Mark Ruark, Cfp® Email and Phone Number

I grew up on a small family farm in Washington State. That experience created anentrepreneurial spirit in me, and I have always lived by the "work hard, play hard"motto. I also believe you need to laugh and have a lot of fun along the way. After graduating from Washington State University, I spent seven years withContinental Grain in the Midwest. After a brief entrepreneurial venture in Seattle(where yes, it does rain a lot!), I tried to break into the financial services industry.After 3-4 months of searching, I never found the right cultural fit in the industry.Shortly after a phone call with an old college buddy, I began a 17-year career withCargill back in the food and agricultural industry. Even while I was at Cargill, I never forgot my true passion for long-term investing,and I helped several co-workers out along the way. A chance meeting in Chicagowith a partner from Edward Jones led to the opportunity that I had been searchingfor all my life. While not working, I enjoy spending time with my wife and two daughters in avariety of activities, including boating on Lake Minnetonka, playing racquetball,snow skiing and getting together with friends. I am actively involved in the West Metro mainly via the chamber ofcommerce and its numerous activities. My primary goal is to help individual investors and small businesses develop aninvestment strategy geared toward their unique, long-term goals. Whether youneed to save for a child’s college education, reduce taxes, or plan for retirement, Ican help. It is in this vein, that we work hard for our clients to develop robust plansspecifically personalized for their unique goals, AND we get to know our clientsthrough laughter and camaraderie. Please contact me to discuss your situationand options.