MEET MARK DAHLQUIST

Mark Dahlquist is a private-sector manager turned nonprofit executive with a track record of building teams and building housing. As Executive Director of NeighborWorks® Pocatello, he’s helped families buy and fix up homes while leading neighborhood revitalization projects like Bonneville Commons and Park Meadows Senior Apartments. Since 1993, NeighborWorks developments have added $42 million to the Bannock County tax base—and Mark has led the organization for 19 of its 33 years. He’s an Idaho State University graduate (B.B.A., Management) who pairs business discipline with community development know-how.

Earlier in his career, Mark rose from a 23-year-old underwriter to build and lead a 50-person customer-service department at Farmers Insurance—earning the company’s Management Excellence Award. He started in the restaurant industry, learning hands-on leadership and operations, and later completed NeighborWorks’ Achieving Excellence program in partnership with Harvard Kennedy School (2022). That blend of private-sector rigor and mission-driven results is what he’ll bring to City Hall.

Leadership & Experience

Nonprofit executive: Executive Director of NeighborWorks® Pocatello, partnering with the City on housing and neighborhood revitalization.
Housing projects leader: Guided efforts like Bonneville Commons, Park Meadows Senior Apartments, and infill developments.
Private-sector manager: Built a 50-person customer-service department at Farmers Insurance.
Business education: B.B.A. in Management from Idaho State University.
Advanced training: 2022 NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence (Harvard Kennedy School partnership).

Results & Recognition

Tangible impact: $42M added to Bannock County’s tax base from NeighborWorks developments; a significant share under his leadership.
Distinguished Citizen (2020): Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce.
Outstanding Nonprofit Leader (2018): Idaho State Journal Business & Achievement Award.
Black Belt Award (2015): Portneuf Valley Partners, for volunteer community service.
Management Excellence (2002): Farmers Insurance.

Two people gardening together on a grassy lawn, smiling and kneeling surrounded by rocks with other individuals working in the background.

Mark and another person standing behind a barbecue grill at an outdoor event.

Mark and another person wearing orange safety vests standing behind a table with various candies, holding a flyer, at an indoor event.

Early Life

My love for Pocatello began at an early age. Fortunately, I was raised by parents who liked to travel and didn’t think twice about loading all six of us children into the station wagon and taking off on a big adventure – whether it be a trip to Wisconsin or Wyoming to see our relatives, a visit to Mount Rushmore, or just a camping trip a few short hours away.

When we headed back home from our journeys and got close to Pocatello, one of my sisters would always lead us in a song that went something like: “Pocatello, here come, right back where we started from!” Then I remember arriving at the crest of the hill on the freeway headed north, just before the Clark Street exit, where you would suddenly and dramatically see this beautiful city tucked away in a scenic valley with mountains on three sides. Those proud early impressions of Pocatello have always resonated with me.

My dad had a long career as an administrator at The Vo-Tech School at Idaho State University (now known as the College of Technology). During his tenure, he helped the city attract new businesses. He would accompany city and county officials on trips to recruit companies to see what their staffing needs were and how the Vo-Tech school could prepare and train their new employees.

One of the programs my dad oversaw was ISU’s nationally recognized electronics program. A big feather in his cap was the role he played in recruiting AMI to Pocatello back in the 1970s. Because my father took so many out-of-town business trips, I remember asking him what some of his favorite cities were that he visited. He named off a couple of them but ended by saying his favorite thing was arriving back in Pocatello, and this truly was the best place to live. I couldn’t agree more.

Pocatello was always going to be a community I had a soft spot for. I went on to graduate from Highland High School, then from ISU with a Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Management & Organization. I had some help from my parents with school, but for the most part, it was me supporting myself through college by working and later becoming an assistant manager at a fast-food restaurant called Rax Roast Beef.

Starting my career in the restaurant industry (which seems forever ago now) and working there for five whole years wasn’t what most people thought was very glamorous, but I loved it because it exposed me to all different types of people, taught me a great work ethic, and provided me with my first important experiences supervising people.

Shortly after graduating from college, at age 23, I got a job as an underwriter at Farmers Insurance Company. I rose through the ranks at Farmers Insurance, eventually starting from scratch and leading a 50-person customer service department and earning the company’s Management Excellence Award.

Mark and two people standing behind a metal sign that reads "Dahlquist" in a park with trees, rocks, and a paved pathway.

Community volunteers gather at a park, with some wearing orange safety vests, organizing supplies and tools near a trailer, with trees and a building in the background.

Mark and three other people standing indoors holding a large check.

A young Mark standing indoors with arms crossed, next to a sign that reads 'PNHS Pocatello Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc.' and 'US Bank'

Mark standing outdoors in an open area with trees in the background under a clear blue sky.

Mark and two others are seated at a table during a discussion or meeting in a room with glass block windows and purple wall.

You get what you give

Because of my love for Pocatello, I’ve always felt compelled to serve and to be a good steward. What really kicked things into gear was my graduation from Leadership Pocatello in 1994-1995. When the Portneuf Greenway first started, I was a member of the Board of Directors. This was before we even had one stretch of trail built but there was a great vision in place we wanted to run with. We were certainly very proud when one of the first sizable stretches of trail – the AMI/Kirkham Trail was opened in the upper area of Ross Park, which extended from the upper part of the zoo to the Cheyenne Railroad Crossing.

My love for my Pocatello also prompted me to be involved in all sorts of efforts to make the community look and feel better about itself. Right after Leadership Pocatello graduation, I joined the Chamber of Commerce’s Beautification Committee, of which I am still a member today (30 years later!). Every first Saturday in May, I coordinate the Citywide Spring Cleanup, which has grown bigger and better each year.

I’m a charter member of Portneuf Valley Partners (formerly Valley Pride). This organization was established around the year 2000 with the help and vision of Arlo Luke, and I’ve been involved ever since. I now hold the title of Honorary Director. Portneuf Valley Partners has a vision to provide a good first impression at our city entrances. This vision was the main force behind the development of Brooklynn’s Playground, which has sponsored several Portneuf River cleanups, built landscaping berms along Highway 30, and accomplished many other initiatives.

Housing issues are of high importance to me, as well. In a different section, I’ll briefly outline my career and accomplishments with NeighborWorks Pocatello, but of note is the service I’ve provided to the Homeless & Housing Coalition of Southeast Idaho. I’m still a member of the coalition, and I served a two-year term as its president.

My service to the community has not gone without notice. In 2020, I was honored by the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce with the Distinguished Citizen Award. I’m the 2018 recipient of the Idaho State Journal’s Achievement Award as Outstanding Non-Profit Leader. I’m also a past recipient of the Chamber of Commerce’s “Volunteer of the Year Award” and am a “Black Belt Award” recipient through Portneuf Valley Partners. I’ve spent my life making Pocatello a little better. Now, I’m ready to lead this city as mayor because I believe Pocatello deserves a leader who knows every corner of this community and believes in its future and potential.

Mark and seven other people standing with shovels in front of construction equipment on a dirt site during daytime, with blue sky and mountains in the background.

Mark and four others standing together holding a large check in an office or conference room.

Mark and a group of people celebrating a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside of a building.

Mark and six others holding a large check.

Mark shaking hands with another person outdoors at a construction site with a red building in the background.

Mark’s experience with private sector businesses

I spent a good portion of my career working for Farmers Insurance Group (18 years). Farmers was my first “real” job after graduating from ISU. I held a variety of positions at the Pocatello Regional Office, including underwriter, manager trainee, and underwriting supervisor. After a brief one-year career at the Idaho Small Business Development Center (I left Farmers for a short period of time, as I was itching to do something a bit different), I was offered a job back at Farmers because the The regional office was expanding, my former director asked me if I would come back and lead a new customer service department to be known as “Farmers.com”, which eventually grew to 50 employees and three supervisors who reported to me. I was asked to start up another similar department at the Farmers Insurance Office in Kansas City, which further increased my knowledge of what it takes to begin a successful new enterprise.

My experience at Farmers broadened my horizons very much and provided me with plenty of exposure to the “corporate world”. I got to know several of the executives from the local office and the Los Angeles home office, where I gained an understanding of what’s important to people with high positions at big national companies, including the importance of an available and educated local workforce, and the importance of having an operation in a community that had good infrastructure, good curb appeal, as well as amenities and recreation that the employees and executives could enjoy. While employed at Farmers, I graduated from Leadership Pocatello, became the chair of the Community Beautification Committee, a board member for the Portneuf Greenway, the Portneuf Valley Paintfest, the Bengal Athletic Boosters, and a board member for the Pocatello-Chubbuck Chamber of Commerce.

At Farmers, I held positions of increasing responsibility. I was fully vested and enjoyed a stable and satisfying career. Economically, I had no reason to ever think about leaving the company. Everything changed when I saw the advertisement for an Executive Director at Pocatello Neighborhood Housing Services, which later became NeighborWorks Pocatello. I had some knowledge about PNHS because of my volunteer involvement in the local community, and I especially liked how PNHS was replacing unsafe, dilapidated structures and vacant lots with new homes in Pocatello neighborhoods. I was also drawn to its mission of helping lift and revitalize older neighborhoods in the city through its support of neighborhood associations. The love of my community was calling me. After a short period of contemplation, I decided to throw my hat in the ring and was lucky enough to be hired as Executive Director.

Three people stand behind a metal sign in a landscaped park on a sunny day with trees, rocks, and houses in the background. The sign reads "My Dahlquist."

People gathering outdoors near a trailer, with some wearing safety vests, in a community event on a sunny day.

Four people standing indoors holding a large check, with two men on the left and a woman on the right, in a room with a beige wall and a small table.

A man standing outdoors on a dirt field with trees in the background, smiling at the camera.

Three men sitting at a panel discussion in a conference room.

Housing is Mark’s Legacy

When I accepted the position of Executive Director at PNHS in January of 2007, the organization was in disarray, to say the least, and I knew that, but I still accepted the challenge. My love of community kept calling. PNHS was strong under the leadership of Richard Stallings, but things went off the rails for a while after Richard retired. Two executive directors were hired and left within a two-year period after Richard’s tenure caused lots of instability, especially financially. PNHS was (and still is) one of just two organizations in Idaho chartered by and partially funded by NeighborWorks America. I won’t go into great detail about what caused the organization to falter so much before 2007, but one month after I took over, NeighborWorks America conducted a thorough on-site review. The on-site review resulted in PNHS being downgraded from its “strong” status to “vulnerable”. We were facing the serious risk of losing our charter and shut our doors if we didn’t turn things around. Things were gloomy, but I knew the organization had an experienced and committed Board of Directors, there were partners out there willing to help us climb out of a deep hole, and I felt capable of my leadership abilities and ability to bring people together for a common cause.

It took a while to get PNHS (now NeighborWorks Pocatello) into a stable position and in the “black”. The audits kept happening. We were being watched and closely scrutinized. About a year later, our status was upgraded from vulnerable to “satisfactory”. Two years later, we were elevated to “strong” and a couple of years after that, elevated to “exemplary”, which is the highest possible rating by NeighborWorks America. NeighborWorks Pocatello has kept its exemplary status for over 12 years now. We’ve tapped into a much greater array of funding sources, including more private (non-government) funding. NeighborWorks Pocatello is mighty, robust, and strong with now over $12 million in assets, which is triple the amount of assets compared to when I took over in 2007.

One of the things I’ve loved the most about leading NeighborWorks is the importance it places on resident engagement. As a nonprofit housing developer, we do so many impactful things with housing, but to truly revitalize a neighborhood and make it a neighborhood of choice, it takes dedicated residents who are willing to “roll up their sleeves” and be a force for change. Without good grass-roots efforts and pride in place, neighborhoods (and communities) will never realize their full potential. Residents who become engaged watch out for one another, they take part in safety and cleanup campaigns, facilitate beautification projects, and all sorts of hidden talents are uncovered. In leading the organization, I’ve done everything I can to support and help fund resident engagement efforts.

I’ve also come to understand during my tenure at NeighborWorks that everyday residents need a platform where they can have a voice. We give them a voice by having them fill seats on our board and teaching them leadership skills. On a monthly basis, we invite our resident leaders to our monthly Community & Government Relations Committee meeting. At these meetings, resident leaders learn best practices, have a chance to ask questions of the police department, code enforcement, and other city staff members. Our engagement staff also holds workshops on a quarterly basis with neighborhood leaders where they teach them important new skills, such as effectively advocating for issues important to them, effectively working with and persuading local city government, grant writing, marketing, and how to start up neighborhood associations and be effective neighborhood association meeting facilitators. I’m proud of the fact that we’ve done everything we can to make sure the common Pocatello resident is heard.

My experience in both the corporate and the community development/non-profit worlds makes me a uniquely qualified candidate. I know all four corners of this community. I’m an experienced leader and proven executive who has earned the respect and trust of a broad range of folks. I made the jump and took a chance in 2007 to begin a career in community development because I wanted to make Pocatello better and more vibrant. As mayor, I’ll use that experience (turnarounds, cross-sector partnerships, and resident leadership) to strengthen city services, revitalize neighborhoods, and deliver results for every part of Pocatello.

Group of eight people standing with shovels in front of construction equipment on a dirt site during daytime, with blue sky and mountains in the background.

Four women and one man standing in front of a Pocatello sign, holding a large check for $500.00.

Group of people celebrating a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside of a building.

Group of seven people standing together inside a building, holding a large ceremonial check for five million ninety-five thousand dollars from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines. The background has a green banner with the bank's name, an American flag, and a blue flag. There is a news ticker at the bottom of the image indicating the event is related to non-profit grants awarded in Pocatello.

Two men shaking hands outdoors with a red building and other people in the background.

I’m ready to lead this city as mayor because I believe Pocatello deserves a leader who knows every corner of this community and believes in its future and potential.