Mark McKenzie is president and CEO of Ranger Excavating, the leading excavation and site development contractor in Central Texas. A proud Longhorn, he earned a bachelor’s degree in architectural engineering from The University of Texas at Austin in 1986 before beginning his career as an estimator at Coffee Equipment Inc., where he helped pioneer the digitization of earthwork calculations. He quickly rose to vice president, overseeing company operations.

In 1990, McKenzie joined Ranger Excavating as chief estimator and expanded the company’s use of estimating software and cost tracking. Under his leadership, Ranger Excavating experienced rapid growth throughout the 1990s, and in 2002 he purchased the company. Today, the organization employs more than 700 people and has annual revenues exceeding $400 million.

Ranger Excavating has diversified into quarries, geotechnical drilling services, and trucking, while embracing advanced technology such as drones and 3D modeling. Notable projects include Circuit of The Americas, the Texas Capitol underground expansion, the Tesla Gigafactory, and Samsung and Apple campuses—work that has helped shape the rapidly evolving Central Texas landscape.

He is the first to credit his UT Architectural Engineering education with preparing him for the opportunities and challenges that come along with a growing city like Austin. The McKenzie family has donated more than $10MM to local charities, with a special focus on children and education.