Career College Opens Doors for Tampa Area Business Duo

When business school classmates Lisa Demmi and David Boutin met, they had no idea they would find inspiration in science that could change the path of their marketing firm.

Today, these two colleagues work on the success of Demmi’s evolving marketing business that plays on a laboratory theme – complete with a the Periodic chart logo, lab coats and other playful aspects.

Two years ago, Lab3 Marketing was born in the Tampa suburb Lutz.

Today, the thriving agency creates success formulas for a wide range of clients from the service industry including plumbers, air conditioning repair companies, a major hotel in downtown Tampa, real estate and trucking companies, a custom homebuilder, banks and even a liquor company.

The team prides themselves on turning flat marketing efforts into a highly charged, innovative campaigns that help businesses prosper.

For Demmi and Boutin, who met pursuing graduate degrees at the Keller School of Management at DeVry University, the business is a realization of the American dream.

Demmi heads the company as the Chief Communications Scientist and oversees a staff that includes Boutin, who is the Production Chemist. The new titles and business themes were the prescription for success when Demmi’s business, Cake Marketing Mechanics, merged with two other businesses.

For Boutin, working with Demmi is a perfect balance because he brings his analytical and multi-tasking skills to the team. In his role, he manages everything from a services standpoint including timelines, flow and system to deadlines and guidelines. He also writes, does coding and presentations and is reworking the website.

Demmi’s path to an education was varied, which is why many adult students choose career colleges. She considers herself a lifelong student who started and stopped her educational path several times after graduating high school in 1980.

Both agree that they liked the convenience their college experience offered through two Tampa area campuses and online courses, which is another reason why students go to private sector colleges and universities.

“The classes were smaller and teachers actually taught based from actual experience and materials,” Demmi said. “The people who were teaching us were actually or are still active in their careers.”

A prime example was their business instructor, Pat Knight. “He is passionate about teaching and wanted us to learn more,” Boutin said. The work they did in the classroom actually benefited a real company instead of an example firm from a textbook.

They are still in touch and participate on a regular basis with other exercises in Knight’s classes. “I would put his classwork up against the work of any consultants,” Demmi said.

“We have been able to apply coursework to our business,” Boutin said.

When ask if she would recommend a career college to others who might be considering the option, Demmi does not hesitate. “It was a good fit for me,” she said.

“When I first started I was scared out of my mind because I had not taken classes in years, but being in that environment put me at ease,” she said. She said having degrees that prove you know what you are talking about has been very validating. “I never thought I would get a college degree, much less go on to get a master’s,” she said. “[My education] has been one of the most rewarding gifts I have ever gotten.”