Steven Howe: Driven to Succeed

Howe's aggressive management style was a wake-up call to in-plant employees.

"They were scared to death of me, because I really raised expectations," he acknowledges, wryly. "But, I didn't ask anyone to do anything I wouldn't have done. It was nothing for me to make deliveries myself or to stay at the shop all night. The staff knew that I was acting in the best interests of the business—and they saw a manager who...appreciated them, and who would work side by side with them. So, they began stepping up to the plate."