Staff Highlight: Meet Mark Brackbill, BRAHM's Facility Manager

Mark has been the Facility Manager at BRAHM since 2016. To say that Mark can do just about anything may be an understatement. His many contributions blend seamlessly into the facility, whether it is hanging the Gift Shop sign on the outside of the building, a giant wreath over the front door, or creating smooth, angled walls that appear built-in to a gallery. Mark’s painting and building skills lend uniquely to BRAHM, as does his craftsmanship (he built the bar your cold beverages come from at BRAHM receptions).  

It is also amazing how the finished product seems to magically appear, as the vast majority of his work at BRAHM is done in the wee morning hours, while most of us are still asleep. During exhibition changeover, you may also see Mark exiting a gallery with paintbrush or drill in hand and a big smile on his face (while the rest of us are still reaching for coffee and sorting through emails).

Before moving to the area, Mark and his wife Linda lived in the tourist town of Amelia Island, Florida for 20 years, where they owned and operated restaurants, a women’s clothing and jewelry store, a shipping business, and owned and managed multiple rental properties. The restaurant business is where Mark developed his early-morning routine, arriving at 3:00 AM to begin baking pastries and brewing coffee for the morning rush. When asked, “So you’re a pastry chef too?” Mark simply says, “No, I wasn’t a chef, but I could do it.” (And do it well enough to serve hundreds of customers a day.) “I loved getting to the ‘coffee shop’ early and working by myself. Once that work was done, and after the manager and other employees arrived, I would find something else to do like making furniture or landscaping our rental properties. You can always find something to do.”

Mark and Linda “loved to keep busy” and after years of owning and running multiple businesses in Florida, it was time for a change. They had been “leaf peepers” for years, driving up from Florida to Western North Carolina for the colorful fall views and relief from the summer heat. While looking for a cabin in the mountains they ended up buying a farm they now share with goats, chickens, ducks, a donkey, a pony, four dogs, and three cats. Linda milks the goats every morning and makes goat’s milk products she sells in local shops (like Be Natural Market in Boone, among others). 

“It is a labor of love fixing up an old farm and, being used to working all the time, it wasn’t long until we were both ready to take jobs.” That’s when Mark came to work at BRAHM and Linda went to work at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center at Lees-McRae College. (And despite their very busy work lives, Mark and Linda have always made time for each other. In Florida, it was early morning walks with fresh coffee on the beach (with a Yorkie in tow) and in the mountains, it has been hiking and weekend bike rides on the Greenway.) 

Mark and Linda have been gradually selling off their properties in Florida (although keeping their home there) as they become more and more anchored to life in Western North Carolina. However, they still spend one month out of the year in Amelia Island to be with their daughter and grandson. They will always love the ocean and the community there even though they now call the High Country home. 

So, the next time you visit the Museum (hopefully not too long from now) and are appreciating the space you’re in, please think of Mark, who has just been working tirelessly, albeit quietly, to enhance your BRAHM experience. 

Interview and write up compiled by Jasmin McFayden