Mark McKenzie

B.S., University of Texas at Austin, 1986

Mark McKenzie is the President and CEO of Ranger Excavating, the leading excavation and site development contractor in Central Texas. After earning a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Engineering from The University of Texas in 1986, he began his career as an estimator at Coffee Equipment, Inc., pioneering the digitization of earthwork calculations. He quickly rose to Vice President, managing all operations. In 1990, Mark joined Ranger Excavating as Chief Estimator, where he expanded the use of estimating software and cost tracking. Under his leadership, the company grew rapidly throughout the 1990s. By 2002, Mark had purchased Ranger Excavating, which now employs over 700 people and reported revenues exceeding $400 million in 2022. The company has diversified into quarries, geotechnical drilling services, and trucking, including the acquisition of the M.E. Ruby quarry in 1995 and the establishment of Austin-Geologic, a top-tier geotechnical division.

Ranger Excavating utilizes advanced technology such as drones and 3-D modeling to enhance project accuracy and efficiency. The company has completed high-profile projects like The Circuit of The Americas F1 Track, Texas State Capitol Underground Expansions, Tesla Gigafactory, SAMSUNG, and Apple Campus. Mark is committed to employee safety and community support. In 2015, he and his family founded the Covalent Foundation, which has donated over $5 million to the Austin area. The foundation's RangerACE summer camp teaches middle schoolers construction and engineering skills. Mark actively participates in the camp, lecturing on earthwork and cost estimating. Additionally, he recently made a substantial donation to the Engineering Discovery Building.