SuperMom: Marissa Thetford
-Liesel Schmidt
As the owner of a public relations and marketing company that works with many small businesses in coastal Alabama, Marissa Thetford has her hands on a wide range of projects at any given time. “I provide marketing, public relations, and branding services including the planning of events and campaigns. Every day is different, and I love that about my work,” says Thetford, owner of the eponymous marketing firm, Marissa Thetford Marketing.
In addition to running her business, Thetford recently took on the role of chairman of the 72nd Annual Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival, which will host more than 300,000 locals and visitors in downtown Fairhope—a responsibility which falls directly in her wheelhouse and plays to her strengths.
Organization and time management is key to every facet of Thetford’s work—and especially, in her role as a mother to two boys. Naturally, she’s had to learn the fine art of balancing life and work. In fact, the desire to give her family more of her time served as a driving force in the decision to launch her own business.
“Before opening my business, I worked at a couple of agencies in Mobile and in-house as the marketing director for a regional retailer, which meant that my life revolved around somebody else’s schedule and deadlines,” she recalls. “After the birth of my second child, I knew I wanted to create a life with more balance for my family. The timing was right, so I started Marissa Thetford Marketing. As it is for most moms, it’s a juggling act. I’m very fortunate to have a super supportive husband and a flexible schedule that prioritizes my family.”
Even when the juggling act seems a little tenuous, Thetford considers it important for her boys to see her hard at work. “I think it’s good for them to see their parents work hard and then apply that type of work ethic to their own schoolwork or sports commitments,” she says. “I also think it’s good for them to be a part of my volunteer projects, too, whether it’s my involvement with school fundraisers or just volunteering in their classrooms. I want them to grow up as civic-minded adults who are engaged in helping their community, and there is no better way to teach them than by example.”