Mark Johnson

Developing Software for Fortune® 500 and High-Growth Companies | Managing Partner and Co-Founder at Michigan Software Labs | Forbes Technology and Fast Company Executive Board

Mark spends his time talking with leaders who feel growing pressure to modernize, but aren’t convinced the next move is the right one yet.

Across hundreds of conversations with CEOs, CIOs, VPs, and executives, he sees a familiar pattern: internal teams are stretched thin, legacy systems are holding things back, and there’s no shortage of ideas. But there is plenty of uncertainty about where to invest, what to tackle first, and how much risk is acceptable. Too often, organizations move quickly into execution before they’re aligned on the real problem they’re trying to solve.

As co-founder of Michigan Software Labs, Mark’s role sits early in that decision journey. He helps leaders slow down just enough to clarify what matters and determine whether moving forward actually makes sense. When there is a clear opportunity, MichiganLabs’ senior strategy, design, and engineering teams carry that clarity through execution.

Mark brings perspective shaped by both entrepreneurship and long-term relationship building. He serves on the Board of Directors for The Economic Club of Grand Rapids and has been recognized as one of the Grand Rapids 200 Most Powerful Business Leaders and a Grand Rapids Business Journal 40 Under 40.

He enjoys helping organizations avoid costly missteps and make digital investments they can stand behind, and this focus is deeply personal.

Mark comes from a family of builders. His great-grandfather founded Forslund Furniture Company in 1935 and grew it through craftsmanship, storytelling, and enduring relationships. Mark sees MichiganLabs as a modern extension of that legacy: different tools, but the same commitment to doing good work with care.

Outside of work, Mark is a husband and father of four daughters. Evenings are often spent playing dress-up or princess, and he enjoys tennis, golf, ping-pong, and staying active in his church and local tech community.

Managing Partner

Michigan Software Labs develops custom mobile, web, and Internet of Things (IoT) software for clients ranging from locally owned businesses to Fortune 500 companies. Recognized as a leader in UX/UI design, with millions of end users to date, Michigan Software Labs was named one of the Top UX Design Companies in the U.S. by Clutch and the Inc. Best Places to Work Award.

Club 55  - Business Experts for Marketing & Sales

Expert Member

Steinbeis Tranferzentrum Digitale Medien und Kommunikation

Experten des Steinbeis Transferzentrums beraten Unternehmen in Planung digitaler Medienprojekte. Als Projektentwickler für individuelle Digital- und Medienprojekte profitieren Unternehmen von neuesten wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen für die Projektentwicklung und von den Erfahrungen aus zahlreichen Projektumsetzungen. Beispiele auf der Homepage.

Projektumsetzungen Digitale Medien und individuelle Unternehmenslösungen

KI-TOOLPARTY

Co-Founder

Berater, Coach und Projektmentor für Digitale Medienprojekte in Unternehmen.

Berater für strategisches Marketing

Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg

Full Professor for Digital Media & Applied Mediamanagement

Leading Expert for using Digital Media, Leadership and Marketing

Keynote Speaker

Keynotes and Books

Author Business Books

Bundesverband Medien und Marketing (BVMM) e.V.

Präsident

LearnAct GmbH

Founder and CEO. LearnAct war ein sehr erfolgreiches Projekt. Begonnen als Single-Beratungsbude wuchs die Firma schnell zu einem digitalen Verlag und Dienstleister. Das aufzubauen und schliesslich operativ zu führen mit zahlreichen Mitarbeitern und einem großen Netzwerk war eine der wichtigsten Lernerfahrungen.

Founder & CEO

Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA

Am Gabler Verlag war ich verantwortlich für das Management Entwicklungsprogramm und den digitalen Vertrieb aller Veranstaltungen und Konferenzen.

Projektmanager

I am a professor for digital media, media management and digital communication at the DHBW in Mannheim. With my 13 books and more than 25 years of experience in the conception, planning and implementation of digital media in companies, I have been available for many years as an expert for the digital and individual transformation of companies. 

🎓 I trained as an industrial clerk and studied economics and business education in Oldenburg. Both shaped my attitude towards business, leadership and education.

💪🏻 I didn't have the money for my studies. But I let my passion for computers flow into my first start-up in 1990. After four years of study I was well known. Every third person at the university studied with my computer. 

😖 After my studies, my professor offered me a doctorate in economics. Full of verve I started writing. After one and a half years of financial deprivation and desk work, I was at the provisional end. Money was running out. 

💪🏻💪🏻 I followed a job offer at the Management Academy in Bad Harzburg. This is the place that became popular in the 1970s thanks to "management by delegation".

🛠🛠 In 1997 I founded my second start-up. With "mediana Unternehmensentwicklung" I developed the first digital business models.

🏦 It only took a year when I was approached by a headhunter from the Bertelsmann Group. My "digital skills" were of the utmost importance to the new CEO Thomas Middelhoff, the interview revealed. A large media group was still missing in my experience. 

🛠🛠🛠 It happened as it had to happen: after about three years I left the group and decided to become self-employed for good. So I founded my third start-up, the "LearnAct! GmbH". I managed this company for eleven years as managing owner with up to 15 employees. Again I supported companies in their digital and communication processes. 

🎓🎓 In 2007 I was then called to the Duale Hochschule in Mannheim. The university places great emphasis on theory and practice in its programs. Very important! In addition, it was the course of studies "Digital Media", in which I built up the course of studies "Media Management" with the start of 2010. 

🎤 In 2010 I started to shape my experiences in books and lectures as a keynote speaker. It is my second passion.

Gerald Lembke

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Mark Johnson

Gerald Lembke

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