TechShop Shake-Up: Mark Hatch Resigns as CEO

Since it opened its doors almost a decade ago, TechShop has become one of the most well-known and widespread makerspaces in the country. Today, Founder and Chairmain Jim Newton made a big announcement about CEO Mark Hatch’s resignation. His letter to the TechShop mailing list is attached below; We’ve reached out to Hatch and will update this post as new information becomes available.

I am writing to let you and all our loyal TechShop members and friends know that Mark Hatch has just resigned his position as CEO of TechShop, Inc. to pursue new opportunities outside of TechShop.

I want to assure you that the Board of Directors is prepared to move forward with a succession plan quickly and decisively, but first, I want to recognize Mark for his many contributions to TechShop.

Mark joined TechShop 7 years ago at a time when we were sorely in need of his executive level experience in business development and brand building if we were to grow beyond our original Menlo Park location. Over the years Mark has worked tirelessly to win partnerships and new sources of funding that have enabled us to grow from that single location on Independence Drive to 12 locations across 4 continents.

Mark Hatch said in his resignation statement, “After considerable thought and consultation, I’ve reached one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make. I’ve decided that I can help TechShop and the Maker Movement the most by stepping down from the day-to-day demands of being TechShop’s CEO. I’ve come to the conclusion that I can help grow the movement faster and better by opening up my calendar to more policy, educational, corporate speaking, writing and consulting engagements.”

Mark leaves us poised and prepared to tackle new markets and bold new initiatives in the months to come. I will miss Mark dearly, and I wish him nothing but the best.

Effective immediately, Dan Woods will assume the role of CEO. As you may know, Dan was one of the co-founders of Make: Magazine, Maker Faire and the original Maker Shed store. After joining TechShop in 2012 as COO he’s developed a world-class team that has successfully designed, built and launched nine new locations. Recently, as a member of our Board of Directors Dan has been working with the leadership team to evaluate and plan new initiatives focused on improving member experience and store performance.

Dan and I are united in our passion for the maker movement, and steadfast in our commitment to TechShop’s mission, employees, and members. While we are acutely aware of the many challenges that stand before us as a team, we are also exceptionally bullish about what the future holds for all of us — as individuals and as a family. Over the upcoming days expect to hear more from Dan and me with regards to future direction and initiatives.

Please join me in expressing our gratitude to Mark for a mission well done and in wishing him the very best of luck with his future endeavors.

Respectfully Yours,

Jim Newton
Founder and Chairman, TechShop, Inc.