Mark Blaine Given Jr is a serial entrepreneur. He graduated from East Carolina University with a Bachelor’s in Business with his concentration in Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. He has almost 20 years of experience in the insurance industry, being both a captive and independent agent. He and his wife have developed an independent movie theater chain in North Carolina with three current locations and more to come. He is an Associate Certified Coach through the International Coaching Federation completing his education at North Carolina State University. He has helped many individuals accomplish their dreams by helping them to believe in themselves and holding them accountable to the actions the individual recognizes will cause change. He has served in many capacities in his church including a 2 year mission in Brazil, 5 ½ years as a Bishop and a leader of youth programs for the majority of his adult life.

I have been in the insurance industry since 1998, when I started as an accounting intern at LC Draper Agency in Weldon. I became a licensed North Carolina Property and Casualty agent in 2001 and also hold non-resident licenses in Georgia and Virginia. I have also been a Notary Public since 2004. I started working with Blaine in 2015 and moved to the Roanoke Rapids office in 2017.I love my job and always have. I have also worked in retail and at a grocery store, but helping people is what I truly love. My daughter Haley once made me a sign that says:“I am an insurance agent. I solve problems you don’t know you have in ways you can’t understand.” And honestly, that is very true!There is no better feeling than helping a client have a positive experience and watching them become like family over the years. I still have clients from my time at LC Draper Agency. The friendships, relationships, and personal connections I have built are something I truly value, and I always try to do the very best I can every day. Outside of work, I have a wonderful husband and best friend of more than 25 years, two beautiful daughters, Haley and Riley, two wonderful sons-in-law, Brett and Kevin, and one active grandson, Creedan. He is his Poppe’s shadow, the light of our lives, and he definitely keeps us on our toes! I also love traveling with my family, visiting new places, and watching Creedan light up as he experiences some of the same things we enjoyed as children.