, a distance of 25 feet. “It wasn’t about the competition as much as just we all had a lot of fun.”
The friendships lasted well beyond graduation. Mark said the hands-on, team-oriented nature of Oregon Tech helped teach him how important teamwork is, and he continues to stay connected with friends he made as a student.
“I made lifelong friends at OIT,” he said.
An Oregon Tech Family
Mark’s connection to Oregon Tech eventually became a family connection as well. Two of his children graduated from Oregon Tech. Of his four wonderful children, Weston, Forrest, Tiana, and Tahni. His son Forrest, graduated in Computer Science Engineering, while his daughter Tiana, graduated in Applied Psychology and she was named Student of the Year in her program.
Seeing another generation experience Oregon Tech reinforced Mark’s belief in education as an investment that reaches far beyond a first job.
He also believes Oregon Tech offers an important combination: students gain practical, hands-on experience while receiving the broader education that prepares them to think critically and adapt throughout their lives.
Advice for Students: Find What You Love
Mark’s advice to current Oregon Tech students is straightforward: take advantage of the opportunity in front of you.
“Have fun with it and get all you can out of it,” he said. “Ask a lot of questions and learn as much as you can while you have a time in your life when you can just focus on learning and getting educated.”
Just as importantly, he encourages students to build a career around something that genuinely interests them rather than choosing a path based only on potential earnings.
“Do what you really are wired to love to do.”
Decades after beginning his own Oregon Tech journey, Mark is still excited by challenging projects and the opportunity to solve problems. That enthusiasm may be one of the clearest reflections of the path he began as a student who simply liked to make things.
And when he looks back at what Oregon Tech ultimately gave him, his answer remains refreshingly simple:
“I learned how to think.”