He was born on March 12, 1958 in Detroit, Michigan. He lived there with his family until the Detroit Riot broke out and his house was burned to the ground. His parents decided it would be a good time to make the move to Illinois to a safer neighborhood.

“The riot was life changing for all of us and I’m just happy my family and I were able to get out before any of us got hurt. Of all my brothers I am closest to Mark and could not even begin to think of what life would have been like if I had to grow up without him,” said Matthew Russow, Mark’s brother.

He grew up as any other kid would until he began complaining of ear pain. Little did he know this ear pain would change his life forever. His mother took him to the doctor when he was 11 and they diagnosed him with Cholesteatoma. Cholesteatoma is a cyst inside the ear that grows until it is removed by surgery.  It could have been life threatening had he not gotten the surgery when he did. Because of it Mark is permanently deaf.

“Mark is an incredible man. You would never know he had gone through so much as a child. He’s like an onion. You just have to peel back the layers. I have learned so much from him and am proud to call him my friend,” said long-time friend Tim Boone.

However, he did not let that stop him from achieving his goals in life. In 1980 he was a proud graduate from Southern Illinois University.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Science. He then moved back into his parents home in Palatine, Illinois.

While cutting the grass one day, his neighbor came over to ask to borrow his lawn mower and after talking to him for a little while offered him a job at Hodges Company. Mark moved to Virginia and began working as a salesman. After a few years he was promoted to president. Five years later he decided to buy the company and become the new owner.

“I could not of handed over the company to a better man. Mark is the son I never had and I am honored to be able to do business with him. He has all the values I wanted in the person who would some day call my company his own,” said Al Hodges, former neighbor and owner of Hodges Company.

After he was settled in Virginia, he flew to Illinois to ask his long-term girlfriend, Ellen to marry him. She eagerly said yes and packed her belongings and moved to Virginia. On October 14, 1984 they got married. Since then they have had four children together; three sons and one daughter.

“I have the best dad in the world. He has and is always there for me. He’s more like my best friend then my father. I thank God each and every day for putting such an amazing person in my life. I am truly blessed and so is anyone else who has the opportunity of getting to know my dad,” said Mark’s youngest son, Robert Russow.

He now enjoys working at his company, spending time with his family and traveling internationally but he never forgets where he came from and just how hard he worked to get where he is today.

Hodges Company

120 W. Jefferson St

Falls Church, VA 22046

703- 532-0184

www.hodgescompany.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 4, 2009

Contact: Becca Russow

Media Communications

Cell: 703- 554- 3948

rebeccarussow@yahoo.com

NOW HIRING PROFESSIONAL INSTALLERS

ARLINGTON, Va.- Hodges Company is currently looking for reliable, trustworthy and efficient installers. Two new crews are needed and each crew typically consists of three to five people. Starting pay and hours are negotiable. Hodges Company is an equal opportunity employer.

“I came to America from Guatemala and one of my first jobs was at Hodges Company. I was more then impressed by the company’s ethics and family-like environment. But after working there for 10 years I decided to leave and see what else was out there. In less then a year I realized that no other company could give me the benefits, insurance my family needed and fair pay like Hodges did.  I returned to the business and now could never imagine leaving again. I am extremely happy here,” said current employee, Rafael Lobos.

Anyone interested in applying for the job must have previous experience installing windows or doors, pass a drug test and have a valid drivers license. A company vehicle is provided to each installer for transportation to and from the job. Having a  positive attitude while working is a must.  All employees receive benefits and insurance. Employees are given paid days off for all national holidays and two weeks paid vacation.

“I’ve been at Hodges for over 30 years. It was my first job out of college and I started out as an installer. I was a little nervous at first because I had never done any real handy work before. After a few days on the job I realized I had found my niche and the hours and pay were great. I am now a sales associate, but would recommend the installer job to anyone who is willing to work hard and enjoys interacting with other employees and customers,” said Mark Arneson, current employee.

Hodges Company was founded in 1907. It began as a small window repair business. The business evolved over time and is now currently a window and door company. In 2007 and 2008 Angie’s List awarded Hodges Company the Super Service Award. Hodges Company remains very active in the community by giving donations to charities, scholarships to local schools and coaching various sports teams. They are currently celebrating 102 years of business.

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]]> http://rebeccarussow.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/hodges-company-press-release/feed/ 0 rebeccarussow logoHodges1 http://rebeccarussow.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/small-town-hero-honored-by-thousands/ http://rebeccarussow.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/small-town-hero-honored-by-thousands/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:53:02 +0000 rebeccarussow http://rebeccarussow.wordpress.com/?p=28 ]]> Thousands of people lined the 14-mile stretch of road from Leesburg to Purcellville Sunday morning waving American flags and cheering. An American hero was being escorted from the Leesburg Airport to his hometown Purcellville, VA. This man was no one famous as one might think from his big welcome home. He was an American soldier who gave his life to fight for our freedom.

“The people, the community, everyone, coming out here to welcome home one of our own renews my faith in all of us as Americans. These are the good people of our nation lined up here; these are our policemen and firemen, soldiers and marines, veterans, mom’s, white collar and blue: these are the exact people who make it all work, and they’re all here to honor the greatest of us all: those who serve,” said Alexia Small.

Emotion filled the crowd as the motor brigade passed with 21-year-old Specialist Stephan Lee Mace. The Patriot Guard motorcycle group helped the police escort Mace to the Purcellville Baptist Church. He will be buried at Arlington Cemetery on October 19,2009.

“I was proud and sad. I was proud that there are Americans that are willing to go and fight for our freedom but sad that many of them don’t come back,” said spectator Jimmy Lutz.

Mace was one of the eight soldiers killed last Saturday in the Nuristan Province where over 200 Taliban members attacked U.S. Soldiers. He was stationed at Camp Keating in Afghanistan. Two Army chaplains delivered the bad news to Mace’s parents, Larry Mace and Vanessa Adelson, around 5 a.m.  last Sunday and his body was flown home this Sunday.

“I was very happy that a large number of people came to show their support and appreciation. It appeared that the family really appreciated it too,” said Austin James.

Mace is the first soldier from Loudoun County killed in the war. Many people in the crowd felt an obligation to come out and support Mace giving up his life in the war.

“Virginians always honor our Warriors. That’s why I’m standing here with my one-year-old daughter in my arms. Stephen didn’t die for me. He died for her. He died defending her future against Islamist freaks who stone women to death; who throw burning acid in young girls faces for daring to go to school, and who’ve pledged to slaughter anyone who doesn’t go along with their twisted view of women and the world. Stephen died to make her world a better place. He deserves this and so much we’ll never be able to pay,” said Leesburg, VA resident Chris Manthos.

“I’m thrilled VCU is going green. I don’t want my children to grow up on a landfill because we didn’t recycle. VCU is definitely taking a step in the right direction, but the cost of it worried me. It’s extremely expensive,” said Lauren Wisemiller, a junior at VCU.

According to the Director of Sustainability, Jacek Ghosh, students are glad the school has a recycling program and are using the bins around campus. Students have even requested more recycling bins, sustainable dining halls, and more hybrid vehicles.

“We have a problem and it isn’t going to go away on its own,” said Ghosh when speaking about why he chose to get involved in the going green process by taking the job as Director of Sustainability.

Last April, former VCU President Emeritus Eugene P. Trani, signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment. Therefore, he agreed that VCU would take the necessary steps to neutralize greenhouse gases that it produces. As part of the agreement, VCU will reduce its carbon footprint by 2.5 percent per year.

“If you can’t get an institution to change, how can you get a city to change? If you can’t get a city to change, how can you get a state to change? If you can’t get a state to change, how can you get a country to change? And if you can’t get a country to change how can you get the world to change?” said Ghosh when talking about his interest in fulfilling the agreement and why it is important for a university to be an example to others when it comes to going green and the importance of it.

But, there is some controversy over VCU going green. If VCU went completely green with the current technology it would cost about $267 million. With the recent budget cut, people are having a difficult time seeing money being spent on going green while academics are being altered.

“I don’t think going green is worth all the money it costs and I certainly don’t want my tuition to go up to fund it. I think it should be more like a donation for people who are willing to give money for the cause instead of a mandatory fee tacked on,” said VCU student Jherri Simpson.

To help fund the on-going project VCU is considering adding a “green fee” to the tuition in the upcoming years. They are also hoping state legislature will grant them $8 to 9 million dollars this year to help reduce the cost. While it is expensive, the few things VCU have already done are paying off.

Even though the campus has grown in size the green house gas has reduced. The Rice Center currently generates more energy than it uses and Market 810 has reduced its waste. The utility bill for the VCU campus runs about $15 million dollars per year and they are slowly reducing this number with all the green changes they have made and are still making. By 2050 VCU is planning on being a completely eco-friendly university.