Published in the December 14, 2016 edition
MARK ELDRIDGE, a Wakefield native, is chief executive officer of ALKU, a company The Boston Globe lists as one of the best places to work. Eldridge is shown with his family, from left: Son Johnnie, daughter Maddie and wife Kathie. (Courtesy Photo)
By GAIL LOWE
WAKEFIELD — For some people, the season of giving extends way beyond Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays and all other gift-giving occasions. For some, the season of giving never ends, especially if it happens to coincide with their work.
Mark Eldridge, son of Wakefield residents Bob and Merry Eldridge, was born and raised in Wakefield and, like his parents, giving has become a way of life.
In 2001, Bob and Merry founded WAM (Wakefield Adult Mentors), an all-volunteer run program starting with about 15 volunteers who mentored middle school students one-on-one. Over time, the program grew to 50 student/mentor matches throughout the entire Wakefield school system, kindergarten through grade 12, including Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School. The Eldridges are now retired from WAM and the program has merged with the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.
Mark Eldridge lives in Reading now and is the father of two. He also owns a company called ALKU and, because of its success, he is able to give back to the community. ALKU means “start” in the Finnish language and its tagline is “From start to finish.”
“It’s a little play on words,” explained Eldridge.
The company, launched in 2008 during the Great Recession, is a highly specialized staffing service that provides high-level specialists in three niche areas — ALKU Technologies, ALKU Quality and ALKU Government Solutions. The company is a family affair. Eldridge’s wife Kathie is vice president of finance and strategy.
“She has contributed a lot to ALKU’s success since the very beginning,” said Eldridge.“We have grown very quickly,” Eldridge commented.
His favorite means of giving is the $20,000 annual ALKU scholarship he presents to a deserving, at-risk youth who also is involved in mentoring. This year, the recipient was Barnstable High School senior Marta Pleitez.
“This event is guaranteed to produce tears and pride every year,” Eldridge said.
In addition to being chief executive officer of ALKU, he also sits on the Board of Massachusetts Mentoring Partnership and through that effort, he is indirectly connected to Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
“There is no question that my parents’ involvement with WAM made an impact on ALKU’s involvement in the same,” Eldridge said. “Our view was this, though: Rather than one adult helping one youth, how could a few adults help a lot of youths? It was then that we decided to turn our talent for sales toward fundraising. Since then, we have also raised over $150,000 for the Rodman Ride.” (The Rodman Ride is a one-day national athletic fundraiser that supports at-risk kids.)
ALKU is consistently recognized as one of the best places to work in Massachusetts. In fact, the company made The Boston Globe’s “best” list for the past five years and the Boston Business Journal for the past six.
“In 2016, ALKU will do over $115 million in revenue and is the third fastest growing staffing company in the country,” Eldridge said. The company currently has 116 employees, four offices and was named one of America’s Most Promising Companies by Forbes magazine.
“We’ve been able to give back to the community simply because of the success we’ve experienced as well as the ongoing commitment of our employees,” Eldridge said. “It is the employee’s ongoing support and willingness to give back that drives much of what we do in terms of our community outreach. The level of success we have year over year certainly helps to maintain these initiatives as well as the importance of giving back to one’s community being instilled in me by my parents at a young age.”
After Eldridge graduated from Wakefield High School, Class of 1983, he enrolled in classes at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and earned a degree in English. He immediately got into the staffing business as soon as he graduated.
“I worked at one company and helped it grow from one office in Woburn to dozens of offices in the United States,” he said. “I stayed at the company for 20 years. The last 11 involved executive leadership.”
Starting ALKU was one of the “most challenging” events Eldridge has done in his life. He said it also has become one of the most rewarding due to the company’s success and the team of people who have worked so hard to make it what it is today.
“Starting a company at the height of a recession would discourage anyone,” he commented. “I’m not saying it didn’t discourage us but what it also did was allow us to get focused, be aggressive and, in turn, build some success even in what was known as such a trying time.”
Although Eldridge knew from experience within the industry that there was business to be made and a need in the industry for his service, he still had to operate under “a little bit of that blind faith” mentally when dealing with some of the growing pains any start-up faces.
Eight years later, he now has four offices in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Virginia. Given that the business covers most of the U.S., Eldridge finds himself on the road frequently.
“Most of my time is spent in ALKU’s Andover office headquarters but it is not uncommon for me to be visiting other office locations or traveling across the country for the latest industry conferences.”
Eldridge said that when interviewing and hiring an employee, he looks for bright, motivated individuals who understand the value of hard work and who are not afraid to have fun and let their personalities shine through.
“ALKU’s motto of ‘Have fun working hard’ suggests that we don’t have to stop working to have fun,” he said. “With the right individuals, we can accomplish great things while enjoying ourselves and the company of those who make up the ‘ALKrew.’”
ALKU is filled with employees who want more for themselves and they find opportunities inside the company to go get it, Eldridge added.
“This has not only driven the success of the company but has continually made it a notable place to work,” he said.
He advises young people to never give up.
“Advice is needed but you need to stay positive,” he said. “Some people will tell you why you can’t. Use that as motivation. If you try as hard as you can and it still fails, you never have to look back and wonder what could have been. Failing without trying is the only real kind of failure.”
The Eldridges have a daughter Maddie, currently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts, and a son Johnnie, a senior at Reading Memorial High School. There’s also a dog named Wyatt in the mix, an Anatolian Shepherd rescue dog.
“He’s the golden child of the family,” Eldridge quipped.
Aside from being passionate about ALKU, his hobbies include golfing and boating. “My goal is to someday equal out the time spent between both my passions and hobbies,” he said, adding that he is also a Red Sox fan.
“Finding the time is easy when you’re passionate about what you do and get to work with some of the best people in the industry,” he said.
Something else Eldridge loves is discovering new places. In the past year, he took his family and parents to the Galapagos Islands.
“The experience could only be described as unlike any other and amazing,” he said. “It was an active vacation. We were very busy and on the go the whole time — jungle hikes, snorkeling adventures, mountain climbing, lava walks — all cool stuff. Of all my travels, I’ve never experienced a trip like this one. It was very humbling to be that close to nature and its beauty. I highly recommend making this trip once in your life.”
But then Eldridge pauses and thinks about home.
“Wakefield was (and is) a great town to raise a family and my childhood experience is full of great memories, some of which involve Lake Quannapowitt,” he said. “Every Wednesday morning, I still run around the Lake with an old high school friend. It’s a tradition that has been in place for over 15 years.”
