Chief Brand Officer, Plank Industries
Marcus Stephens is Chief Brand Officer at Plank Industries, the private-investment office of Kevin A. Plank, the founder,
Chairman, and CEO of Under Armour. In this role, Marcus leads the marketing, creative and brand strategy for Plank Industries, Sagamore Development, Sagamore Spirit, Sagamore Ventures, Sagamore Farm, Sagamore Racing, and the redevelopment of Port Covington in South Baltimore. As President of Sagamore Creative, he leads an internal creative team of branding experts, art direction and graphic design, web development and account management.
In 1997, Marcus left his role as Senior Creative Director and Partner at Madison Design Group to join Under Armour as its fourth employee. Originating as the sole creative professional at Under Armour, Marcus eventually helped build the in-house, 40-person, creative team from the ground up, laying the foundation for the brand and culture that is Under Armour today. Marcus is responsible for designing the Under Armour logo, as well as refining and contemporizing the logo over the years to its current version. Marcus’ early marketing initiatives include brand-defining campaigns such as Protect This House, Click Clack and I Will. A defining moment of Marcus Stephens’ time at Under Armour was his direction of the company’s first and only Super Bowl commercial called “The New Prototype.”
In 2011, Marcus left Under Armour to launch his startup Repax, a reusable packing system that revolutionized the residential and commercial moving market. In 2014, Marcus Stephens was asked to join the Plank Industries team while it was still in its infancy. He was integral in the rollout of City Garage, the first center for manufacturing innovation in South Baltimore, as well as a prominent member of the master planning team for Port Covington.
In addition to being on the executive team at Plank Industries, Marcus serves on the Board of the Maryland Public Private Marketing Partnership, helping to re-brand the state to become more attractive for commerce. He is also on the Board of Trustees at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), working with university leadership to reimagine the curriculum for creatives.
Marcus earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Frostburg State University. He currently resides in Silver Spring, MD with his wife and three children.