Mark Stephenson

Meet Mark Stephenson, who has participated in the Mercado since its launch in October 2017, bringing to the Mercado delicious burgers, hot dogs, and tropical drinks. To distinguish himself from the rest, Mark brings “Dog” an inflatable Hot Dog to use as his mascot throughout the Mercado season.

Born and raised in New Brunswick, Mark is very excited and thankful to sell at every Mercado because he always wanted to become involved in the community he grew up in. Mark states, “My father brought me up in business as a kid. He was not afraid of anything, so I also went to various businesses.”

Today, Mark’s personal goal is to continue growing as a person, he wants to encourage the youth and make a difference.” He sees the Mercado as a stepping stone. He comments, “It’s an organization that unifies New Brunswick residents and people from all over to work together.” He says, “what fascinates me about the Mercado is the warmth, the organization, children, families, and in general the atmosphere.” I don’t even speak Spanish but they adapt to where I understand, and also, if I go to any meeting, I always laugh about that, they make sure I know what’s going on. In short, they have adopted me, and I have adopted them.”

Following that, Mark has found other opportunities in the Mercado to get involved such as graduating from the community business class through Rising Tide Capital,  as well as obtaining his Servsafe certification. Finally, he states,”Being involved in the community opens many doors for you.”