Remembering Marc Messina ’82, 1960 - 2016
A chair in honor of Marc has been established at the College of Arts and Sciences and Bob Mandel has been named as its first incumbent.
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Marc Messina, passed away at the age of 56, in a tragic plane accident in 2016. He was a devoted husband and father. He left behind his partner in life, Madonna, his wife of 23 years, and his daughters, Allegra, Daniella and Gabriella. He maintained a busy yet balanced life and was always there for his family.
Marc grew up in Portland, Oregon and attended Sunset High School. He was a member of the Sunset High School Football team that won two Oregon state football championships his junior and senior years. Marc went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Lewis & Clark College and received an MBA from the University of Washington.
Marc’s professional career began with Airborne Express where he held numerous positions over the course of 18 years. Leaving his VP of International Sales position, Marc continued his career as General Manager of Exp@nets, an integrated solutions provider and later founded the Cascade Business Group, a consulting firm he launched in 2000. Later he became the Managing Partner of a second company, Cascade Technical Services, which was formed in 2008, and was a one of the original stakeholders in Alexandria Nicole Cellars. His ability to grasp, simplify and reorganize complex concepts helped many customers and fueled their growth. Marc started Cascade’s annual fishing derby in 2002, which has grown to be the largest and most thrilling event of its kind in the Pacific Northwest.
Marc had an unequaled ability to have an immediate rapport with every person he met, no matter their background, status or age. He made every person feel important and appreciated. A friend to many, he was generous with his time and money to make the lives of the people and community around him better.
Marc was a natural leader with a magnetic personality, contagious smile, booming laugh, thunderous sneezes, keen sense of humor, generous spirit, relentless work ethic, great intelligence, unbridled loyalty, and a passion for life that affected and infected everyone he met.
A chair in honor of Marc has been established at the College of Arts and Sciences and Bob Mandel has been named as its first incumbent. While a student at Lewis & Clark, Marc and Professor Mandel developed a deep connection, with Marc taking six classes from Professor Mandel and with Professor Mandel serving as Marc’s academic advisor.
When learning of this, Madonna expressed, “Marc was known to be visionary among many who would seek his wisdom on a variety of topics. He would have been rendered speechless and deeply touched by this honor. Our family cannot thank you, Lewis & Clark College, and Dr. Mandel for this lasting gift.”
