Centered on marketing
Alumni Close-Up: Mark Bortz, BS ’05, MBA ’13
By Kevin Manne
Bortz takes a shot in Alumni Arena during a Bulls Basketball game. Photo: Paul Hokanson
During the 2004-05 UB men’s basketball season, the Bulls won what was then a school-record 23 games, making the National Invitational Tournament for the first time in school history and becoming the first UB team to advance to the Mid-American Conference finals.
Their center, Mark Bortz, BS ’05, MBA ’13, was named the MAC Sixth Man of the Year that season. After spending four years with UB basketball and as an undergraduate in the School of Management, he went on to play professionally for six years in Europe and Latin America.
Through it all, Bortz developed a deep understanding of the value of collaboration, communication and leadership — all skills he’s leveraged in his post-basketball life.
“I learned the definition of hard work and how much time you need to spend every day working on your craft to become what you want to be,” says Bortz. “In the business world it’s much the same. You need to work hard every day, be consistent and stay focused to achieve your goals.”
When he came home to the U.S., Bortz also returned to the School of Management to earn his MBA and pursue a career in marketing. After graduation, he joined Rich Products Corp. as an assistant marketing manager for the European and Middle East markets — an assignment he found particularly meaningful.
“I had lived and played in Turkey, then here I was supporting Turkey in my role at Rich’s,” he says. “It was cool to come full circle to go from playing basketball to doing business there in the next stage of my career.”
After two and a half years, Rich’s promoted Bortz to associate marketing manager for the Middle East, where he focused on market research, project management, new product development and strategy.
Then, in 2019, Bortz joined Mattel Inc. in the Fisher-Price division, where he’s built a career focused on product development and marketing.
He was recently promoted to marketing manager on the company’s Global Brand Team, where he focuses on product development, strategy, consumer insights, and works cross-functionally with teams in design, finance, packaging and marketing communications.
During his time at Fisher-Price, Bortz has contributed to some of the world’s top toy lines, such as Power Wheels, Rescue Heroes, and licensed products like Imaginext’s DC Super Friends and Little People themed around Disney Princesses, Frozen and Mickey Mouse.
Bortz says that in the School of Management, he developed a broad foundation of skills across accounting, finance, marketing and more that has helped him understand the big picture of business.
“My concentration at UB was in marketing, but the program covered all the different functional areas, setting me up for success with a broad foundation,” he says. “When you arrive at a company you are well prepared with both soft and hard skills to build a successful career.”
Outside the office, Bortz enjoys spending time with his wife, Erin, BS ’05, whom he met as an undergrad at the School of Management, and their three children — and he credits his success to the support structure he’s had along the way.
“That support is anchored by my incredible wife who has always been my rock and helped to support me through all aspects of my career and has played an integral role in my success,” he says.
After years of playing, basketball is off the table as a personal hobby. But Bortz now enjoys getting involved with his kids’ sports and activities, including some occasional hoops with the family.
“My knees have a lot of miles on them but I can still get out in the driveway and play with the kids,” he says.
