The Awesome Team

John Ross joined Mission Linen Supply as President and Chief Executive Officer in July of 2013. Previously, John was Senior Vice President for Swisher Hygiene, where he supervised the North American field sales and service operation. Prior to his work at Swisher, John was General Manager of Cintas Corporation, where he was responsible for leading multifunctional teams in production, outside sales and human resources. John served in the United States Army’s 1st Calvary Division as a Platoon Leader and Operations Staff Officer. A graduate of West Point, he received his MBA from the University of California, Irvine in Finance and Information Technology. He and his family reside in Santa Barbara where the company was established in 1930.

Mark is responsible for the strategic direction and operational management of the sales team at Mission Linen Supply. During his thirty-two years with the company, Mark has been a strong leader and innovator who enjoys new challenges and the camaraderie of his fellow workers. He has been instrumental in building a sales management team, as well as new programs in cost containment, training and accountability. Mark has a degree in Business Administration from Allan Hancock College and is a graduate of the UTSA Executive Management Institute.

Best Advice: Be yourself. Everybody else is taken.

Austin began his Mission career in 2011 as a Regional Sales Director in Southern California and is a two-time winner of Regional Sales Director of the Year. During his time at Mission, Austin has developed, implemented and overseen numerous important programs including company-wide sales training programs, integrated brand awareness campaigns, and the sample and seed program at Mission. Prior to joining Mission, Austin held several sales positions of increasing responsibility with Cintas and was Vice President of Sales for AVID Ink, a leader in art and sublimation print technologies specializing in fashion and swimwear. He has a BA in criminal justice studies from Kent State University and recently attained an MBA from Strayer University. He previously served in the United Stated Marine Corps, spending six years in the infantry.

With more than 15 years of experience, Kim is an expert in all things marketing, including strategic marketing, marketing communications, customer relations, product marketing, vendor management, digital marketing and brand strategy. A savvy strategist and creative thinker, Kim builds programs that influence stakeholders and translate ideas into results. During her tenure with Mission, she has been instrumental in developing the “There’s MORE to Mission” brand, laying the foundation for employee apparel programs, and launching new products and programs. As a leader, she builds organizational consensus by aligning resources and managing relationships to increase profitability. Prior to joining Mission Linen Supply in 2007, Kim led marketing and communications teams at Fidelity Investments, Cleanwise, Lexia Learning Systems and Medtronic. Kim has a B.A. in business from Hartwick College and an M.A. in communications from Emerson College.

Favorite Quote: Quality is not an act, it is a habit – Aristotle.

Mark is an accomplished purchasing professional with over 15 years of experience in the CPG and IT Industries where he has directed purchasing and merchandising teams through new product introduction and ecommerce enhancements; he has also led cross-functional teams with Operations, Sales, IT and Marketing to launch sustainable and successful go to market strategies. He is most proud of his track record of successfully implementing data-based vendor management systems that drive continuous kaizen improvements on both sides of the relationship. He brings an in-depth knowledge of ERP systems, purchasing analytics and supply chain management to Mission Linen. Mark resides in Santa Barbara with his family, and when he isn’t elbow-deep in Excel Spreadsheets and negotiation strategy, you may find him swimming against the waves in the Pacific or using his PhD to write winery notes.