Mark Roessler was visiting relatives in Europe in 1977 when he secured an interview with then Linde AG director of corporate marketing Dr Volker Metzler. Thirty years later, Roessler is now Linde Material Handling North America Corp's general product manager, marketing the brand in North America.

It was the northern hemisphere autumn of 1977. Roessler, 24, had just finished six years of tertiary studies and was holidaying in Europe. He decided in Europe that he was ready for the workforce and secured an interview with Dr Volker Metzler, then director of corporate marketing at Linde AG, of Wiesbaden, Germany. German chemical conglomerate Hoechts also made Roessler, an MBA-holder from the American Graduate School of International Management, an offer. Roessler preferred the sales & marketing position with Linde and was put through a one-and-a-half year training program in Germany.

Roessler worked in every Linde department, from sales & marketing to manufacturing and after-sales activities, during the program. The final nine months of training focused on sales & marketing specifically related to the North American market.

Thirty years later, Roessler, 53, is now general product manager of the leading forklift manufacturer's US subsidiary, marketing the brand in North America.

"Linde was looking for personnel for an acquisition [Baker Material Handling] they'd made at that time," Roessler said. "I was a natural for them. I came from the US. I knew the culture. I had gone to school there."

Roessler starts work at Linde Material Handling North America Corp's Summerville headquarters early. He is at the office by 5.45am, spending about two hours daily communicating with Europe.

"I love to get up early because there's a six-hour difference between us and Germany. I need to reach people there because by the time it's noon in Summerville they've long gone home."

Roessler talks to Linde's Aschaffenburg plant's technical or marketing departments on the phone or through emails.

"I'll be getting information I need to convey to our dealers and end users. I may also get a lot of questions [from Germany] about our market and competition.

"Sometimes I get calls from distributors or end users who want to visit the European operations when they're travelling in Europe so I'll arrange that, too."

From 10am, Roessler starts contacting Linde's North American distributors and end users.

As general product manager, Roessler educates distributors on Linde products and communicates the advantages of Linde equipment to end users.

Roessler visits Germany once or twice a year to keep up to speed on new Linde products and technological developments.

He is part of a 16-member international technical committee consisting of Linde people from various subsidiaries worldwide who will meet twice this year to discuss future product developments.

"When trucks are designed for the North American market, I have to make sure they reflect the needs of the market." Roessler works with US and German-based engineering groups to oversee product development for North America.

Roessler breaks up his day by taking an hour away from the Summerville plant during lunch. He says it helps balance his work day, which could sometimes end at 6pm.

Linde Material Handling North America Corp has two plants. The main 220,000 square foot plant houses assembly and administrative offices. Roessler works there. The second 45,000 square foot plant has a support centre for service, parts and product support.

Roessler said much had to be done to increase the industry's appeal to career seekers.

"The image of today's materials handling industry as a rust bucket and increasingly commodity-driven business doesn't help.

"We need to actively recruit and retain more talent by offering career opportunities at all levels from the manufacturer's side through to retail.

"Especially on the technical end, we are sorely lacking good people and can't seem to retain many of those we have."

Asked if he saw any obstacles in the path of his chosen career, Roessler said:
"When I first got into this business I was under the impression many obstacles existed. Over time, I came to realise that the only real obstacle is the inability to effectively communicate thoughts and ideas to your fellow man."

When Roessler is not working, he enjoys reading, sports, current affairs, modern history and travel. In 2004, he and his wife, Dorothy, travelled to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Russia to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary.