By Martie Thompson
editor@floridanewsline.com
John and Renay Daigle have been mixing their business and personal lives for the past 20 years. As principals of Daigle Creative, the couple, married for 29 years, say it’s important to respect each other’s area of expertise when it comes to business — and to find other things to talk about at dinner than how their days went. John was raised in Green Cove Springs and had a career in journalism prior to joining Daigle Creative. Renay, originally from New Jersey, moved to Mandarin with her family as a teenager. Both graduated from the University of Florida before settling down in NW St. Johns County. They have two grown daughters.
Q: How did you choose your career paths?
John: My dad was in the military and I actually went to UF on a ROTC scholarship. My dad’s plan was for me to join the Army, but that’s not where my heart was. I decided to get my degree in journalism and I did one year of active duty before I joined the Florida National Guard and began my journalism career. I worked for Clay Today, the Daytona-Beach News Journal, and finally was able to get a job at the Florida Times Union. I eventually became the editor at the Jacksonville Business Journal.
Renay: I knew in high school that I wanted to be in advertising. I always loved the Super Bowl commercials. After I graduated from UF, I moved to Jacksonville to take a job with an agency where I had previously interned, only to have that job disappear in the midst of some big layoffs the company needed to do. I had to quickly find another job. I wanted to do the writing side of advertising, but all the jobs that were available were in sales, so I took one. I ended up being good at it.
Q: How did you meet?
Renay: I roomed with his sister at UF. He would come over to visit and she thought we would hit it off since we were both writers. He was four years older than me and had already graduated, but was still in Gainesville working.
Q: What inspired you to start your own business, Daigle Creative?
Renay: I was working at a mid-sized agency when I became pregnant with our first child. I wanted to work from home but that wasn’t possible, so I started Daigle Creative as a consultancy in 2000. At first, I freelanced for other agencies, but then started getting my own clients. I wrote ad copy, newsletters, and annual reports. I mostly worked at night while my daughter slept and during nap time.
John: When Renay quit her advertising job to stay home and start Daigle Creative, I went to work for Jacksonville University as the Marketing and Communications Director. I eventually joined Renay at Daigle Creative in 2005.
Renay: Our agency is 25 years old. We will celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary and our 20th anniversary of working together this year, so I joke that we should be able to add them together for almost 50 years!
Q: What is the most challenging thing about owning the agency and working together?
John: One of the toughest things is certainly not the creative aspect, because we are both good at that. But the financial side … we had to learn that side of the business. We have also learned to respect each other’s lane, which provides a clear division in expertise and helps determine who gets the final say.
Renay: The first few years were the hardest, but we both think the other is very good at what they do and feel lucky to work together.
Q: What do you like to do in your spare time?
John: I enjoy tennis and pickleball and working out. I converted our garage to a gym. I also do a lot of gardening and home improvement projects now that we are empty nesters. Also, for the last few years, I’ve been an adjunct professor at UNF, teaching a class on political advertising.
Renay: I’m a beach person and go to the beach every chance I get. I’m an avid reader. As a self-actualization project, I’ve recently taken up public speaking. Also, as a breast cancer survivor, I consider myself an advocate and like talking to and encouraging other women.
Photo courtesy BEC Photography
Johns and Renay Daigle
