Jay Howard

Busy days are par for the course for Jay Howard, the young founder and CEO of I.O. Metro, a rapidly growing furniture and accessories store that he started in Bentonville as a “side business” in March 2005. Almost 4 years later, I.O. Metro has 11 stores in six states, including Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Mississippi, with two stores opening in Alabama and one in Dallas in early 2009. “Forty hours is only half of a work week,” Howard says. “I mistook that for a full week at some point!”

A native of Helena, Howard earned his degree in finance and entrepreneurial studies at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, in 2003 and went on to work as a national account manager for Jimco/J. Hunt Import Lighting Company in Jonesboro and Lebanon Seaboard Corporation in Bentonville before opening I.O. Metro. “Initially, I.O. Metro was the answer to a real estate vacancy in a retail center in Bentonville that I co-owned with Helen and Bill Benton, who are also co-owners of I.O. Metro,” he says. “But within six months I decided to focus solely on I.O. Metro as we began expanding to Little Rock.”

At I.O. Metro, Howard created a unique formula, combining stylish, timely products—from furnishings and rugs to lamps and wall décor—with great value and instant gratification, thanks to a huge selection of in-stock furnishings. “We offer cutting-edge looks at a fraction of the retail cost, all while maintaining great quality,” he says. He also set out to make the shopping and buying process simple and easy for the customer, while also giving them a custom, tailored look. Most pieces in the store mix creatively together; any dining chair can be paired with any dining table; any club chair can work with any sofa. The atmosphere in every I.O. Metro store is upbeat and casual. Shoppers feel comfortable browsing alone, yet the sales staff is always ready with assistance or even free design services. “I am constantly told by customers that they go to I.O. Metro if they are having a bad day, because even if they only buy something small or just look around, they always walk out in a better mood,” Howard says.

Of course, for any operation to appear seamless and low-key to its customers, there is a world of organization going on behind the scenes. “Many of my employees have been with me since day one,” Howard says, “and it's been fun to watch them grow into corporate positions.” Each week, Howard and his furniture and accessory buyers lead the in-house product development team in brainstorming sessions, discussing ideas for new products. Inspiration can come from anywhere: the sales staff, designers they work with, or new trends on the horizon. From there, drawings are sent to one of their factories, which produces a sample for Howard's review before they choose a date for it to hit sales floors. They've worked with factories in India, Indonesia, China and Mexico, but Howard recently moved all the upholstery production to Mississippi to cut freight costs. “It's been very successful,” he says. “Plus, we've created dozens of jobs at a thirty-year-old manufacturing facility that was suffering from the downturn in the economy.”

In fact, learning more about the world and the different regions of the county where I.O. Metro manufactures their products has been an incredibly rewarding part of Howard's career path, and acquiring new skills in general keeps him on his toes. “I have done it all, from delivering furniture to speaking at a national leadership conference for furniture executives,” he says. Howard looks forward to learning much more as his company grows nationally, and he isn't afraid to make mistakes. “You only get better from your mistakes,” he says. “Most can be prevented, but you have to let those that can't roll off your back. I'm a perfectionist, and this was very difficult for me to understand, but since I have, it's a totally different game.”