“I don’t tend to set career goals that way,” Oman said. “I’m fortunate to have been with great organizations that have prospered, so you can say I chose well or was lucky. But one of the keys to growth is surrounding oneself with a strong team of people. I measure success by how well the team is doing. If our employees are happy and enjoy what they’re doing in helping our customers succeed, then we’re going to be successful and our shareholders will be rewarded. I’d rather pay attention to that and let the career take care of itself.”

It’s a philosophy that’s clearly effective. Positioned as the second-largest employer in central Iowa, Wells Fargo is in the midst of a $360 million construction expansion in the Des Moines area. Its goal of adding 2,000 jobs has been met a year and a half early, bringing the area total to 10,000 employees.

With this great success in the business world, Mark and his wife, Jill (Fuerhoff) (Office Informational Systems ’85), made an effort to give back to their alma mater, the University of Northern Iowa. The Omans established the 2004-2005 Oman Challenge to add value to contributions made to the Annual Fund at or above the $1,000 level. The challenge was set at $100,000 to match 1:1 gifts of donors who join the Campanile Society ($1,000 level and higher) for the first time or who increase their gift from last year.

"We think UNI is a great school. It's an awesome school. Overall the roll of education is important to the future of Iowa and the future of our country. It is the foundation of the success of our country. As public support for education is reduced, it's getting tougher and tougher financially for families. It is the responsibility of everyone fortunate enough to go to college to give back."

With these virtues, it is no wonder Oman is out front on many business topics, especially on the issue of workforce readiness, a major focal point of the Greater Des Moines Partnership, of which he is chairman for 2006.

“With the aging of our population, our workforce is not projected to grow enough to keep up with what business in the state will require,” Oman said. “Attracting and retaining a high quality workforce is a serious, multi-faceted issue. It really comes down to lifelong education and training, from early childhood development to universities and beyond. People can never stop learning because the environment of the economy and its technologies keep changing. It’s important our workforce keeps its edge.”

Closely tied to workforce concerns is a commitment to living in Iowa, Oman said. “Our quality of life is good here, but we have to keep improving. We’re in a worldwide competition, and we have to emphasize the quality of life aspects of living in Iowa. That’s something the Greater Des Moines Partnership is focused on, and it needs to be talked about more broadly. As an importer of talent to Iowa, we have to be aware that people have choices.”

Oman advised that students competing for high quality jobs concentrate on fundamentals: a combination of the appropriate skills, a strong and collaborative work ethic, common sense and motivation.

“The character of Iowans fit that profile very well,” Oman said. “Not only are they highly skilled, they have a customer focus. If someone comes equipped with those traits, likes to learn, questions how things are done and truly learns the industry, they’re going to be successful no matter what they do.”

Surprisingly, Oman’s success in business was not part of a master plan the Cedar Falls High grad carried across town to the UNI campus. “Frankly, I had no idea what I was going to major in when I came to UNI. Business was not really on my radar screen. I’d historically done well in math and science,” Oman said. “I had a number of very good professors, not just technically, but with those same qualities of being focused on the customer, in this case the student. It was through a mentoring relationship with various professors I found what I really wanted to do.”

As busy as he is, Oman credits Jill with helping him keep perspective. “I try to maintain a good balance among faith and family and work. We have two teenage children so our life revolves around what they’re doing,” he said, with a laugh, “…We’re no longer in control of our calendar.