Mark Working

Mark Working is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Zachary Scott & Co., a Seattle-based boutique investment bank that advises privately held middle-market companies on mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, capital raising, recapitalizations, and distressed situations. He has more than 30 years of experience advising owners of closely held businesses across the Pacific Northwest. His firm contact is [hidden] / 206.224.7382.

Working's career began outside finance — he started as a transportation planner before earning an MBA in finance from the University of Washington's Foster School of Business. He then moved into commercial banking and, by the late 1980s, into investment banking within Bank of America's Pacific Northwest division. When Bank of America reorganized to focus on larger enterprises, leaving the middle market underserved, Working left with partners William S. Hanneman and Frank Buhler to launch their own firm.

The firm was founded on August 1, 1991. Its name is a personal one: "Zachary" is the name of Working's oldest son, and "Scott" is the "S" in William S. Hanneman. The partners built Zachary Scott specifically to serve the private companies and owners that the big banks overlooked, positioning themselves — in their own words — as "more financial engineers than salesmen" who give honest counsel grounded in rigorous economic analysis even when an owner would prefer a rosier story.

Working describes his work as a matter of "variety, people, and puzzles," noting the business has let him "work with great people in so many different situations and apply my creativity to solve business problems." Outside of work he and his wife Molly are avid travelers (Africa, China, South America, Australia, Europe) and he enjoys golf, skiing, hiking, fishing, and sporting events, with Park City, Utah a favorite retreat.

• Acts as an M&A and corporate-finance advisor, not a fund investor — engagements center on ownership transitions, sales, recapitalizations, financings, and distressed/special situations for private middle-market companies.
• Focuses on family- and founder-owned Pacific Northwest businesses that are typically underserved by national banks.
• Philosophy of independence and intellectual honesty: the firm states it is "more financial engineers than salesmen," declines engagements outside its areas of expertise, and gives candid, analysis-driven advice rather than what a client wants to hear.
• Typically runs competitive, process-driven sales — e.g., on the US BioTek mandate the firm was "retained on an exclusive basis to represent the shareholders" and "organized a competitive sale process that attracted a range of bids from industry participants and qualified financial buyers."
• The firm also operates an Investments & Partnerships practice (led by David Working) and has worked for family offices, private equity firms, and Alaska Native Corporations on acquisitions, financing, and portfolio strategy.