The LEPCO Leadership Team

Our Leadership Team

As a third-generation family business, LEPCO’s executives guide the 85-employee team to amplify the value of our channel through our daily activities.

Jeff Clark, President

Representing the second generation of LEPCO, Jeff Clark has committed his 40-year career to seeing his family’s legacy succeed.

Over the past four decades, he’s been employed in various roles. This diversification of skillset contributes to the strong leadership he delivers.

He started in the warehouse part-time while attending college, occasionally driving the box truck to make deliveries.
Once graduated, he transitioned into a territory manager helping his dealers grow their business profitably.
By age 30, Jeff transitioned to credit and financing, in which he developed LEPCO’s Performance Rebate Program.
Since 2000, Jeff has served as president, overseeing the general direction of LEPCO as a whole.

Today, most of Jeff’s time is spent with the executive team. Together they ensure LEPCO provides the highest level of service and support to our dealers, suppliers and employees.

In his spare time, Jeff plays tennis and golf, and he roots for all the Philadelphia sports teams. He’s an avid reader of American history, especially of the American Revolutionary War.

He married his wife Ann in 1987, and they have two children: Sydney and Andrew. Sydney is married to Eddie, and they have two children who were born in 2021 and 2023. Andrew is now learning the LEPCO business from his father, having been an employee since 2016.

Jeff’s father, Merrell, founder of LEPCO, passed down many lessons to his son. Do things the right way; treat people with respect; demonstrate accountability; and take care of others. These family values are what guide Jeff’s decision-making every day and are part of the legacy he continues to build.

Mark Hessinger, Vice President

In January 1998, Mark joined the LEPCO team. In his 25-year tenure, he has been employed in the following roles:

Demonstration specialist
Inside sales representative
Procurement manager
Executive team member

For the last 22 years, Mark has been responsible for the LEPCO Procurement Department. The last few years his team has worked to navigate through very unfamiliar supply chain challenges working closely with manufacturers to predict product availability.

Mark grew up in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He studied supply chain management at Penn State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Logistics in 1990.

Following college, he began his professional career at a convenience store distributor. There he was responsible for procurement of cigarettes and other tobacco related product. He also helped organize transportation backhauls. Next, he worked for a pet supply distributor. In addition to procurement, he worked with the executive team on all aspects of the company’s procedures. These distributorship experiences give him great insight for how to lead at LEPCO.

Mark has always enjoyed the competitive spirit of athletics. He played Varsity soccer, basketball, and baseball before being elected as a member of the Hempfield High School Athletic Hall of Fame. When his sons were growing up, he coached their youth sports teams – he really misses those days! His experience with team sports has led him to focus more on the ‘we’ instead of the ‘me.’ Sports taught him the importance of teamwork in achieving goals and accomplishing tasks.

Mark and his wife, Jen, enjoy spending time outdoors, walking their dog Maddie, playing golf and tennis. They enjoy spending time in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Andrew Clark, Procurement Analyst & Inventory Control

Born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Andrew Clark grew up around LEPCO his entire life. His middle name is Merrell, named after his grandfather who founded the company. In the summers growing up, he would pick parts and build pallets in the warehouse.

After graduating high school, Andrew attended UCLA. He then worked in inside sales at LEPCO for two years. Since 2018, he’s filled the procurement analyst position while learning much about the business.

In his current role, he:

forecasts product demands
manages pricing
preps operations for receiving deliveries
assists accounting with invoicing
manages performance rebates
maintains items in the ERP system

His family includes parents Jeff and Ann; a sister Sydney and brother-in-law Eddie; and a young niece. A self-described foodie, Andrew also enjoys tennis, golf, traveling, hiking and living life to its fullest. Inheriting a love of music from his mom, Andrew also DJs, attends concerts frequently and likes to play music trivia.

One of his favorite quotes is by John Wooden: “It takes time to create excellence. If it could be done quickly, more people would do it.”

The future is bright with the third generation of LEPCO. Andrew is not afraid to grab life by the horns!

Robert Kintner, CFO, Director of IT & Human Resources

Robert Kintner is a lifetime Lancaster, Pennsylvania, native. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from local Millersville University, where he also played tennis.

Since 2017, Rob has served on the LEPCO executive team as the Controller and Director of Human Resources, overseeing:

Financial operations (treasury management, accounting and credit)
Human resources
Information technology

Prior to LEPCO, Rob held various roles within the financial services industry. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President for a financial products company. He provided advisory, monitoring, valuation and reporting services for public and private corporations, nonprofits and governments. Rob has extensive experience and market prowess in some of the most complex financial instruments. This has resulted in the generation of unique ideas, strategies and favorable results.

He attributes much of his professional successes to a network of incredibly accomplished colleagues and mentors he feels fortunate to have worked with over his 25+-year career.

In addition to professional achievements, Rob has volunteered for over 15 years as President of Tennis Central. Formerly called the Lancaster Tennis Patrons Association, this nonprofit charitable organization provides tennis and educational opportunities for youth in Lancaster. Tennis opens doors of opportunity, socially, academically and professionally.

Rob, himself, is a long-time tennis player with several aces in his bragging rights:

Three (3) Pennsylvania State high school tennis doubles championships
Member of the Manheim Township High Athletic Hall of Fame
Member of Lancaster County Tennis Hall of Fame

However, Rob’s greatest accomplishment is his family. He enjoys time spent with them, including their dogs and cats. In his spare time, he plays competitive tennis, recreational golf and swims. He also enjoys traveling the world.

Chris Hyrb, General Manager

Chris Hyrb has comprehensive experience in new business development and product engineering. This combination enables him to lead cross-functional teams with ease. At LEPCO, he oversees:

Operations
Technical Service
Customer Support
Sales
Marketing

With his place on the executive team, he keeps everyone aligned. A majority of staff report up through him, making him a go-to voice within the company.

He started his 30+-year career in engineering: designing, developing and testing new products. A natural relationship-builder, Chris found success by visiting strategic customers face-to-face. He would present new solutions and conduct training seminars, things he still encourages his LEPCO team to do today.

Often recognized for consistently exceeding goals, he moved up through the ranks from manufacturing engineer to national sales and marketing manager. Along his career path, he gained a deep understanding of what a successful go-to-market strategy requires. He developed keen problem resolution skills, even in high-pressure situations. This blend of business know-how paired with a logical approach to serving people makes him a strong leader.

In 2007, Chris joined LEPCO. Two years later, the company added New England to its region, in which Chris was pivotal in bringing the two teams together as one. Over the past few years, he has led his teams through the pandemic and ever-changing product availability.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering degree from Villanova University. He later earned a Master of Business Administration form Penn State University.

Chris and his wife, Annemarie, have three children. Their daughter, Katie, graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2021, and hopes to settle down in Boston after completing current rotations. Son Christopher graduated Penn State University in 2023 and is currently living and working in Atlanta. Youngest son Patrick is currently attending Penn State University. Their newest member of the family has four paws and goes by Bella.

Chris enjoys traveling, outdoor adventure, craft beers and spending time with his family.