Meet MPC's Marc Payne: Planning Technician and So Much More

Marc Payne is a busy man. His many duties at MPC include, but are not limited to, working as a planning technician, being the videographer for MPC meetings, and serving his fellow employees as the "copier whisperer."

Laughing, Marc says about his duties, "One of my coworkers, Mike Brusseau, says I am the ?MPC utility man.' You name it and I've either done it, am doing it, or will do it if asked."

While his workdays are certainly full, it's during his off hours that Marc really multitasks. In his "spare" time, he writes, plays guitar, fishes, gardens, draws, teaches, and calls Alcoa football on Merle FM. Whew!

With all those irons in the fire, it's a good thing he's managed to merge two of his favorite activities into one calling: fly fishing and writing. Marc has just signed a book deal to write a how-to manual on fly fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As a regular columnist for Southern Trout, Montana Fly Fishing, The Drake, Trout, Dead Mule, and Piscaphilia magazines, Marc has already put a number of words on paper on the topic of fly fishing. In his upcoming book?he's written four novels, too, but this will be his first published work?he'll concentrate on the history, geography, streams, and wildlife of the park as they relate to fly fishing.

Born and raised in Campbell County, Marc is a country boy at heart. He's lived in cities big and small? Detroit, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, and Knoxville?and has adapted to city life, but it is nature that soothes him.

"As corny as it may sound, I have really been blessed with coworkers that I honestly like and enjoy being around, so I don't have that many rough days," Marc said. "But when bad days do come, I put myself in a stream somewhere and listen to the water. That fixes a lot of my cares."

With all of his accomplishments, it's the basics that guide him: faith, family, nature, the written word, and solitude are all on his list of important things. When asked the one thing he's most proud of, he answers without hesitation: "My wife and kids. If I have done nothing else in my life, I have been blessed with an amazing wife and four kids who are incredible."

Posted 04-17-2013. Written by Sarah Powell.