By Donna Smith, University Communications and Marketing
USF alumna Denise Reddick was looking to boost her coffee shop’s social media presence when she heard about USF’s School of Marketing and Innovation Practice Center from a friend. The center partners marketing students from all three USF campuses with local companies for a paid, semester-long project designed to assist with their marketing needs.
The SMI Practice Center benefits students and local businesses by offering community engagement, experiential learning and local business solutions – all rolled into one program. Reddick and USF Health were the two first organizations to take part in the collaboration when it debuted in fall 2023. She saw it as a great opportunity to enlist the services of a younger generation.
“I learned a lot working with the students. It was a fresh perspective, and the quality of the work was great, and the sharing of ideas was good for both parties,” Reddick said.
Students approach their projects armed with a lot of knowledge they learned in class, but also have some marketing experience, whether it’s through an internship or volunteer work.
“They have to be driven enough to try to figure some things out on their own,” said program director Loran Jarrett, professor of marketing. “For example, Google is constantly making changes to their platform, so it’s not like a set of instructions will always be helpful.”
Eduardo Vissoky
Eduardo Vissoky, a sophomore majoring in marketing, was selected to work at USF Health’s OSHA Training Institute Education Center. Vissoky said the opportunity was a chance to develop both personally and professionally.
“This was a great way to get real work experience,” Vissoky said. “I had freedom to try new things because they trusted me. They made me feel like I was important to them, and they treated me like a professional.”
USF seniors Juan Blando and Daniela Padron were chosen out of nearly 180 applicants to work on a 15-week project with Reddick at 22nd Street Coffee in Ybor City, located adjacent to Brisk Coffee Roasters, an importer and roaster of gourmet coffee that her family has owned and operated since 1972. There, Blando and Padron worked to boost the shop’s social media and web presence.
“I was focusing on the digital/analytical side because I had sales experience, and Dani focused on content creation and content scheduling,” Blando said. “But over time, we kind of just blended these two together, so we got to try new things.”
"Having so many transferable skills on my resume is going to help me get a job." -Daniela Padron
The two took photos and videos of the shop’s confections and posted them to 22nd Street Coffee’s social media accounts. They also hosted a table at Bull Market, a weekly event outside the Marshall Student Center and handed out free coffee to students who followed the shop’s social media accounts, ultimately helping boost its number of followers. Blando and Padron also updated the shop’s signage and menu.
Aside from honing the skills they learn in their marketing classes, part of the real-world experience students get is learning to work with clients, problem-solve and manage projects.
Daniela Padron
Padron said she learned many skills, such as client communication, time management and more.
“It was a fantastic learning experience,” Padron said. “Denise was wonderful to work with – she really helped us out. It’s one of the strongest experiences on my resume. Having so many transferable skills on my resume is going to help me get a job.”
Practice Center students are assigned to an instructor, whom they can consult for questions or guidance on their assignments. They check in periodically to talk about how it’s going, and the mentoring professor also stays connected closely with the business where their students are working. USF marketing Professor Thomas Ainscough oversaw the 22nd Street Coffee team, and he believes the students got a well-rounded experience.
“Dani and Juan not only learned the hands-on experience of doing the work, but they also learned about client management, which is also very important,” Ainscough said.
Jarrett, who has been pitching the program both on and off campus, said she ideally, four businesses would participate each semester.
Business partners can choose from a menu of the center’s solution-oriented offerings, which include marketing research, digital marketing, business development, promotions and more. Jarrett says it’s a great deal for businesses, especially those that may not have the budget for these types of services.
Juan Blando selfie from the 22nd Street Coffee booth at Bull Market.
“Our partners get high-quality work done at a fraction of the cost,” Jarrett said. “These services would easily cost $30,000 to $50,000 if they were done by a company in the marketplace. Plus, it can be written off on the business’s taxes. Frankly, I’m excited that we can offer this to the community.”
Reddick said she enjoyed working with Blando and Padron, and she was pleased to hear that they learned a lot from working with her.
“I'm very much into mentoring and helping the next generation of entrepreneurs and businesspeople,” Reddick said. “I’m so glad that they feel like they've benefited. I’d be happy to write a recommendation for either of them any time.”
For more information about how to grow your business through the SMI Practice Lab or to apply as a student, contact Loran Jarrett at loranjarrett@usf.edu.