THE TEAM BUILDER | Kim Howes

Hard work and determination.

They’re a pair of assets that have served Kim Howes well, from her days on the high school newspaper to her quest for college scholarships, then on to a successful career that has led to her current position as vice president for corporate accounts and marketing at Rowland Publishing.

Serving as right-hand woman to company President Brian Rowland, Howes has helped guide the publishing company through a period of unprecedented growth, with annual revenues more than doubling during her two-and-a-half-year tenure.

She is responsible for production of Rowland’s three lifestyle magazines – Tallahassee Magazine, Emerald Coast Magazine and the newly launched Bay Life Magazine – as well as shepherding the firm’s other publishing projects from conception through completion. At the same time, Howes is the company’s go-to administrator for customer service.

Her approach is hands-on, and her secret for success has been tenaciousness coupled with a detailed knowledge of day-to-day company operations.

“Give me a set of circumstances or a problem and I can figure out three possible solutions,” Howes said. “But I need to know how the details work to make the big-picture decisions.”

However, that philosophy doesn’t necessarily equate with micromanaging.

“It’s all about getting the right team around you and keeping ’em happy,” she said.

Howes, 32, moved to Tallahassee with her mother and brother when she was 12. Her work ethic developed, she said, while watching her mother struggle and ultimately succeed as a single working parent.

“My mother instilled a lot of values and confidence,” Howes said.

At Lincoln High School, she was on the newspaper staff three years running - editor her senior year. Determined to help pay for her college education, she sought out scholarships and ultimately was awarded several, including an essay contest that netted her $16,000. She worked at the Tallahassee Democrat during her college years and, as a senior, worked as an information supervisor at the Atlanta Olympics. After stints at the newspaper and the Florida Credit Union League, she moved on to a “new challenge” working in public relations. She ultimately served as the Director of Domestic and International Public Relations for VISIT FLORIDA before joining Rowland in 2003.

Howes met her husband, Tim, the summer before she started at Florida State University (she studied public relations, communications and marketing). They have a 4-year-old son, Benjamin, and are expecting a second son in February. – Rosanne Dunkelberger