Overview-

PERSONAL
- Mark Treaster is a long time Reno County resident
- Has been married for 27 years to Mary Treaster
- Two sons, Matthew and Andrew, attend college
- Lives on the Reno County farm that his family
homesteaded in 1872
EDUCATION
- Mark is a Buhler High School Graduate
- BSE from Emporia State University
- MS from Emporia State University
EMPLOYMENT
- Former teacher - 12 years
- Small business owner: Rainbow International

Biography-

Mark Treaster moved to Reno County in 1965. He attended school in the Buhler school system and graduated from Buhler High School in 1972. He kept very busy with school, participating in sports and working on his family’s farm near Pretty Prairie.

After high school Mark attended Hutchinson Community College, McPherson College and Emporia State University. During college Mark had a variety of part time jobs. Mark graduated from ESU in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education with a teaching endorsement in social sciences.

In 1976 Mark married Mary Adams, also a Buhler High School graduate. Mark and Mary recently celebrated their 27^th wedding anniversary.

After college Mark and Mary moved to Concordia, Kansas, where they both taught school. Their first child, Matthew, was born in 1981 followed closely by Andrew who was born in 1983.

Mark and Mary moved back to Reno County in 1982. They were house parents at the Emergency Shelter Home for a year. In 1983 the family moved to Mark’s family farm near Pretty Prairie and Mark taught children with learning disabilities at Prairie Hills Middle School. He received a Master’s Degree in Learning Disabilities from Emporia State University in 1991.

Mark taught and coached at Pretty Prairie Middle School from 1987 to 1992. In 1992 Mark fulfilled a lifelong dream and began his own business. He became an entrepreneur and purchased a franchise company, Rainbow International Restoration and Cleaning. Mark has owned and operated Rainbow International for 12 years. The business has grown from a one-man operation to a company with six full time employees. Mark has won many marketing and professional awards from Rainbow’s parent company, The Dwyer Group.

Mark and Mary have lived on the Mercer family homestead near Pretty Prairie for 21 years. The farm was first settled as a timber claim by Mark’s great-great-grandfather Edwin C Mercer, a Civil War veteran, in 1872. In 1935, Mark’s grandfather, L.W. Mercer acquired the land and built the house Mark’s family now lives in. Mark’s predecessors on both sides of his family were farmers, and they instilled a strong work ethic, love of the land, and an appreciation of rural life in Mark.

Mark and Mary’s sons attended the Pretty Prairie school system from kindergarten through high school graduation. Matthew recently graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a major in Engineering Physics. He is working in the renewable energy field. Andrew is a junior at Kansas State University majoring in economics and political science. Mary returned to teaching in 1990 and taught for several years in the Fairfield school system. She is presently the principal at South Hutchinson Elementary.

Mark has always felt that it is important to give back to one’s community through public service and volunteer work. Mark has participated in various community service organizations and he has held leadership roles in many of them. He was a Lion’s Club member for over 20 years and he has been a Rotarian for 11 years. Mark is a past president of the Pretty Prairie Lions Club and was a Rotary board member for three years. Mark was a volunteer coach for numerous youth sports teams. Mark is a member of Grace Episcopal Church and currently a vestry (board) member at Grace Episcopal. Mark recently completed the Leadership Reno County class and is an active member in the Hutchinson/Reno County Chamber of Commerce.

Time line -

1965- Mark and his family move to Hutchinson, Kansas, from Kansas City, Missouri.

1972- Mark graduated from Buhler High School.

1972-1973- Mark attended Hutchinson Community College

1973-1975- Mark attended McPherson College

1975-1977- Mark transferred to Emporia State University where he graduated with a BSE in secondary education.

1976- Married Mary Adams

1977-1981- Mark taught and coached for the Concordia Public Schools.

1981-1982- Matthew was born; Mark and his family moved back to Hutchinson

1982-1983- Mark and Mary served as house parents at the Emergency Shelter Home in Hutchinson.

1983- Andrew was born; Mark and Mary moved to the family farm north of Pretty Prairie.

1983-1987- Mark taught students with learning disabilities at Prairie Hills Middle School and coached for the Buhler Public Schools.

1987-1991- Mark taught middle school science and social studies at Pretty Prairie Middle School and coached for the Pretty Prairie Public Schools.

1991- Mark completed his Master’s degree in Learning Disabilities

1992- Mark started his current business, Rainbow International Restoration and Cleaning.

1992-2004- Rainbow International has grown from a one-man operation to a successful business with six employees. The business has received numerous local and national awards for marketing and growth.