Homecrest Outdoor Living has added Mark Bottemiller — grandson of company founder Mert “M.M.” Bottemiller — to the company’s leadership team as vice president of sales.
In this role, he will oversee all sales functions for both residential and commercial markets, aiming to accelerate growth within the company.
Mark Bottemiller was born into the casual furniture industry. As a child, he walked the Homecrest shop floor with his father, Don, chatting with people as they worked. He attended his first Casual Market in 1979 at the age of 10, worked in the Homecrest showroom throughout high school and college, and officially began his career as a regional sales manager for Homecrest in 1997.
“I always just knew I was going to be in the casual furniture business,” Bottemiller says. “I joke that I learned to walk on the sewing room floor — that’s an exaggeration, but not by a lot. I’ve looked at other industries over the years, but the pull of this business and the people in it is just too strong.”
After graduating from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, Bottemiller worked retail positions at Seasonal Concepts in Bloomington, Minnesota, and Fruehauf’s in Boulder, Colorado. He held several positions at Homecrest Outdoor Living between 1997 and 2005, before transitioning to work as an independent sales representative covering Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and New Mexico. For the past 14 years, Bottemiller has been national sales manager at Ebel Inc., growing the company into one of the most recognized brands in the industry.
“I am very excited to have Mark rejoin the legacy of his family and help our team continue to build,” says Homecrest CEO Randy Shorts. “Mark’s breadth of experience from all segments of the business gives him a unique understanding to help drive growth.”
Bottemiller brings many strengths to the table from his decades of experience, the company said in a news release. He primarily focuses on building relationships, living by the motto: “We can fail alone, but we cannot succeed alone.” Having worked in virtually all areas of the casual furniture industry — retail, representation, distribution and manufacturing — he has a solid understanding of the entire business. His unique perspective of sales and management allows him to understand all sides of an issue to find an agreeable solution, the release said.
“Homecrest is on a great trajectory, and I hope to be able to help speed the growth. The feeling of going to work each day at a place that cares about the employees and the customers — it’s going to be a blast,” Bottemiller says.
Bottemiller and his wife, Kristen, will be moving back to Minnesota from the Pacific Northwest with their three cats.
