Forty Under 40: Brittney Duke

“Some people grew up Army kids,” Brittney Duke, 32, jokes, “I grew up a retail kid.”

That background eventually led her to work with one of the largest marketing firms that works with the world’s largest retailer. Duke graduated from Baylor University in 1997 with a degree in marketing and a double minor in French and history.

Her first job was in Fayetteville with Life@Work magazine as a research manager. In 1999, she joined what is now Accenture Ltd. of Dallas. She was part of a “new media” team that developed Web and marketing tools and online advertising.

In 2003, she had a chance to come back to Fayetteville and work for ThompsonMurray, what was then a quickly expanding advertising agency. She was hired to help build internal training on how to approach brainstorming, critical in the creative ad and marketing business.

In 2004, Saatchi & Saatchi bought TM, branded the in-store marketing firm with an “X” and Duke’s training turned into global institute for the new firm, which has grown to 400 employees in 15 locations since. The firm’s revenue has grown 350 percent since 2003.

Duke chalks up a lot of her success to the people she works with and their entrepreneurial spirit. “I learn something new every day,” she said. “I’m constantly impressed by the people we’ve got working with us.”