CEO Dennis Marlin founded Marlin Network in 1985 as a way to bring a creative focus to product marketing. The company is now the largest local advertising company in terms of number of employees and holds an enviable client list that includes Starbucks (Nasdaq: SBUX), Nestlé Professional, Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG), Bush Brothers Beans, Splenda and Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies. On March 26, Marlin Network officials learned they beat out Springfield-based Noble Communications Co. and two Chicago firms to become the agency of record for Unilever Food Solutions, a food-service division of multinational conglomerate Unilever (NYSE: UN and UL).
Marlin says Marlin Network, which posted capitalized billings of $65 million in 2011, could experience a 20 percent jump in 2012 billings as a result of marketing products such as Hellmann’s mayonnaise, Lipton teas, and Knorr seasonings and soups for the Unilever division.
“I think we’ve hired six people this week, and another six are getting ready to come on board,” Marlin says May 24 of the network that currently employs 107.
“Obviously, this is a great opportunity for us to round out the business we already have.”
Marlin Network is a collection of six Springfield-based companies that includes three full-service advertising agencies – Marlin, The Alchemedia Project and Food IQ – that specialize in food and beverage, business-to-business and consumer marketing. The other three entities in the network are Deep, Star Awards and Marlin Network Consulting Group.
Marlin says he’s always been focused on finding and hiring creative individuals who can serve the needs of the diverse client base.
“We felt people needed creative thinking in business. We wanted to focus all of our talents on helping our clients’ businesses grow,” Marlin says. “What we ask of all of the people who come to work for us is that they bring their creative talents.”
While the business has changed from drawing tables to laptops through the years, the focus on utilizing creativity for the benefit of clients remains.
“It all boils down to the people,” Marlin says. “I think what our clients are looking for in the marketplace is strategic thinking and thought leadership. That’s what they recognize and see coming out of us, and that’s what they need the most.”
An employee stock ownership plan, finalized in November, was created as a way to make sure the company’s contributions in the community continue for years to come.
“(The ESOP) rewards those people who have helped build (the company). And for the people who will build it in the future, it allows them to be rewarded as well,” Marlin says. “This business won’t stop the day I decide I want to retire.”
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