Tampa BayChristian peer advisory groups

Mark Dillon

Mark joined C12 as the Area Chair for the Lakeland Florida area at the start of 2013.  Prior to joining C12, Mark led a steel distributor servicing the Florida market which employs roughly 120 employees and generates in excess of $60 million in sales.  He joined C12 as a  member in 1996.  Mark is one of the original C12 Board members.  Under his leadership, TBSC introduced corporate chaplaincy (CCA) and has revamped associate compensation to include 'pay for performance'.  Mark has been in the steel industry since 1985 and had earlier experience working for a national accounting firm, Touche Ross.  He is a graduate of the University of South Florida where he earned a degree in accounting. Mark and wife Cheryl were married in 1976.  They started dating at age 16 in Bradenton, Florida.  Both were born north of the Mason-Dixon line but have made the gulf coast of Florida their home for most of their lives. They have two married children, son Wes and wife Charlotte, daughter Kendall and husband Alex.  Both couples reside in the Tampa Bay area. Mark grew up active in the Catholic church,  but without a saving knowledge of Christ.  He had stopped attending church shortly after becoming married.  Eight years later, while part of an Evangelism Explosion program, Mark accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior.  These days, Mark and Cheryl are both active in their current church.

Ross Harrop

Ross’ journey to his calling as a C12 Group Chair is unique as he served in planning, development, and operational leadership positions in the non-profit sector for more than three decades.  His first career was as an executive with the Boy Scouts of America for 33 years.  With CEO experiences from coast-to-coast, as well as a role on the BSA’s National Staff, Harrop recognized his call to ministry in each leadership assignment within the character building movement that impacted his youth as he became an Eagle Scout.   However, it was in his second career as an Executive Pastor in Colorado Springs, CO that Ross was mentored on the teachings of Jesus (“the Kingdom of God is near”) and realized he was being prepared for a new vocation and ministry.  When Harrop was introduced to The C12 Group in early 2012 and its mission – “bringing forth the Kingdom of God in the marketplace” –  he knew where he was to be aligned with God in service.  It isn’t surprising that Ross’ life verse is Proverb 16:9, “In a man’s heart he plans his course but the Lord determines his steps.”   Ross has served in local churches and on community organization boards using his passion and skills in vision casting, fund raising, fiscal management, team building, board governance, and expanding ministry through organizations.  Ross and Jill his wife live in the Tampa Bay area and have three adult children and two granddaughters.

Scott Hitchcock

After completing three years of service with the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, D.C. and completing his MBA at George Washington University, Scott began his business career with Dale Carnegie Courses in New Orleans in 1971. He worked his way up the ladder with Dale Carnegie, becoming one of the top three salesmen in their global organization and earning the right to secure their Tampa Bay territory franchise in 1982. He served as President of Scott R. Hitchcock & Associates, Inc., offering Dale Carnegie Courses in Florida’s Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando counties. Sensing the need to have more input from other like-minded business owners, Scott became a member of C12’s Tampa group - Christian business CEOs/owners who join together once a month for advice and counsel regarding how to run their businesses both as thriving commercial enterprises and as Christian ministries. After three years as a C12 member, Scott felt the call on his life to become the first individual to follow C12’s founder, Buck Jacobs, into the vocational role as C12 Area Chair in 1998. Scott currently enjoys chairing two C12 Groups (CEOs/Owners) and one C12 Key Players Group.    Scott and his wife, Terry, make their home in Tampa.

Alex MacKinnon

My parents purchased a business and moved our family to Tampa Florida while I was in high school. After graduating from Brandon High School I attended Florida State University and studied economics. While working in the finance industry I became a Christian. Shortly after my conversion I returned to Tampa and joined the family business. After successfully leading the business for many years my father and I decided to sell it in June 2017. To assure a solid transition I worked with the new owners until retiring from MacKinnon Equipment in 2019. I believe that God has called me to equip Christian CEOs & owners to build great businesses for a greater purpose. I have 7 children & 5 grandchildren. My wife Melissa and I live in Tampa Florida.