Our core team
Our special blend of branding, design, online strategy and customer service help us help our clients achieve their goals. We do this with our biggest asset: our people.
Mark Harlien. Founder/CEO
Creative Director / Online Strategist / Branding & Marketing Strategist
Mark founded ideawire in 1998 in response to the growing need to integrate communication design and online technology with measurable results. Since then, ideawire has provided award-winning, results-oriented print, and online and visual communication for a variety of clients across multiple industries.
Mark has a unique, hands-on approach to technical and creative strategy that has led ideawire to be one of the strongest marketing and Web development firms in Texas. Additionally, Mark has an extensive background in brand development, having worked multi-channel campaigns on such accounts as Time Warner, USAA and Taco Cabana.
As a measure for ideawire’s success, Mark chooses to enter the International Association of Business Communication Quill awards, which is awarded to companies who prove their work have achieved measurable results. To date, ideawire has won over a dozen Quill awards in the last four years, including three prestigious Gold Quill Awards for both Web and print projects – the only agency in San Antonio to reach this accomplishment.
Prior to founding ideawire, Mark directed online strategies at the Summit Group, a marketing firm that worked exclusively with financial companies. This experience was key to Mark’s expertise in Web strategy, as banks and credit unions were at the forefront of online communication. Mark single-handedly drafted an approach to development strategy that brought ten financial companies online in 14 months. It is this approach that ideawire uses in online strategy today. Mark’s marketing background has led him to create and develop a branding strategy that has helped companies refine and redefine their company profile for over 20 years.
Mari Garza. Director of Web Development
Online Strategist / Social Media Strategist / UI Designer / Graphic Designer
Mari started at ideawire in 2003 as an intern and quickly advanced to Lead Online Strategist and Support Specialist. She has been key in developing Web applications for both international and domestic clientele. Her expertise focuses on Web design, social media, Web strategy, user experience, and support services. She actively designs and develops in multiple platforms and provides key online strategies for ideawire’s clients. Her unique skill set of bridging technology and design has made her instrumental in more than a dozen large website launches with ideawire.
Kathryn Legendre. Graphic Designer
Social Media Strategist / Content Developer
Kathryn provides ideawire with a fresh perspective on digital communication. She is skilled in a variety of disciplines, from graphic design to social media and online podcasting. Before arriving at ideawire, Kathryn worked at a local communication design firm, producing nationally-recognized podcast projects, and provided content design for Texas Monthly. While attending Texas State University, she produced her own weekly radio show for two years that was nationally broadcast at the 2009 College Media Convention.
Matthew Cosgrove. Senior Programmer/Customer Support Specialist
Database Administrator / SEO
Matt Cosgrove has served as ideawire’s lead programmer and database strategist since 2007. In his eight years as an application programmer, he has designed and/or rebuilt all aspects of company consumable Web applications. Key accomplishments include developing intranet solutions and writing and implementing Web based operation applications. Matt has extensive experience designing applications using C#, ASP.Net, JavaScript, AJAX, SQL Server, MySQL, Java, Flash ActionScript, PHP and Flex. He also has significant server administration experience in the Microsoft IIS environment.
