With the foresight to spot the road less traveled, Marlene became a partner at Phipps Creative Services in 1990. Not just another agency, Marlene and husband Doug stepped off the beaten path, offering graphic design and illustration services to some of the Twin Cities’ most recognizable Fortune 500 companies, such as 3M, General Mills, and Fingerhut.
While it would have been easy for Marlene to simply stay the course, continuing along a path of success with the boutique graphic design firm, she instead followed her instincts and steered her entrepreneurial savvy in a new direction. In 1993, Marlene launched Freelance Creative Services, blazing the trail with an innovative and original kind of agency in response to a previously untapped marketplace demand for qualified creative and tech freelancers to work on-site.
The venture quickly gained traction and soon husband Doug agreed to co-pilot. Business accelerated quickly, and Marlene welcomed her sons aboard, Robert and John Arnold. The company was on the fast track to success, evolving into what is known today as Celarity, a staffing and recruiting company for marketing, creative, and technology teams.
The future is an open road and for Marlene, it’s always more about the journey than the destination.
*Certified Staffing Professional (CSP)