RFID association founder · Founded RFID Tribe (2003 · 2010) · cited by O’Reilly & Packaging World
Dallas–Fort Worth, United States
Work formatOfficeHybridRemoteEverything above is an outside read of where you've been. This is the one block you write yourself — the direction you're steering toward.
Evidence shows he founded and led RFID Tribe, with public speaking and press coverage, and later operated a digital marketing agency for a decade. Earlier finance/operations roles at TI/Alcatel suggest comfort with operational leadership; the DHL/Exel CFO claim remains unconfirmed beyond context.
Career trajectory
Read purely by the companies on record — the same shortcut a recruiter takes.
finance analyst/manager
Unconfirmed
operations/finance leader
Unconfirmed
CFO (unit) claim
Unconfirmed
founder / president
owner / founder
Progression from corporate finance/operations into founder/owner roles, culminating in leading an industry association and later a marketing agency.
AscendingThe DHL/Exel CFO step is unconfirmed beyond LinkedIn and should be validated.
I can help founders and teams build and energize professional communities in niche tech markets. I’ve led a practitioner association (RFID Tribe), spoken at university and industry events, and set up practical mechanisms like member registries. I also help small businesses scope, launch, and iterate websites and digital marketing programs — the day‑to‑day mechanics of content, SEO, and design that drive results for SMBs.
›Stand up a professional association and member registry
›Plan and deliver a university/industry talk in a technical niche
›Scope and ship a small‑business website + basic SEO
Founder and spokesperson of RFID Tribe, a Dallas/Plano-rooted RFID professional association cited by O’Reilly’s RFID Essentials and featured by Packaging World and Control Engineering. Spoke at Baylor University RFID programs (2006–2007) and IEEE RFID 2007, with Baylor’s 2007 program noting he lived in Plano with his wife and three children. Authored a 2007 technical note on the Low Level Reader Protocol (LLRP). From 2008 to 2018 he operated Big Spark Media, a digital marketing/creative agency tied to 3212 Wells Dr, Plano via multiple independent directories and client reviews naming him. Earlier career includes finance/operations roles at Texas Instruments and Alcatel; a 2002–2003 CFO role at a DHL/Exel Irving unit is listed on LinkedIn but lacks third‑party confirmation beyond Exel context.
An outside read, based on the evidence found.
This reads as an RFID community founder with credible mid‑2000s press and conference presence, who later ran a small digital agency in Plano. The strongest anchors — O’Reilly crediting him as RFID Tribe’s founder, Packaging World coverage, and Baylor/IEEE listings — make the association leadership hard to dispute. The marketing agency footprint is well‑corroborated by multiple directories and client reviews tying him by name to a specific Plano address. The one soft spot is an unconfirmed CFO claim at a DHL/Exel unit; context exists, but third‑party validation does not.
O’Reilly’s book, Packaging World coverage, Control Engineering quotes, and Baylor/IEEE programs consistently present him as RFID Tribe’s founder/president.
Multiple independent press citations
Packaging World and Control Engineering covered RFID Tribe with Johnson named as founder/president.
Conference programs list him as speaker
Baylor 2006/2007 and IEEE RFID 2007 list/recap his participation as RFID Tribe’s leader.
Book chapter credits the founding
O’Reilly’s RFID Essentials explicitly states the organization was founded by Mark Johnson.
The DHL/Exel CFO role (2002–2003) appears only on LinkedIn; open‑web shows Exel context but no appointment confirmation.
Home‑office footprint at 3212 Wells Dr, Plano Multiple directories and a client review tie Big Spark Media and Mark Johnson to this address.
Domain timing matches tenure WHOIS snapshot shows bigsparkmedia.com created in May 2008, aligning with LinkedIn’s BSM dates.
Name collision risk in Texas records A different Mark D. Johnson appears in a Texas appellate case — highlighting verification caution.
Web sources + resume claims · 6 roles need confirmation
Big Spark Media (Media Company BSM) — Owner
Verified · 6 sources2008-05 — 2018-03
Ran a Plano-based digital/creative agency providing web, branding and marketing services; public listings tie the firm to 3212 Wells Dr and client reviews name him personally.
RFID Tribe — Founder & President
Verified · 5 sources2003 — 2010
Founded and served as spokesperson for an RFID professional association; credited as founder by O’Reilly and quoted/featured by Packaging World and Control Engineering; spoke at Baylor and IEEE RFID 2007.
2002 — 2003
Claims CFO scope over a U.S. subsidiary per LinkedIn; open‑web shows Exel’s U.S. presence in that era but no independent confirmation of this CFO role.
1998 — 2001
Operations leadership in a network applications division; details self‑reported on LinkedIn.
Alcatel — Director of Finance and Administration – Cellular Switch Division
Self-reported0 of 1 · Ask1997 — 1998
Division‑level finance/administration leadership; self‑reported on LinkedIn.
1994 — 1996
Controller for a TI business unit; self‑reported on LinkedIn.
1996 — 1997
Finance manager in mobile computing at TI; self‑reported on LinkedIn.
Texas Instruments — Senior Financial Analyst – Information Technology Group
Self-reported0 of 1 · Ask1992 — 1994
Senior analyst in IT group; self‑reported on LinkedIn.
Digital development, design and marketing services for small businesses; operated from Plano with public listings tying the firm to 3212 Wells Dr and client reviews naming the owner.
A concise introduction to the Low Level Reader Protocol published under the RFID Tribe banner in 2007.
Featured as RFID Tribe’s chief/founder in Packaging World (Mar 31, 2006).
Quoted by Control Engineering as “Mark Johnson, president of RFID Tribe” (Aug 9, 2007).
IEEE RFID 2007 recap references “remarks and slides from Mark Johnson, founder of RFID Tribe.”
O’Reilly’s RFID Essentials credits him with founding RFID Tribe and thanks “Mark Johnson of RFID Tribe.”
Each read pairs a strength with a tension.
“This organization, founded by Mark Johnson”
“remarks and slides from Mark Johnson, founder of RFID Tribe”
“He resides in Plano, Texas with his wife and three children.”
A Brief Introduction to Low Level Reader Protocol (LLRP) — By: Mark Johnson/RFID Tribe
The University of Texas at Austin
BBA · Finance · 1980–1984
Per LinkedIn; Baylor 2007 program restates degrees in speaker bio.
Southern Methodist University
MBA · Marketing · 1991–1994
Per LinkedIn; Baylor 2007 program restates degrees in speaker bio.
Government filings (3)
Press & interviews (8)
Corporate & product (2)
Verification checks — ran clean (9)
Social & directories (1)
Mark Johnson works as Owner at Big Spark Media (Media Company BSM), based in Dallas–Fort Worth, United States.
Mark Johnson is a founder and community leader known for creating RFID Tribe and running Big Spark Media in Plano.
Mark Johnson has worked at 5 companies on record:
Projects and ventures Mark Johnson is behind:
Skills listed on Mark Johnson's profile: RFID community founder. I can help founders and teams build and energize professional communities in niche tech markets. Can teach: Stand up a professional association and member registry; Plan and deliver a university/industry talk in a technical niche; Scope and ship a small‑business website + basic SEO.
Mark Johnson's education:
Public mentions of Mark Johnson:
This profile also cites 3 public quotes from Mark Johnson.
Mark Johnson's public sites and channels:
This profile is assembled from 23 public sources, last aggregated 2026-10-22. Every fact carries a label: Verified (backed by two or more independent sources), Vouched (confirmed by a person who worked with them) or Self-reported. 4 facts are confirmed by cited sources. It is a public-source professional profile, not a background check.
Controlled by Mark Johnson
A registered account is linked to this profile — a living profile a real person maintains, not a passive scrape.
