Your Alumni Newsletter
Volume 3, Issue 1
February 2009

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Alumni Profile

Following through on ideas: Patti Devine ‘91

“You should never let your ideas go uncultivated,” says Patti Devine ’91, managing director and founder of consulting firm Devine & Company in New York City. “Getting the idea is the easy part, but succeeding depends on following through.”

And that’s where Patti comes in. She analyzes a company’s strategy and procedures and devises innovative, cost-effective solutions to help individuals or organizations transform concepts into reality.

Patti established her firm after years of working as a marketing executive in a variety of companies and industries. From coordinator at a small manufacturing firm right out of college to customer retention manager at media giant TimeWarner, she has 18 years of diverse experience in the marketing field.

 “I always knew that I wanted to have my own consulting business,” says Patti. While in graduate school, she created a business plan that she imagined she would use one day in the future. “I thought that I would put it in a drawer for five or so years until I was ready,” she explains. Six weeks after receiving her MBA from Fordham University, Patti felt the sting of a company downsizing and was laid off. That’s when she made her entrepreneurial move and launched Devine & Company.

Patti believes part of her success can be attributed to the skills she learned at Bryant. “I received a solid business education that perfectly prepared me for the business world,” she says. “Bryant has its own distinct culture, and when I arrived on campus, I felt like I finally found a place that I belonged,” she continues.

According to Patti, Bryant’s emphasis on team projects and presentations was of great benefit to her throughout her career. “It prepared me for working in the corporate world and allowed me to become comfortable speaking in front of an audience,” she says. These skills continue to be useful to Patti as an entrepreneur and an adjunct professor of marketing at several New York colleges and universities.

“I made teaching part of my business plan because I wanted to share my passion for the marketing discipline with others,” she says. “It also helps me stay on top of trends in the marketing field – and I learn a lot from my students,” says Patti.

The bottom line is that each day is fresh and exciting. “No two days are ever the same,” says Patti. “I work on new and interesting projects and flex my creative muscle regularly. The entrepreneurial nature of education at Bryant helped me to feel confident enough to start and build my own business.”

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