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Marcel Digital

Marcel Digital

Chicago, Illinois

Claimed

Certifications

UpCity Certified Partner

Overview

Marcel Digital is a Google Premier Partner that creates award-winning strategies to target, attract, inform, & engage prospects, drive more qualified traffic and conversions to our client's websites, and achieve their most important business goals.

What Makes Us Different

Marcel Digital is a team of industry recognized digital marketing, web development, and usability experts collaborating to execute custom digital strategies and solutions tailored to achieve our client's most important business goals.

Our services include:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Umbraco Web Development & Maintenance
Web Development
Paid Media Marketing
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)
Google Analytics Consulting & Maintenance

Here's how to contact us:

Feel free to c...

Service Area: National

Featured on:

Our Work

Featured Clients

Johns Hopkins Medic

Rush University Medical Center

HUB International

Broadway in Chicago

Awards

Google Premier Partner

Umbraco Gold Partner

Clutch.co Top SEO Agency 2018

BBB A+ Business

What we do

Services

Web Design
Web Development
Pay-Per-Click
Search Engine Optimization
Content Marketing
Local Listing
Branding/Positioning
Marketing Consulting/Strategy
Customer Relationship Management
User Experience/User Interface
Digital Marketing
Demand Gen

Who we work with

Types of Small Businesses We Work With

Generalists

Web Platforms We Support

Google Analytics
HTML
Magento

Commercial Focus

b2b
b2c

Clients We Serve

Medium or large e-commerce business (i.e. greater than $1MM in annual sales)
Start-ups
Medium or large national or international business

Budget

Retainer-based Budget

$2,000 - $5,000
per month

Project-based Budget

Starting at $5000
per project

Reviews (1-5 of 42) | Load more

Richard Goldman

01/25/2019

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What did you like best?

Great company - owner Ben S. is top notch and very knowledgeable company.

What did you like least?

Nothing comes to mind. They are fantastic. Bright, energetic.

Describe your overall experience.

Fantastic service/people.

01/25/2019

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What did you like best?

The Marcel team was very knowledgeable, patient and welcoming. They know digital marketing and web development inside and out. On top of all that, Ben has a great sense of humor.

What did you like least?

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and value the partnership. Nothing bad to say.

Describe your overall experience.

The work was top quality and it appears that Marcel has a great work environment and culture. This was apparent in the excellent deliverables we received.

Jennifer Tarulis

12/19/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel's experience with Umbraco and best practices in web development is invaluable. They educated and trained our team along the way. Helping us improve our team's skill set and properly partner with their team's vast knowledge.

What did you like least?

Marcel's agile development methodology was new to our team. We now embrace it, but we caused a few step backs early in the project.

Describe your overall experience.

Amazing experience! Heard our needs, understands of the user experience and challenged us to think and implement a great new website focused on the user.

09/11/2018

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What did you like best?

They are incredibly patient and thorough in answering your questions. They are genuinely enthusiastic about the work they do and helping you find the best solution for your company within your budget.

What did you like least?

They're a great group to work with. I have no complaints!

Describe your overall experience.

On a daily basis I use info I learned about SEO and PPC from Marcel. They're helpful and friendly and strategic thinkers. They were always willing to conduct educational sessions for our company that helped push our digital marketing efforts further.

08/27/2018

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What did you like best?

Ben and his team did an amazing job for our business. We were a small start-up when we found Ben. He came out personally and showed me how SEO worked. He had a well thought out plan for success. He and his team implemented the plan quickly and efficiently and it worked well. Ben and his team are easy to work with, creative, thoughtful and personable. We had (and continue to have) a 100% positive experience with everyone at Marcel Digital.

What did you like least?

Honestly, we only have positive things to say about Marcel.

Describe your overall experience.

100 out of 100 is our overall experience rating with Marcel Digital. I would comfortably refer Marcel to anyone I know that wants to grow their business.

08/27/2018

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What did you like best?

No matter what we needed, Ben Swartz and his team were always able to meet our stated objective. Ben stayed available to us at all times and even as we started out with smaller projects, he treated us as though we were his largest and most important client. Ben also has a great understanding of business which makes Marcel Digital's solutions to our problems just right.

What did you like least?

I can't say that there was anything I liked least. Ben and his team were responsive and always available to us at every turn. The service and attention were outstanding.

Describe your overall experience.

Overall, Marcel made our business needs their own. They grew with us and worked with us as needed, when needed. They truly understand their client and I would recommend them to anyone needing their services.

08/26/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel provided solutions promptly. We were a new company at the time and needed branding guidance--they solved it. We implemented these and Marcel did fantastic work.

What did you like least?

Our experience was extremely positive so finding it difficult to add to this section.

Describe your overall experience.

Marcel made our company feel like their top client. Ben has created a positive culture at Marcel that creates solutions. Our company values that.

08/24/2018

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What did you like best?

Ben and his team were open, honest, professional, and fun to work with.

What did you like least?

I truly cannot think of any negative aspects from our engagement.

Describe your overall experience.

Marcel Digital helped DMC revamp our SEO/SEM efforts and allowed us to significantly increase our marketing results from our website. From start to finish, they were a pleasure to work with.

08/22/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel Digital takes a very customer-focused approach and really digs into a client's challenges.

What did you like least?

Can't really say. They were very professional and thorough.

Describe your overall experience.

I worked with Marcel Digital when I was doing digital consulting and my client hired Marcel for an SEO project. They engaged us with both the overall strategy and got into the weeds on a page-by-page basis. They are very thorough from the standpoint of strategy, implementation and analytics.

08/17/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel Digital led the charge for us optimizing a web visitor's User Experience. The team was able to suggest changes that increased our conversions, and helped us uncover multiple opportunities to improve interactions and engagements on the site.

What did you like least?

This is not a reflection on the team at Marcel - this is the nature of the work we completed with them, but A/B testing is a slow process. Again - this is not a reflection of the team or the company.

Describe your overall experience.

Our partnership with Marcel Digital was positive. We are grateful for the opportunity to grow as a team, and learned a lot from their team of experts.

08/16/2018

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What did you like best?

They created a very successful PPC campaign for us.

What did you like least?

Our account is a little complicated, so whenever there is a new team member at Marcel it takes a little extra time to explain the nuances to them. But that's not their fault.

Describe your overall experience.

Working with Ben and his team has been a great experience. Their very knowledgeable staff always works hard to keep our PPC campaigns exceeding goals.

Zivile ‘Z’ Badaraite

08/16/2018

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What did you like best?

They helped us really get our SEO in order. They were really detail-oriented, they educated our team so we could use the tools they gave us moving forward, and they were big on tangible results and showing progress.

What did you like least?

Because they were all about SEO and the measurable results, I feel like there was a lack of taking into account our branding, our audience and the way we also want our website and content presented.

Describe your overall experience.

Thanks to their team and SEO expertise, we completely transformed our technical SEO and learned tools that we use to this day. Looking forward to working with them on our newly launched site as well!

08/16/2018

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What did you like best?

Our account reps were switched around often do to a changing staff, but each rep was up to speed on our account and the transition went smoothly. Good personal attention agency. Good knowledge of analytics and the numbers that drive a business.

What did you like least?

Account rep turnover. Google frequently changing the PPC rules (nothing to do with Marcel)

Describe your overall experience.

Mostly positive. Pretty good bang for the buck.

Ruth Egofske

08/14/2018

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What did you like best?

Website design and development outstanding! Our company greatly appreciates their attention to detail. Every department in our company has enjoyed working with all the developers at Marcel Digital.

What did you like least?

Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating does not have too many complaints about Marcel Digital. It's been a good experience over the years. We are fortunate to have them connected with our company.

Describe your overall experience.

We used Marcel Digital to design and build our website several years ago and continue to be very pleased with maintenance and other resources. Seattle Sutton's Healthy Eating highly recommends their services - availability and promptness... superior!

08/06/2018

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What did you like best?

Working with the team at Marcel Digital was very easy and always helpful - they worked to understand and scope my business needs, and worked with me to find a solution that I could sell internally to my leadership team.

What did you like least?

Marcel underwent a staffing change while we were working together (which happens I understand) and that caused a slight delay with our deadlines. Marcel quickly addressed the issue and was able to hit our original deadline on time and on budget.

Describe your overall experience.

I would defiantly recommend Marcel Digital. They are big enough to get the job done on time for a realistic price but small enough not to be caught up in layers of internal agency bureaucracy.

Michael Vedders

08/03/2018

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What did you like best?

We've been with Marcel Digital for 8 years and they have helped us grow our organic traffic by leaps and bounds. This year our organic traffic was up by over 19% and continues to grow. I would highly recommend them as SEO strategist and google analytics consultants.

What did you like least?

To be honest they've been a great partner and I can't think of anything major.

Describe your overall experience.

Overall I would highly recommend Marcel as a partner. They've been a joy to work with and are highly competent.

Andrew Barta

08/02/2018

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What did you like best?

The culture and communication of the team. From the moment I met the Marcel team I was able to openly discuss my ideas and get their honest feedback. The relationship that developed was very beneficial for the development of positioning our brand.

What did you like least?

There wasn't an aspect that I liked least, we are not located in the same state so more face-time would have been nice but certainly wasn't needed. When we do meet in person it is productive and enjoyable.

Describe your overall experience.

The overall experience of working with the Marcel team is outstanding. They have built a team of all-stars who are easy to communicate with and execute ideas effectively.

08/02/2018

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What did you like best?

Everyone at Marcel is really at the top of their game. We've known and have been working with their team for years now, both personally and alongside our clients. Their expertise is unparalleled to anyone else in the industry.

What did you like least?

There really is nothing bad to say, I wish we could work with them more often!

Describe your overall experience.

Whether it is for our own needs or for the needs of our clients, Marcel always delivers on their promises and makes sure that anything they can do is done to maximize the potential of the product they're working with.

08/01/2018

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What did you like best?

From the first couple moments I talked with the Marcel team I knew they were the genuine article. Everyone was professional, open, and kind. It felt like a true collaboration from the start.

What did you like least?

It sounds cheesy, but I wish I could have worked with them more. Our engagement was very brief. I felt like there was still much for me to learn from them.

Describe your overall experience.

💯

08/01/2018

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What did you like best?

The entire team was responsive to all of my concerns and needs

What did you like least?

Sometime it took them a couple hours to get back to me during non business times

Describe your overall experience.

Amazing and I even got to talk with the president when I had questions about my account.

07/31/2018

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What did you like best?

The expertise and professionalism provided with patience in explaining systems and processes to a non-tech lay person.

What did you like least?

No complaints. We felt we were in good hands during the entire process.

Describe your overall experience.

I was very pleased with our overall experience. The team at Marcel did a fantastic job and made us feel like their only client. Tons of personal attention and customization to our exact needs.

07/30/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel's professionalism, commitment and integrity are amazing. A great experience from start to finish.

What did you like least?

I'd love to come up with some problem, flaw or issue to post here but I have none.

Describe your overall experience.

I've known Marcel and its founder Ben for many years. I've watched the firm evolve and grow, always keeping its client relationships as the number one priority. This is an organization that I trust -- and gladly introduce my friends and colleagues to them.

07/30/2018

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What did you like best?

The strategic thinking and account service at the higher levels within the organization. Their approach to digital is smart. They think holistically and know how to think outside of the box.

What did you like least?

Their project managers have a hard time interacting with clients. They appear to be very green and do not present themselves or the good work they've done in a professional manner.

Describe your overall experience.

Their management team is top notch! If they can work on training for their junior people, they'll be unstoppable.

07/28/2018

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What did you like best?

The team at Marcel became our trusted partner, working lockstep with our team in building out our digital capabilities, which became a key factor in our reaching our growth goals.

What did you like least?

Marcel keeps the client well educated on the constant changes that occur in the industry, this is very important as the client needs this education, not just the skills of the digital team.

Describe your overall experience.

Our firm made the Inc5000 Fastest Growing Companies, and we could not have done it without great team members like Marcel Digital. We continue with them as a ongoing advisor for all our digital needs.

07/27/2018

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What did you like best?

I've been impressed with their drive to understand and learn. The Marcel team had a thorough understanding of our situation and built their strategy around that. It wasn't 'one size fits all'.

What did you like least?

We had limited time together like you find with many organizations.

Describe your overall experience.

We engaged for some strategic discussions and were quickly engulfed in a white boarding session to understand goals, customers to fully flesh out a go to market strategy.

Kaela Carey Cifonelli

07/27/2018

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What did you like best?

Their focus on business goals and their expertise.

What did you like least?

Not too much to add here. It’s been a good experience.

Describe your overall experience.

Working with Marcel Digital has been a great experience. They focus on what matters most, driving business results. And their team of experts in SEO, Analytics and Web Development is excellent at what they do and are great resources. Plus they just overall great, fun and smart people to work with on a daily basis.

07/25/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel has top-notch people. They have always performed as described, and that is critical for a partner agency. Also, they treat client money like they would their own, which is a critical factor. From a partnership standpoint, they are honest and professional.

What did you like least?

They are very focused on specific core competencies, and it would be helpful if they could broaden their scope, but I respect that they prefer to be the best something instead of good at everything.

Describe your overall experience.

Ben provides great leadership and comfort in ensuring we have a positive experience. The client service team is respectful and the delivery team does what they say they are going to do. Also, they are consistent and they have always respected my client relationships.

Denise Daniels

07/23/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel Digital was incredibly responsive in developing a digital marketing strategy specific to our needs, walking us through their recommendations in a simple and easy-to-understand manner, and continues to collaborate and communicate effectively. And we are getting results!

What did you like least?

Nothing to include here as we've had no issues. If there was one tip it would be more frequent communication.

Describe your overall experience.

Enrollment is always top priority and with deadlines looming, we reached out to Marcel to assist with recovering some lost website traffic. They responded within minutes and had a strategy ready the next day. On our kickoff call, they outlined the implementation and communication plan, and have been executing flawlessly ever since. While we're still in the early stages, I am pleased to announce that we are not only very quickly nearing our goals, but on pace to exceed them.

Sean Zinsmeister

07/22/2018

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What did you like best?

Personable, professional and highly communicative. These are three things I look for in agencies and partners, and Marcel ticks all three. They went the extra mile to integrate themselves into the core team and felt like an extension of our marketing org.

What did you like least?

No real complaints here. While we were not a very large account, Marcel made sure we felt VIP. In many cases this is never the case with agencies where the squeaky wheel and highest budget gets the grease.

Describe your overall experience.

Best part of Marcel is that they really know their stuff. Patrick Delehanty is one of the leading minds in SEO and is reflected in all of the team members that surround him. I would highly recommend Marcel for your SEO, Analytics, and Digital Marketing needs.

07/18/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel's attention to detail and follow through are both very impressive. They lay out a clear plan of attack and deliver exactly as outlined!

What did you like least?

Marcel is not the cheapest agency in town, but you get what you pay for and they are worth every penny! We have partnered with numerous firms in town and Marcel truly stood out from the pack in every experience.

Describe your overall experience.

We have partnered with Marcel on multiple projects in the past and have always been very satisfied with the work. Their entire team is made up of true experts in their field, very impressive group all working in sync!

Reagan Johnson, MBA

07/17/2018

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What did you like best?

These guys took a fairly complex web application developed by a previous company, and were able to start making improvements and updates quickly and with minimal detailed instruction. I'm used to having to spell things out to the nth degree, but these guys just get it.

What did you like least?

The hourly rate is a little high. It makes it challenging to do anything of scale with them because of the budget it would take.

Describe your overall experience.

Working with these guys just feels like working with someone within my company... not a vendor. They get it, are super friendly to work with, and willing to make sure it's right.

07/17/2018

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What did you like best?

With Marcel, we got what we wanted when we wanted it. In our experience, not all digital agencies will assign a dedicated relationship manager or account manager. Having that at Marcel with topic experts for each service line engagement makes projects flow smoothly.

What did you like least?

It is less of a weakness, and more of a direct specialty, but Marcel is a .NET development shop and we wish that we could extend our partnership in the digital marketing and analytics world our tech stack, which is not .NET.

Describe your overall experience.

We have worked together with Marcel on a number of digital marketing analytics and paid traffic management projects. They are a trusted partner in these areas. Our relationship allows us a viewpoint into their internal discussions about their engagements with their end clients and sales prospects. In every scenario their conversations and efforts focus on delivering what is in the client's best interest, not what saves the most time or makes largest margin. At every level of engagement they work to be a competitive advantage for their clients.

Craig Zoberis

07/16/2018

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What did you like best?

The Marcel team is always quick to respond to any of our team's questions or concerns. Many companies in this industry will respond in 2 or 3 days which is very frustrating.

What did you like least?

We have been working with Marcel for over 5 years and really can't say anything negative about their team.

Describe your overall experience.

Excellent personal touch in everything they do for us.

07/16/2018

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What did you like best?

Professionalism, communication skills and ability to understand our needs

What did you like least?

Overall, really nothing. If I have to nit pick, I would say a little more help on the sales copy writing which is very time consuming.

Describe your overall experience.

Great experience. I enjoy working with their team from beginning to end, especially the CEO Ben, who did a great job of making sure that all of our needs were met. The professionalism and efficiency of their web dev was spectacular. We will definitely use them again (and ongoing) for digital marketing needs, CRO, PPC and some social. Thank you!

07/16/2018

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What did you like best?

I currently working with Marcel Digital on a daily basis and I am very satisfied

What did you like least?

There is nothing I am unhappy about with Marcel Digital

Describe your overall experience.

I would highly recommend as they are reliable. We have an great relationship with them. I have learned quite a bit over the years of my working with them.

Dave Hamilton

07/12/2018

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What did you like best?

The ease of service and the ability to get on the phone with someone quickly if I had any issues. The employees (especially Scott Ning and Emily Wade) are proactive and eager to help me create the exact site I want.

What did you like least?

My mane problem has been my own learning curve while using new software and operating systems. Like I mentioned before, there was always someone to help me if I couldn't figure out how to accomplish tasks.

Describe your overall experience.

The functionality and beauty of the website I was working with has increased 1000%. They have taken a poorly designed wordpress site and transformed it into a modern site, that will ensure my nonprofit's legibility (and help it stand out from other nonprofit websites) for years to come.

Julie Youngquist

07/12/2018

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What did you like best?

The Marcel Team was a strategic partner in the design and execution of our new website.

What did you like least?

Our team did not experience any issues or concerns in working with Marcel on this project.

Describe your overall experience.

The Marcel team was outstanding. They listened to our needs, became a strategic thought partner, executed the technical and design that exceeded our expectations and managed the project to meet our timeline. We now have a site that is easy to manage and when we have other questions or ideas, the team is more than willing to talk with us. They were great to work with. And continue to be great to work with.

07/12/2018

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What did you like best?

The attention paid to detail and how easy it is to communicate with the team

What did you like least?

Not being able to create a live feed on commodities

Describe your overall experience.

Very easy. I feel they are attentive to my requests and support is excellent

Dan Arriola

07/12/2018

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What did you like best?

Customer service and the CEO they were great to work w

What did you like least?

I wish they offered more services so we could expand the partnership

Describe your overall experience.

CEO was smart, easy to work with, and we got good results

Mike Schmidt

07/11/2018

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What did you like best?

The team is very hands on and accommodating to what we requested of them. When the project changed, they went with it and I wasn’t nickeled and dimed like many of agencies. I felt like we were actually partners.

What did you like least?

Sometimes things were a little disorganized on the project management side. It was not a big deal, and I can see improvements over time.

Describe your overall experience.

I would recommend Marcel for any website development project. We are very happy with the results of the website and have comments about how much better it is than the previous site.

07/11/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel's new ideas, vision and ability to collaborate with a range of our team members.

What did you like least?

If there's anything negative, it's just that all businesses are presented with an array of possible approaches to SEO, so that's really more a matter of the field itself seeming a little bottomless. Having a good guide helps!

Describe your overall experience.

We continue to be impressed with Marcel’s insight and execution across our patient care and higher education operations. The Marcel team knows how to work with more involved stakeholders and is very attentive to their requests. And we can count on them to bring us fresh ideas as search trends develop. I am always impressed with their desire to try new approaches and maximize the time they spend on our accounts.

07/10/2018

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What did you like best?

Marcel Digital does an excellent job on planning out important project work, while still being flexible to help/jump-in on other issues as well. They are committed to important goals and willing to pivot from a previous plan based on what's really important to the client.

What did you like least?

I really can't think of anything - and that's the truth.

Describe your overall experience.

10/10 - all the accolades are warranted. I went with Marcel Digital over a larger - and much higher priced - competitor and it's one of the best decisions I've made. Marcel Digital are lovely people to deal with, extremely knowledgeable and approachable and willing to take the time to examine possible solutions that differ from how they would normally proceed. I value the partnership with their company and am planning on having our company be a client of theirs for years to come. Can't recommend them enough.

Reviews (1-5 of 42) | Load more

Location

Marcel Digital

445 West Erie Street, 200
Chicago, Illinois 60654

Ben Swartz