Meet the Staff

Brad is originally from Alliance, Ohio.  He moved to West Frankfort, Illinois,  in 1981 and graduated from Frankfort Community High School in 1987.   After high school, Brad attended and graduated from John A. Logan College and then transferred to SIU-C and graduated with a B. S. in Political Science with a minor in Psychology in 1991.  Brad has worked at the Ford Hyundai Lincoln dealership in Marion since 1992, and there, he has held the positions of Salesperson, Body Shop Manager, Sales Manager, and General Manager.  In April of 2013, Brad became partners with Mike Absher when Nissan of Marion became a part of the Watermark Auto Group.  In 2019, Brad became the President of the Watermark Auto Group while continuing to serve as General Manager of Watermark Ford Hyundai and as a partner at Watermark Nissan of Marion.    Brad has been married to his wife Melanie since 1991, and they have one child, Mackenzie.  Melanie has been an English teacher since 1990, where she started her career in Cobden Unit School District 17.  In 1994, she took a position with Marion Unit 2 at Marion High School and served as an English teacher at MHS for 25 years.  Their daughter Mackenzie is currently a medical student at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

I was born and raised in Southern Illinois. I grew up in a "car family" on both the maternal and paternal-side as both of my grandfathers and both parents were car dealers. I started working in the shop as a custodian starting at age 12, and worked at the dealership until graduation from high school. 

I graduated Marion (Illinois) High School and then attended the United States Military Academy at West Point New York with the intention of being a career Army officer. I ultimately left the Academy and the Army voluntarily and returned home. As a 48-year-old, I wish I could talk to my 18-year-old self and take back that decision as I regret not staying and serving my country. That experience though has instilled in me a profound respect for those that have served! I then enrolled in SIU-Carbondale and graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration with a concentration in entrepreneurship. I worked at the family dealership throughout my college years as a warranty administrator and service writer.

Upon graduation, I was employed as Parts and Service Director, sales manager, used vehicle manager until I left the family company in 2003 to start a software firm named DealerWare LLC selling F&I Menu Selling software to car dealerships. We were very successful and this was the wildest ride of my life. We ultimately were endorsed by American Honda and were in the process of rolling out our software to the Honda dealerships nationwide, when our biggest competitor decided to take me out. And so, they did, and I sold DealerWare in 2006 to DealerTrack, Inc. 

I decided to get back into the business I missed so much and purchased Marion Ford, Inc in my hometown. I have since purchased three other dealerships, in Marion IL, Paducah KY, and Madisonville KY, and that has evolved into the Watermark Auto Group.

I have played the trumpet for nearly 38 years, and enjoy every opportunity I get to play in a brass quintet with some friends from high school and college. I also enjoy woodworking and have lots of cool equipment that is really dangerous, but I never turn on because I am too busy in the car business.

I have been married for 24 years to Cheryl, who is a licensed non-practicing attorney. We have three sons aged 20, 17, and 13.

I am retired from service on the Southern Illinois Healthcare Board of Trustees and as President of our local school board and was sworn in as Mayor of my hometown of Marion, Illinois on April 22, 2019.

Jesse is a transplant from Paducah, Kentucky. He is a graduate of Lone Oak High School and Murray State University.  Jesse joined the Watermark Auto Group in 2012 at Watermark Honda before he made his way to Watermark Ford-Hyundai in 2015.  In September 2022 Jesse is taking the reins as Executive Manager at Watermark Nissan of Marion. He and his wife, Meagan, married in 2011 after dating for only 7 weeks. He knows a good deal when he sees one! They welcomed their daughter Reese in 2017. Reese is already showing signs of sharing Daddy's passion for cars. When he isn't at the dealership, and the weather is right, the family may be seen cruising Marion in their Mustang Bullitt (Resse calls it the "race car").

Keith joined Watermark Auto Group in September 2014. He has been in the Automobile business in Southern Illinois for over 18 years. He has helped thousands of customers find the right car with a kind and honest approach! Keith is looking forward to opportunities to grow with Watermark.

Keith was born and raised in Council Bluffs Iowa. He is widowed and was married to his best friend, Carole, for 16 years, they have four children between them and 5 grandchildren. 

Keith Spent over 20 years in the insurance business as a regional manager for AFLAC. 

Keith enjoys spending time with his family. After trying his hand at stock car racing for a few years he is now a NASCAR fanatic. Keith is very community-oriented and lives in Christopher IL. Keith enjoys his hobby within the local haunt industry. They have spent many years running their own Haunted house benefiting local charities

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Jaret grew up in Marion, Illinois, and went to Marion High School graduating in 2013.  He was a state champion golfer in high school and still maintains a better than a scratch handicap.  In his spare time, Jaret enjoys fishing, hiking, and lifting weights.  He has never been in sales prior to coming to Watermark Nissan of Marion but he has quickly realized sales will be what he does for the rest of his life.  We are blessed to have him on our team

Spencer Lundgren has been with Watermark Auto Group on and off throughout his college years at Maryville University. He's held several different positions, working in detail, service, and now working full-time in Sales at Watermark Nissan of Marion. He has lived in Marion, IL., his whole life, and graduated from Marion High School in 2017. Stop by and see Spencer, he is excited to start building relationships with his future customers!

We are so pleased to announce that Josh Bloodworth has been promoted to Service Manager for Watermark Nissan of Marion. 

Timmy is originally from Chicago and now resides in Creal Springs. Prior to coming to work at Watermark Nissan of Marion, Timmy worked at Rural King and Fazoli's. More details to come! But we are happy to have Timmy join our team.

Zach was born in Herrin and went to Marion High School. He currently lives in Herrin. He has worked in the car business for 10+ years either detailing cars or building car parts. When Zach isn't at work - he enjoys hanging out with his son.

Josh was born and raised in West Frankfort. He has been working on cars for about a year and enjoys learning more and more about them. In his spare time, he enjoys working on his car and hanging out with his friends. He is currently single and loves his German Shepherd, Baxter and peek-a-poo, Rocky.

William is from Panama City, Florida but currently resides with his wife, Emily, in Harrisburg. 

Details regarding Hunter are coming soon.

Tyler joins us from Edwardsville and now lives in Herrin.  He has earned his Associate's Degree in Automotive Technology and has been working in the field since 2014.  He started here at Watermark Nissan of Marion in December of 2015 as an Express Lane Service Technician and moved to Express Lane Service Consultant. Recently, Tyler has been moved to Parts Manager. He has been married to his wife Becky since October of 2018.  In his spare time, Tyler enjoys camping, kayaking/ boating, working on his project truck/racing(in my own vehicles of course) and target shooting.

I was born and raised in Davenport Iowa, I met my wife Joyce, and we moved to southern Illinois because she is from here. I have an 8 yr old son and 6 yr old daughter. I enjoy Sports, "GO CHIEFS AND CARDINALS" and most cars and drag racing. most of my free time is spent with my family by the pool or on a day trip to explorer southern Illinois.

Although David is new to the automotive business, he brings a lot of experience to our team.  David was in the power sports business for over 31 years as a dealership owner representing Honda, Kawasaki, Polaris, Yamaha & Arctic Cat.  David enjoys power sports (can't imagine why) and music.  David is married to his beautiful wife, Wanda. 

Keith went to school for automotive technology at Rend Lake College where he was certified in multiple automotive classes. He is currently studying business management.

When you call Watermark Nissan of Marion, you are greeted with the sweetest voice, that voice belongs to Katelyn Sims. Katelyn was born and raised right here in Marion, and although she has never been in the car business, she grew up around her grandpa who was.