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Clarity

Marcus Blankenship

Oregon

Enthusiastic, technical leader with an 18-year and over $750 million-dollar track record of delivering fantastic solutions on time and in budget.

Deep experience leading cross-functional teams in the design, research, and production of consumer-facing products.

Creo’s chief UX nitpick who believes in the centrality of simplicity—the art of maximizing the work not done.

$2.00/min

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13 Reviews

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Lean startup Leadership Teaching Programming Agile Development Strategic Consulting Agile Methodologies Professional Services Business Process Improvement

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Create a High-Functioning Software Team

Want to get more from your software team? Wish everyone could just "work together" and "get along"? Tired of finger-pointing and buck-passing? Are you constantly making excuses for the team's missed deadlines and poor quality? Does your team describe your organization as "chaotic" or "frustrating", and are you starting to see higher turn-over?

There is a better way. A high-functioning team of designers & developers doesn't come by accident. It comes though building a process which gives people the freedom to do great work, and gives management transparency into the process and deliverables to guide the development efforts.

I have hired, lead and coached cross-discplinary design & development teams for over 15 years. I look forward to helping you improve your process, product and team.

Improve Your Digital Agency

Are you feeling beat up by clients? Frustrated with contractors? Struggling to collect your A/R? Wishing you had someone on your side, no matter what, to help you improve all aspects of your small agency?

I've been there, I understand, and I can help. You can do this, but not alone.

I owned Creo Agency for 6 years, and grew it from nothing to a million-dollar a year Digital Agency / Consultancy, all while living in the Oregon desert, 300 miles from our nearest client.

Improve the Relationship With Your Business Partners

Are you struggling to work with your partner(s), finding that politics and hard-heartedness have crept into your business? Do you want to be on the same page with your partner, only to be frustrated time & again at your inability to pull together?

I've been there. It's awful. I can help.

Through ups & down I grew my three person business partnership to a $1 Million / year consultancy. Along the way I learned that a business partnership is much like a marriage, and tips & tricks to make it work. In addition, I've learned when to make the difficult decision to throw in the towel and go separate ways.

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Reviews 13

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Reviews

Working with Marcus has been great. He's very organized and knowledgeable and his communication skills are great. Without him a lot of the project would be without structure as he keeps all things in line. Additionally he understands to balance both the short term necessities and the long term strategies in a project. I'd work with him again on any project or bringing him into any organization without hesitation.

Bernd Weber Source: LinkedIn

Marcus' contribution is priceless -- I bear witness time again to his breath of ability coupled with his depth of knowledge in the digital space. Each time in awe.

In my role, I work with global consumer brands. With our client's brand equity in trust, only top tier designs, technical architectures and brand experiences will suffice. Each time, I choose to pair with Marcus and his team to tackle the most daunting challenges knowing that we will end in delight.

As our point person from Creo, Marcus is instrumental in translating concepts (vague as they may be) into sequenced actionable tasks. His value is felt from concept planning, through to commercial launch. At all times, we know that we can rely on Marcus' sense of practicality, judgement and know-how to usher the initiative forward. And when he does so in such an effortless and pleasant manner, it feels like magical.

It is without question that we continue to work together, and also without hesitation that I recommend Mr. B as a trusted senior leader to have along side to tackle any challenge.

Colin Kwong Source: LinkedIn

I have worked with Marcus in one fashion or another for 13 years. I have grown to depend on him as my “Chief Trusted Advisor”. I lean on Marcus to help me refine my thinking, pick the best ideas, and deliver quality solutions. He is a strategic thinker who is not afraid of rolling up his sleeves and digging into the details. Key to his success is that Marcus always challenges the core assumptions to make sure that mistakes are not made early in projects. This makes the outcome of working with him highly successful.

What I find the most interesting about Marcus is that he is learning constantly. His grasp of concepts both technical and strategic is ever expanding. He is a walking library of different ways to approach and think about things (this is usually thrown in with a book recommendation on the topic at hand).

Marcus is a proven thinker, leader, mentor, and manager. I find him enjoyable to work with, laugh with, and after more than a decade of working together I am proud to count him as a friend.

I highly recommend him as a Strategy Partner or Technical Leader.

Scott Queen Source: LinkedIn

I spent time working with Marcus at Jeld-Wen and then again at Creo, a digital agency in southern Oregon. Marcus and I collaborated on a variety of technical projects including web application development, analytics implementation, project management, and business development. Marcus is a skilled technology strategist and project manager with a proven track record of managing resources, budgets and personnel. His positive, energetic, good-humored demeanor made our time together most enjoyable. I can strongly recommended Marcus as technical strategist, consultant and project manager.

Brian Becker Source: LinkedIn

Marcus is a great thinker, troubleshooter, teacher, leader and collaborator. I have worked for/with Marcus in two different jobs, and he has always inspired me to think outside the box.

He can talk tech, and can speak in terms those not as familiar with, can understand. He can examine a situation and be able to bridge the gaps between real life needs and technology.

He is very detail oriented and leaves no stone unturned when examining a problem or a solution for a customer or with coworker. He is always looking for the efficient and right way to do things.

I am honored to have worked with him, and look forward to his great adventures in the future.

Kevin Crowder Source: LinkedIn

Marcus is a rare breed of developer who can dive hands-on into very complicated code and at the same be able to thoroughly discuss with clients in easy to understand terms.

I have worked with Marcus on several projects and I look forward to each. He is extraordinarily reliable, brings a fresh, creative approach and top-notch attitude. He makes my job easy. I can think of few other developers that possess such a wonderful skill set.

Jim Morrell Source: LinkedIn

In our dealings with Marcus he has always been very courteous, intelligent and responsive to communication. It is a pleasure to work with Marcus.

Zach Daily Source: LinkedIn

Marcus helped my office learn to effectively use Google Analytics. He taught us how to sift through all the data and focus on what was most important to our business. He not only provided monthly reports that summarized Google Analytics data, but also taught us how to sift through the data and create our own reports. He assisted us with updating our website to better reflect the way actual users navigated and used our site. Most importantly, he always explained things thoroughly and clearly so we were able to learn how to continue this work on our own. I would highly recommend him and his company.

Ann Hess Source: LinkedIn

I have worked with Marcus on several projects, and have always come away impressed. His expert technical guidance has been invaluable, and his leadership and communication skills are second to none. He's terrific at making sure everyone has a common understanding of the issues at hand, and pushing projects toward the finish line. I frequently recommend Marcus to colleagues without reservation.

Megan Hansen Source: LinkedIn

Marcus is a particularly intelligent individual who is also a talented business professional and first-rate leader. He is the rare technologist who understands the business side of things equally as well as the technology. On the numerous projects we worked together, Marcus was always an invaluable contributor and partner; consistently willing to visit or speak with the customer, or to counsel with the project team. He possesses an innate ability to understand the customer’s business needs and IT requirements, and turn them into practical solutions. His team was always motivated and consistently performed quality work on sometimes very tight schedules.

Marcus was a pleasure to work with and I will seek out his knowledge, expertise and guidance on other projects.

John Stavros Source: LinkedIn

An all round professional - with excellence in every facet and highly mature. Marcus has been responsible for crafting web based solutions, delivering wins and managing some of the most difficult engagements in a highly complex and challenging environment. Marcus is one of the most talented,well rounded person who has left his mark on my career. Being in the same project (eDTFM) I knew how Marcus was regarded with awe by others because of his consulting skills, his strong domain knowledge and above all a person who can handle situations. I have learnt a lot from him personally and professionally and he can add value to any organization he joins at any leadership role.

Gulshan Kharbanda Source: LinkedIn

Member since January 2014