Team Member Spotlight: Mark Ross

At JHA Companies, our people bring their stories, skills, and passions to the work we do—and Structural Engineer Mark Ross, PE is no exception. As part of our architectural department, Mark plays a key role in bridging disciplines across engineering, surveying, and design.

Mark’s journey is rooted in family, faith, and a love of collaboration. “I’m originally from Northeast PA up in the Montrose area,” Mark shares. “My dad is an engineer as well, and he got a job at a bridge company up in Elmira, New York. And we moved up there as a family, and I lived near Troy, Pennsylvania. I had a typical upbringing. We lived out in the country. I enjoyed baseball and football.”

Mark’s interest in engineering was shaped by his father’s work and a strong academic foundation. “I went to Cedarville University. I majored in mechanical engineering,” he says. “Cedarville is a private liberal arts college. It’s about 3,000 students. They’re based about forty minutes west of Columbus, Ohio, and they have Christian base. When I was at Cedarville, I was involved in a prison ministry where we would go and visit with people in a local prison on Sunday mornings, kind of like a church service.”

After graduation, Mark followed in his father’s footsteps. “When I graduated, I worked for the same company that my dad did. As I got into it, interacting every day with specifically truss bridges, I developed a love for it, like my dad has, and it became what I wanted to do. Funny how that works out.”

Today, Mark and his wife, Mindy, live in Hummelstown, Central Pennsylvania. Their shared hobbies reflect an appreciation for Pennsylvania’s history and architecture. “We enjoy visiting covered bridges in our free time,” Mark says. “The second date that we went on, I took her on a covered bridge tour in the Muncie area, eight bridges. And it kind of ignited an interest in both of us. We have since attempted to see the majority of the covered bridges in Pennsylvania.”

Outside of work, Mark stays active in the outdoors and his community. “I like to hunt in the fall for deer, archery and rifle, and I play church softball quite actively,” he explains. “I also lift weights two to four times a week depending on how busy I am.”

At JHA Companies, Mark thrives in a collaborative environment where his expertise spans multiple disciplines. “My favorite aspect of working at JHA Companies is collaborating with my coworkers on a project,” he says. “That interaction is important to me. I am part of the architectural department, so I will work on buildings. I will work with the engineering team for land development and the architectural team for the building part of a project. And then I’ll have to, many times, have a survey completed, so I’ll be able to work with the guys in the survey team. But I also do bridge projects that I run.”

He values not only the teamwork but also the culture and mission that drive the company. “I like the culture. I like how we approach customers, how we work with people, and try to help them. It’s not a transactional operation—people are human beings, and I enjoy that. I also like the direction of the company as far as a faith-based organization and how we donate money to faith-based causes.”

Mark’s personal connection to JHA’s Owner/Founder Joe Hunt reinforces his commitment. “I’ve known Joe for some time,” he says. “I had some interactions with him because I’ve spent time in the Montrose area, and friends of mine have known him. I know the kind of person he is and the faith that he has, and it aligns with my own belief system. And I know that he is about treating people well, and he cares about people. And that was a big thing for me.”