Howard Eager To Return To Entrepreneurial World

Jay Howard, co-founder and former CEO of I.O. Metro, has tested the waters of corporate America and is ready to return to his entrepreneurial roots.

In March 2005, at age 23, the Helena native, along with business partners Bill and Helen Benton, founded the home furnishings company in Bentonville.

The owners sold the company to equity firm Consumer Growth Partners in early 2011, but Howard stayed on as CEO for about a year, and afterward as a consultant.

After that, Howard put in stints as senior merchandise director at Sam’s Club and, most recently, as vice president of home furnishings and general merchandise manager at Dillard’s.

Howard’s last day at Dillard’s was Nov. 14. He and wife Christine moved to Dallas in February, so he could take the job. However, the plan was always for it to be temporary, Howard said.

“Bill Dillard III hired me to utilize my entrepreneurial past to rethink the Dillard’s home and furniture business,” he said. “We made huge progress in nine months and formalized a strategy for the future. I decided it was time for me to focus on my next entrepreneurial project, which is my true passion: starting something from nothing.”

That’s what he had done at I.O. Metro, which now has 17 stores in eight states across the South and Midwest. Howard was still CEO when he was featured by the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal as a member of the Forty Under 40 class in 2007.

But in 2012, he decided to try working for someone else for a change. “I saw an opportunity for myself to grow professionally — get my MBA of sorts via corporate America and work for some of the most respected names in retail,” he said.

Howard had friends who worked at Sam’s Club and loved it. “It was also good timing for both of us because they were in the process of thinking differently about their merchandising strategy in home. I liked the idea of being with a large retailer that was looking for change,” he said.

Although Howard has decided he is more comfortable as an entrepreneur, he has no regrets.

“Both Dillard’s and Sam’s Club taught me to think more strategically and be less reactive. I also met a ton of experienced, smart professionals and friends that I hope to maintain relationships with for many years,” he said.

Also, Howard said he is hopeful he left both places a little better off than they were when he started.

Although he is now somewhat of a guru in the home furnishings world, he only got into the industry by accident, he said.

“I bought a strip center at the corner of Walton and J Street in Bentonville,” he recalled. “It had a 6,300-SF vacancy and, in researching what I felt were voids in the market, I decided forward-thinking home furnishings was at the top of that list.

“So, by the seat of my pants, I put a store together that fortunately worked out,” Howard said.

In the early stages of the company, he and his wife flipped houses to help make ends meet. They lived in 12 different houses in Northwest Arkansas.

Several other things have changed in the past seven years. “I think others around me would say I have mellowed out a little — which is probably a good thing,” he said.

However, some things have stayed the same.

“Curiosity is still what drives me. I want to know more and do more than most think is possible,” he said. “And sometimes, it may seem a little overboard, but that is what keeps me motivated.”

Also, he is still married to wife Christine, whom he calls his rock, and “any lake is still my favorite place on earth, whether for water sports, a boat ride or relaxing.”

Howard, 33, and his wife enjoy hiking and biking, and the trails in and around Bentonville are one of the things they miss about the area.

He also has an interest in flying planes and is planning on getting his pilot’s license.

Now that his work at Dillard’s is over, Howard does not have any immediate plans, career-wise.

“For the first time, I am leaving one opportunity without starting the next within 24 to 48 hours,” he said. “I want to really reflect on what it is I have most enjoyed over the past decade and align my next move with that. It may take a week or a year to reach that conclusion and pursue whatever that may be, and I am perfectly happy with that.”