Our Team

We believe in the power of teamwork so passionately that we include it in our name. We focus our team’s collective skills, talents, and creativity to help your customers hear and respond to your brand message.

Mark Spangler

Principal of the Spangler Design Team, Mark is the company’s Creative Director and Business Development Manager. With over 30 years of advertising communications, corporate identity design, and brand development expertise, his depth of industry experience includes strategic planning, market analysis, communications platform, brand development and project/team management.

Mark also has over 22 years of teaching experience and is an adjunct faculty member at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Pat Johns

Pat is the newest member of the Spangler Design Team with responsibilities including Sales, Marketing and Professional Development. Pat’s background as a professional speaker, leadership trainer, and communications expert allows him to bring to the team a range of appropriate and powerful skills. As an author and success coach, Pat has been traveling across country speaking and training offering best practices strategies that enhance innovation, creativity and imagination and he encourages change when needed.

With a degree in Psychology from the University of Minnesota and as a sponsored member of the Society for Neuroscience, Pat comes well suited to help bring even more excellence to our team and yours. When Pat comes calling we know you will find the experience to be unique and productive.

Jeff Kaphingst

Jeff Kaphingst has been a graphic and interactive designer with the Spangler Design Team since 1995, creating a wide range of print designs and interactive media. Jeff has also acted as a copywriter, photographer, and many other roles to see that our clients’ projects are completed according to Spangler Design Team’s high creative standards.

Before joining the Spangler Design Team, Jeff received his Bachelor of Science in Art from Northeastern University in Boston, MA.

Melissa Schmitt

Melissa Schmitt has been an art director at the Spangler Design Team since 2007. She brings nearly a decade’s worth of design experience to the team. Her award-winning solutions have energized the brands of companies ranging from fortune 500 to start-up. Melissa’s expertise includes branding, print collateral, Web site design, package design, and tradeshow graphics.

Melissa graduated summa cum laude from the honors program at Bemidji State University with a Bachelor of Science in Design Technology.

Jeanna Simonson

Jeanna joined the Spangler Design Team in 2009 as the office manager. She assists the team in day-to-day operations and is the first face you will see when you visit the office.

Prior to joining Spangler Design, she was employed at RejoovMe Relaxation Center as the General Manager. She has a passion for fitness and animal rescue. She is an active volunteer for rescue organizations. Jeanna attended North Dakota State University, focusing on Biology and Corporate and Community Fitness.

Acacia Willey

Acacia Willey joined Spangler Design Team in April of 2010. Before joining Spangler Design Team, Acacia managed a tax preparation technical assistance program, focused on increasing tax assistance throughout Minnesota, especially in rural communities. Acacia has over 8 years of tax preparation and over 5 years of accounting experience. She graduated from the University of St. Thomas in 2004 with a B.A. degree in Entrepreneurship.