Although MK Illumination is present worldwide, with 40+ local offices that put together as many as 4,000 lighting installations each year, there’s no board of directors or hedge fund behind the company’s rapid growth over the last twenty years.
MK Illumination is run by Klaus Mark, his wife Marie, and his twin brother Thomas – who is a full five minutes older than Klaus.
It all began in 1996 in a garage near Innsbruck, with Klaus traveling through the Austrian region of Tyrol with a suitcase full of holiday lights, decorating the gabled roofs of the region’s winter sports luminaries and the Christmas trees of local hotel lobbies. Back then, the few creative lighting materials he used still came from the USA, which had a long tradition of exuberant Christmas lighting displays.
Klaus, frustrated with the poor quality materials on offer, spotted an opportunity to develop a new connection system inspired by the Gardena garden hose fitting system. He called this QuickFix™, and with the help of his brother Thomas’ sales skills, his wife Marie’s talent for sustaining relationships, and his business savvy, the three we’re able to take advantage of the then new LED technology, partnering with suppliers who specialized in high-quality patented and certified LEDs that simulated candlelight.
The rest, as they say, is history, and MK Illumination has gone from strength to strength. The company now has local offices on 6 of the world’s 7 continents, and not only creates lighting experiences for the festive season, but also for seasons and events throughout the year.
