Written by Doug Goodnough
Mark Kellogg, ’82, has always been involved in his community. From his upbringing in the small town of Coldwater, Michigan, to his time on the Hillsdale College campus, and over his 35-plus year career as an attorney in the Lansing area, Kellogg believes in giving back.
“My parents instilled in us to give back to the community in which we live,” he said. “My wife says I’m a sucker, and they can see me coming from a mile away.”
The former member of the Chargers football team who earned academic All-American honors as a linebacker is a business and tax attorney for Fraser Trebilcock in Lansing. Also being a certified public accountant brings a unique skillset to his job, which involves areas like business succession, cottage law and succession planning, estate planning, real estate law, contract law, tax law and planning, and non-profit law.
“It’s somewhat unusual,” said Kellogg of attorneys who also are CPAs. “I don’t know how many there are, but I think the combination is specialized and unique. I represent a lot of small and family businesses, so having that dual specialty has come in handy.”
Majoring in accounting at Hillsdale, Kellogg said the tutelage and advice he received from former faculty members like Dr. Febes Facey helped him get on the right career path.
“She knew I was going to law school, and she said, ‘You better make sure you sit for the CPA exam,’” Kellogg said of Facey. “So, I followed through and did that. And she made sure to remind me.”
After completing his law degree at Washington and Lee University, Kellogg worked at various firms in his home state before taking his current role.
He also has served in several leadership positions for legal organizations and is currently chair of the State Bar of Michigan Business Law and Probate and Estate Planning Sections. The former president of Fraser Trebilcock’s board of directors, Kellogg currently serves as co-chair of the firm’s Trusts and Estates department. He has also been actively involved in numerous charitable, trade, and community organizations, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Greater Lansing Catholic Education Foundation. Recently, he was elected as a councilman for the City of DeWitt, Michigan.
He said developing personal and professional relationships is a benefit of being involved in so many areas.
“I have represented families for years, and they become more like friends than clients,” Kellogg said. “We get invited to their kids’ weddings and this and that. It’s what I enjoy the most.”
Kellogg’s community involvement also extended to coaching, where he coached his son and daughter in various youth sports. Both played basketball collegiately: son Mathew at Kalamazoo College and daughter Breanna at Grand Valley State University.
If that wasn’t enough, he is also an entrepreneur. Kellogg, his wife, Cheryl, and two of his brothers also own and operate Penn Station East Coast Subs restaurants in Lansing, Plymouth, and Taylor.
While at Hillsdale, Kellogg had a standout career on and off the field. He earned a starting linebacking spot in 1980 under first-year head coach Dick Lowry. That team finished 7-3 and won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title, beating rival Grand Valley State in the process.
“Then our senior year, we went 10 and 2 and made the playoffs,” Kellogg said of the 1981 season. “I like to say that we started the whole playoff string, which ultimately led to a national championship four years later.”
A member of the Delta Sigma Phi fraternity and the Omicron Kappa Delta leadership honorary, Kellogg was the valedictorian of his Hillsdale graduating class, using those smarts on the football field.
“I probably wasn’t the most athletic kid out there, but I think I played my position technically well,” he said. “I worked hard and applied myself every day—and that contributed to my success in athletics and academics. My growth physically and athletically during my time at Hillsdale, and certainly from an academic standpoint, was a great experience.”
Doug Goodnough, ’90, is Hillsdale’s director of Alumni Marketing. He enjoys connecting with fellow alumni in new and wonderful ways.
Published in December 2024
