C.E.L. Story
Simply stated…less “me” and more “we.”
Founder Cindy Leines was destined to become a communications professional from the time she was a little girl growing up on the plains in North Dakota. As the youngest of six children and a farm girl, she constantly sought out opportunities to help others and was actively involved in school, church, camp counseling, and she created summer farm experiences for people with disabilities. After graduating from Universtiy of Minnesota Moorhead and marrying her college sweetheart Darrell, work opportunities took the two of them to the Pacific Northwest where Cindy promoted health and education businesses, and led community and statewide projects benefiting social issues. For ten years her work with private businesses, school districts, government and non-profits reconfirmed the need for a company that provided communications that crossed boundaries and strategically marketed services.
Leines and her husband returned to Minnesota in the late-1980s and she saw the need and opportunity to bring a more disciplined marketing approach to the service world in general. “Non-profits were used to working on shoestring budgets,” said Leines. “They needed direction in creating a strategy that included a clear, concise message they could bring to the marketplace. I thought if non-profits utilized the tools that traditional businesses had been using for years it would have a tremendous impact on their mission and ultimately on their success.” She was right. Leines founded C.E.L. Public Relations in 1988, utilizing her extensive expertise in communications, community leadership, and volunteerism in the development of private for-profit and public non-profit programs and events.
Soon, Leines realized there was enough business to take the next step. She teamed up with her banker for a loan and soon after met Kari Logan, a producer at KSTP TV in St. Paul. Logan shared Leines’ passion for the betterment of families, business, and the community and the two of them began working together as business partners on a full-time basis. With Logan’s media contacts and creative flair and Leines’ background in strategic communications and marketing, C.E.L. Public Relations was soon working with local and national businesses and making a big name for their clients and for themselves.
Through hard work and commitment to their core beliefs, C.E.L. now works with myriad of clients – both for-profit and nonprofit. This Minneapolis-based public relations agency serves clients who are in arts & entertainment, health and education, technical learning, home services, hospitality, financial services, and retail services – all based on strong values of service.
