From Friday Nights to 'My Pleasure'

A proud member of the Class of 2014, Devine now serves as the owner/operator of the Chick-fil-A at Tyrone Square Mall. But when he returned to his alma mater recently, it was the memories of his time as a Patriot that came rushing back: coaches who expected more of him, a mentor who taught him the value of showing up and being accountable, and friends that will last a lifetime.

“I got a lot of goosebumps,” Devine said. “A lot of memories and a lot of things coming back to the surface from my time here.”

Devine was deeply involved in football at Pinellas Park, where he says the experience helped shape the person and leader he would become.

He credits his coaches, teammates and teachers with teaching him lessons that continue to influence how he approaches his business today.

“Coach Crawford, I would not be the man I am without the grit and determination that he inspired and instilled in all of us,” Devine said.

That same sense of accountability extended beyond the football field. As a participant in the Take Stock in Children program, Devine regularly met with a mentor who kept him focused on his grades, extracurricular activities and, perhaps most importantly, what would come next.

“It was a constant force of there is something after all of this,” Devine said. “It was always a part of that journey.”

Those lessons of consistency, accountability and thinking ahead would prove valuable as Devine began charting a career of his own.

His first step came shortly after high school, when he took a job at Chick-fil-A while attending college. At the time, he wasn't thinking about becoming a restaurant owner. In fact, he has a much simpler explanation for why he initially applied.

“The first thing that got me to Chick-fil-A was the free food,” Devine said with a laugh.

What kept him there was something much more meaningful.

“The way that I was cared for, the people cared for me in a way that I can’t repay,” he said. “They saw me as an individual, not just an employee. They saw me as who I was and also who I could be.”

While continuing his education at St. Petersburg College and later the University of South Florida, where he earned a business degree, Devine continued working at Chick-fil-A. Eventually, he began to see a future with the company.

After graduating from USF, he was accepted into Chick-fil-A's highly competitive leadership development program. Over the next three years, he and his wife moved about 17 times, traveling across the country to help open new restaurants and support existing locations through leadership transitions.

The experience gave Devine a firsthand look at what it takes to operate a successful restaurant and prepared him for the opportunity he had always hoped might come.

When it finally arrived, there was never much question about where he wanted to be.

“Pinellas County was the dream for my wife and I to come home to,” said Devine, who has a 2-year-old son and another on the way. “This is home. This is special. The people are special.”

Today, Devine is anything but a hands-off owner. On any given day at the Tyrone Square Mall location, he might be working the front counter, preparing food in the kitchen, monitoring food safety and quality, paying bills or sitting down with a guest.

For Devine, being an owner/operator means being present with his team and helping them grow, much like the leaders who invested in him when he was younger.

“I want this opportunity that you have to work at Chick-fil-A Tyrone Square Mall to be a stepping stone,” he said. “I want you to take advantage of the opportunities and the lessons and the skill sets you learn here to be able to be a catalyst for you somewhere else.”

That commitment to investing in others has brought Devine's journey full circle.

Last year, the Pinellas Education Foundation recognized him with its Changemaker Award, honoring the positive impact he is making in the community that helped shape him.

For Devine, the recognition was about far more than his own accomplishments. It was an opportunity to acknowledge the educators, coaches, mentors and Take Stock supporters who helped him along the way.

“I'm a changemaker because of the investment they've made in my life,” Devine said, “and to be back now in Pinellas County, to be a business owner and to have a positive influence on my community, I mean, I can't ask for anything better.”

More than a decade after leaving Pinellas Park High School, Devine still carries the lessons he learned there into his work every day: show up, hold yourself accountable, work as a team and never underestimate the impact you can have on someone else.

And now, as he builds his business and his growing family in the community he calls home, Devine is focused on doing for others what so many people once did for him.

“I'm just grateful to be home and be able to love on this community.”