Dallas Riffle

Learning With a Purpose

Dallas Riffle’s unexpected path toward entrepreneurship began at Tri-C

Dallas Riffle has always nurtured his creative side. He studied drawing and painting at a four-year college and discovered graphic design software on the job. The possibilities that technology brought to his artistic passions made him want to pursue new skills.

“I’d always had an interest in advertising, and learning this new tool unveiled an opportunity to augment my traditional art skills in a way that could open new doors for my career,” he explained. “That’s when I made the decision to enter the Visual Communication and Design program at Tri-C’s Western Campus.”

Returning to the classroom after being in the “real world” for so long gave Riffle a completely new perspective on learning.

“I was learning with a purpose and having fun while doing so. It no longer felt like work,” he said. “I found myself staying after class, speaking with my professors, going the extra mile — feeling more enriched with each passing day. Overall, my Tri-C experience was all I could have hoped for and more.”

Riffle eventually graduated summa cum laude with an Associate of Technical Studies degree in Graphic Design, Illustration and Web Design. “Being able to tailor my degree to the specific career and skills I was interested in developing was a unique opportunity,” he added.

Through career planning, counseling, networking and internships, Riffle was able to launch his job hunt before graduation. He quickly snagged contract work for a local advertising agency that eventually hired him as a full-time graphic designer and later made him creative director. He left the firm in 2013 to open his own full-service marketing agency, Dallas Riffle Media (DRM).

That career leap brought Riffle back to Tri-C, where he completed the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business (10KSB) program. “The program was not easy, but it exponentially expanded my knowledge of business, operations, culture and finance,” he said, adding that networking is a lasting benefit of participation. He remains a program ambassador, and he attended the 2022 10KSB Summit in Washington, D.C.

DRM has consistently been named to Expertise.com’s Best Advertising Agencies in Cleveland, as well as Clutch.co’s Top Branding Agencies in Ohio. Riffle is proud of his firm’s 5-star ratings and enjoys working with some of Ohio’s largest brands as well as diverse clients worldwide.

“My journey shows that it’s never too late to return to school, and there are no limits to learning,” he said. “Even if you’ve been in the workforce for decades, you can still go back and hone your skills — or even change your path completely. Life is short, so embrace your passions and do what you love!”