When Mark Lipman connected with Verstela, he was looking for a temporary job after completing a 12,000-mile poetry tour.
“I arrived in Seattle with about $500 in my pocket,” Mark said. “I knew I needed to get my finances back in shape.”
The challenge? Mark hadn’t looked for a traditional job in nearly 20 years. As a professional poet, writer, and publisher, most of his work had been in the arts.
“I didn’t know how I was going to find employment,” he said.
So, Mark searched online for temp agencies in Seattle—and that’s when he found Verstela’s Seattle, WA branch.
“When I called Verstela, you guys found me work right away. Everything happened so quickly,” Mark said.
Within a few days, he had completed a phone interview, finished his paperwork, and started a warehouse position.
At first, Mark thought it would only last a week.
“I figured it was just a temp thing,” he said. “Then they asked me to stay another week… and another week. Eventually they just said, ‘Keep coming in.’”
Mark approached the job with the same dedication he brings to his creative work.
“I wanted to make a good impression. I showed up, kept my head down, and just did the work.”
Mark quickly became one of the top performers in the warehouse. No matter which department he worked in, he ranked near the top of the productivity list.
“Nothing in life is that difficult,” Mark said. “It’s about how you direct your energy. Do you put in as much as you can, or do you sit back? I try to put in my best.”
His efforts didn’t go unnoticed.
For Mark, the job quickly became something more meaningful.
“The people here are cool,” he said. “It’s not your cookie-cutter company. It’s a whole bunch of eclectic types who might not fit in anywhere else, but we all come together. I fit in very well here.”
The job also had a big impact on Mark’s life outside of work.
“This job has given me financial stability that I haven’t seen before in my lifetime,” Mark said.
Mark lives in a school bus he converted into a mobile home for his poetry tours. When he arrived in Seattle, the bus still had a loan attached to it.
“Now I own it outright,” he said. “I don’t have any bills hanging over me.”
That freedom means he can continue pursuing the creative work he loves.
This summer Mark will take his “poetry bus” back on tour—performing across North America and continuing his work as a poet, publisher and editor.
And when Mark returns to Seattle? The team has already told him he’ll be welcomed back.
“They told me when I come back, I can just start working again,” he said.
Mark’s advice for job seekers? He says finding Verstela was the smartest way he could have approached his job search.
“There’s a basic rule in life—work smart, not hard,” he said. “Looking for a temp agency was me working smart. If I had tried to do it on my own, it might have taken months. Verstela got me work right away.”
And what began as a one-week temp job turned into an opportunity that helped him build stability, community, and the freedom to continue doing what he loves.
We’re glad Mark found Verstela when he needed work — and we’re proud to see how that opportunity positively impacted his life and his creative journey.
If you’re looking for work, take a look at our job board to see what opportunities might be available near you.
