As an undergraduate majoring in marketing and international business, Boston native Mike Devine quickly realized that Barry University’s campus was the best classroom when it came to learning about diversity.
“At Barry, I learned a lot first-hand about diversity,” Devine said. “There were a lot of people from the Caribbean and all over the world. It was the first time I stepped out of Boston and began interacting with other cultures … At Barry, you kind of live that.”
Today, nearly two decades after graduating from Barry, Devine continues to put what he learned at Barry into practice as the executive vice president of Zimmerman Advertising, the nation’s 14th-largest ad agency, which is based out of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“Studying international business in an international city helped me a lot, and it’s still something I practice every day,” said Devine, who graduated from Barry in 1997 with a bachelor’s degree in international business and marketing.
As executive vice president of Zimmerman Advertising, Devine is responsible for running and managing the agency’s account with AutoNation, the largest automotive retailer in the United States – an account he has worked on since he first started working for Zimmerman Advertising nearly 15 years ago.
Devine started his career with Zimmerman Advertising in 2000 as an account executive. Since then, he’s climbed the ranks at Zimmerman Advertising, also working as an account supervisor, an account director and as vice president and managing director before being promoted to executive vice president in 2013.
“It’s been a very positive experience,” Devine said. “It’s really enriched my life – both professionally and personally. It allows me to provide for my family and life in South Florida comfortably.”
Devine credits his time at Barry and in its marketing and international business programs with teaching him to understand different cultures and generations – a skill he said that is helpful in managing employees from different backgrounds, as well as managing relationships with various clients and building plans for clients based on different audiences.
“We’re all about improving our clients’ business,” Devine said. “It’s about us putting together plans and helping our clients to succeed.”
For more information about Barry’s undergraduate program in international business, visit: http://www.barry.edu/business-undergraduate/undergraduate-programs/international-business.html
For more information about Barry’s undergraduate marketing program, visit: http://www.barry.edu/business-undergraduate/undergraduate-programs/marketing.html