Meet Dena Alspach, CVG’s Director of Marketing, a storyteller at heart, and a strategist by trade. With over 20 years of experience, she knows how to craft compelling narratives that elevate brands and reveal a firm’s unique voice. A proud Minnesotan, Dena blends creativity and strategy to build impactful marketing plans for her clients. When she’s not fine-tuning brand stories, you’ll find her tending to her heirloom tomatoes and cultivating a wildlife-friendly garden.

Can you give us a glimpse into your workspace? What items or decorations make it uniquely yours?

For someone who spends so much time on a computer, it's sort of ironic (or not?) that I’m surrounded by paper. Two walls of my office are lined with books, notebooks, collections of magazines (I’ve hoarded every issue of Saveur since 1999), and an envelope stuffed with ancient tickets from the Paris Metro and past concerts that I use as bookmarks.

There’s an ever-rotating selection of plants, rocks collected from places I love, a picture of my dad from his early days in the Air Force, two high school cross country trophies purely for kitsch factor, and a bunch of art gifted or made by friends. I also have a hilarious foam “something” my partner, Chris, gave me after it appeared in the Fizbo episode of Modern Family because I just could not stop laughing (not surprisingly, word humor gets me!), and a dog bed.

What's the most interesting project you've worked on recently, and what did you learn from it?

We’ve been working with Atlanta architecture firm HRD for the past year, and we’ve just launched their new brand. They have a deep portfolio of healthcare and telecommunications work, built over (way) more than 100 years in a seriously competitive market, so it might have been easy to end up with a predictable look and feel. But, the leadership team dove in with an incredible level of enthusiasm and vulnerability and the results are warm, approachable, and totally unlike any other firm. This project reminded me how important and powerful the foundational work we do is to successful outcomes, and that sometimes the things that might seem a little “woo woo” at first (and take so. much. time.), really do make or break everything that follows.

What do you find most unique about your firm and services?

We really get to know our clients, and that’s absolutely critical to doing this work. Personally, I like that we have skin in the game. Our shared risk model is very unique among consultants and it’s one of the reasons I’m here. It keeps the focus on growth and reinforces our mission to be in this with them. That, combined with the long-term relationships we build, is at the heart of why we’re successful. There’s also great value in the community we’ve built and I love to see how firms across the country can learn from and support each other.

Can you share a hobby or talent that people might be surprised to learn about you?

I’m an obsessed gardener. If a British accent ever starts to creep in it’s because of how many UK allotmenteers I’m subscribed to on YouTube. I pretend that I’m able to grow any significant amount of food—and I do fuss over my heirloom tomatoes—but with every year that passes I’m more able to admit I’m mostly a wildlife gardener. My herb garden does more for pollinators than the kitchen, I leave seed heads for birds and pile sticks and leaves for critters to use over the rough Minnesota winters. And then there are the houseplants…

What's your go-to morning routine to kickstart a productive day at work?

Coffee first! (And dog snuggles.) I try to get a 20-minute walk in every morning, but in summer, that often turns into 30 minutes of weeding the garden. I guess the true aim is to just get outside a bit and move before settling in at my desk. My winter walking rule is double digits above zero only. I start every work day with a look at my Moleskine pro project planner where I’ve laid out my week and then Things 3 for tasks. And then more coffee.

What’s the most adventurous thing you've ever done, and would you do it again?

23andMe. Hands down. I’m adopted and the obvious mysteries around that have been with me my entire life. I have a wonderful family, and I’ve known I was adopted for as long as I can remember, but of course I couldn’t help but be curious. When science and technology presented the opportunity to maybe get some answers, I couldn’t resist. Within minutes of clicking the button I had them. I was delighted to find a first cousin on my birth father’s side who shared stories, photos, and quite simply solved one of the biggest questions of my life. I now treasure a faded, creased photo of my birth father as a boy that looks exactly like my youngest son, found out I’m more Scottish than Irish, and that my kids and I all have “the family chin.” Though he passed away long ago, and never had more children, it was lovely to learn that he knew about me and often said “I know I have a daughter somewhere.”

With a foundation in Art History from the University of Minnesota and a later degree in Business, Dena has always balanced creative storytelling with strategic thinking. This dual perspective allows her to help CVG clients uncover what makes them truly unique and translate that into impactful marketing and branding. Just like in her garden, she believes in nurturing ideas with patience, care, and a deep understanding of what helps them flourish.

Meet the Mind of Dena Alspach, CVG’s Energetic Director of Marketing

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