Mark Luna is a man on the move. As a senior building and grounds worker with Recreation and Wellness (RecWell), he’s tasked with keeping the Minneapolis RecWell Center clean and well-manicured inside and out. This entails managing student workers and coordinating with other building and grounds workers. He also works events in RecWell’s Minneapolis facilities.
Over his 35 years with the University, Mark has won several awards, most recently a President’s Award for Outstanding Service in 2025. He was shocked to hear he had won. “I had tears in my eyes,” he says, describing the day he got the call. “There’s no words.”
Supporting Student Workers
The nomination letters for Mark portray a man in constant motion, whether he’s cleaning the steamroom (or “stink box,” as he calls it), setting up the nearby Field House for an event, making sure the fitness center’s many glass surfaces stay smudge-free, or cleaning up endless slush tracks in the winter. At the same time, he’s always available to his student workers. “I will always back my students, no matter what,” he says.
Mark is no pushover, though. “When I hire students, I don’t sugarcoat it. [I tell them], ‘I don’t fire students. You fire yourself.’” He teaches them to communicate about absences and to ask for help before they’re in over their heads, setting them up for success after college. He tells them, “Whatever you do here … it’s going to follow you [after graduation].”
Mark’s student workers appreciate having him as a supervisor. Many refer their friends to work with him at RecWell, and many keep their RecWell jobs from their first year in school through their last. The respect is mutual. Mark is known for grilling hot dogs and burgers, which he buys himself, for his student workers each summer. “It’s worth it,” he says. “I enjoy them and they do a lot for me.”
Supporting RecWell Events
RecWell facilities host hundreds of events annually, including guest speakers, blood drives, and resource fairs. Some events attract thousands of attendees and participants. Next year, RecWell will host events for the 2026 Special Olympics.
Mark has a few favorites from his decades with RecWell. While the Field House no longer hosts the Science Fair, Mark is still friends with the coordinators after working with them for two decades, even volunteering at the event when they need help. FinnFest also stands out. “It was like a little flea market in the Field House,” Mark says. Also notable? “When I first started, they did a lot of bar mitzvahs.”
A Supportive Employer
Mark’s wife, Marie, encouraged him to find work at the University. She served as a building and grounds worker at several Twin Cities locations over her 34-year University career. For many years, Mark and Marie carpooled to work, sharing stories of their days.
Mark began his UMN career in the department now known as Facilities Management, but transitioned to working with RecWell in 1995. “It’s a great place to work,” says Mark. “Everybody in [RecWell], from the director all the way down, they’re awesome.”
In 2000, Mark was promoted to senior building and grounds worker, but not without some resistance on his part. The promotion meant coming inside from his groundskeeping work and supervising students, neither of which he wanted to do. While he describes his transition as “rocky,” he grew into his role with support from his supervisor.
His RecWell community was also there for Mark when he needed to take time off after several family members passed away over the span of a few years. “They’re very accommodating,” Mark says. “They said, ‘You take as much time as you need.’”
Supporting His Family and Community
A National Guard veteran, Mark seems to have taken the motto “Always Ready, Always There” to heart. His President’s Award for Outstanding Service nomination letters share his willingness to lend a helping hand outside of work, such as when he helped dig a 90-foot trench at a coworker’s house. For years, he and his wife regularly drove to Rochester to visit Sister Vergana, an old friend from when they served as part-time cleaners at their son’s Catholic school to help cover tuition, until she died in 2021.
Mark maintains momentum even while relaxing. He enjoys walks with his wife, gardening, biking, fishing, visiting his son’s family in North Dakota, and taking his pontoon boat out on the lake. He plans to do all of this more often after he retires in a few years, supported by his Minnesota State Retirement System pension.