In their previous lives they were marketing and communication professionals. And now they source talent. Celia came to The Maris Group via advertising agencies and consumer beverage (think ice cold Coors). Kathryn through consumer products and telecom. Having been marketers themselves means Maris is uniquely suited to finding the right talent for you and your business needs. Additionally, if you are a contractor, we look forward to matching you with the perfect gig.
Kathryn Ake
Co-founder / Principal
Business Management • Integrated Marketing • Strategic Planning • Product/Brand Management • Market Research
Kathryn brings a rich background of marketing and communications experience to Maris clients. Her exceptional marketing skills span a variety of disciplines and were honed in a broad range of industries including telecommunications with MCI and four Baby Bell companies, and packaged goods with Gerry Baby Products, Ore-Ida Frozen Foods, and Coors Food Products division.
Kathryn’s experience as a marketing professional makes placing marketing resources in client situations a natural fit. She draws on her own past experience in the role of a marketing professional to understand a client’s need.
“I’ve been in similar positions as most of our clients and have done the types of work they face every day. When a client calls us and their workload is overwhelming, or calls to plan ahead for anticipated capacity and resource issues, we understand the pain firsthand and respond with the best candidates to fill the need with very little explanation. We send the resources we wish we had when we were in the same spot.”
Before starting The Maris Group, Kathryn was a consultant and independent contractor for eight years doing exactly the types of assignments and projects —working in the same type of situations — as the resources she places today. She has an insider’s view of the clients’ side of the marketing need and the resources’ perspective of getting the work done.
Celia C. Sheneman
Co-founder / Principal
A passion for empowerment and a fierce independent streak motivated Celia to create Maris.
“Whether it is the client or the consultant, we work with people to empower them to find the right life/work blend. It’s now a 24/7/365 world and for the client, this means Maris empowers them to meet any challenge the marketplace or their boss, might throw at them. For the talent, it empowers them to tap another revenue stream so they can live the independent life they have chosen.”
This belief in the flexibility of the workplace is practically a religion. The plug-and-play scenario has been well received in the marketplace and is very much a core Maris philosophy.
“Blending the intuitive with the analytical is today’s talent challenge,” according to Celia.
Celia came to found her own company after entering the workforce as a copywriter and rising through the ranks to Creative Director and Vice President at several advertising agencies. Her ten-years at Coors Brewing Company involved her in corporate communications, product communications, and ultimately community relations where she created Coors’ “Literacy Pass It On” outreach campaign addressing adult literacy. She went on to manage the national charitable giving program for Coors.
Just Who Is This Maris Chick Anyway?
We’re pretty sure she was Don Draper’s boss. At least we would like to think so. When we were deciding to launch our own business we were recovering corporate professionals and PYMs (pretty young Moms). We thought the single most important thing was to name this soon-to-be launched empire so we brainstormed. Should we name it after our selves (very professional) or our babies (how maternal!) When we truly shared our thoughts about who inspired us in our lives, we realized it was our own Moms, Margaret and Doris. So hence Maris was born. Happily they were with us for many Founders’ Days which we celebrated each year on February 14 by sending them flowers and our deep acknowledgement of their imprint on our lives. Today their spirits continue to inspire us.