Building a name

Compared with some of the other general contracting companies in Jacksonville, The Tower Group has been here a relatively short time, but that is why the company hired Jenna Rowland as its first business development manager.

"We've been in the market for eight years, but nobody knows who we are or what we've done," she said. "My job is to go out into the community and get our name out there, create name recognition."

Tower created the new position because it wanted clients to think of the company as local.
"They don't want to be seen as an out-of-town contractor from South Florida," Rowland said. "In establishing Tower as a Jacksonville company, this was another way of setting down roots here."

Rowland also does marketing and public relations for the company, which is based in Davie. The company was ranked No. 7 on The Business Journal's February list of general contractors, with a $48 million high school in St. Johns County as its biggest project.

"We're seen as a contractor that can handle huge jobs," Rowland said.
"We want to start getting into smaller, STORY $5 million and $10 million projects to diversify our AND portfolio, especially in Jacksonville."

Rowland said she loves the challenge of the industry.
"It's so complex. One deal is never like the other Ideas are coming from all over the place. It's like a game to figure out who's building what and where and how this company can get involved. "There are relationships that have been there forever. I can understand if there is a builder that . ' has used Auchter forever and they want to use Auchter It's my job to try to build those types of relationships."

As a young professional who grew up in Jacksonville from age 12 and graduated from Florida State University with a degree in international business, Rowland said she looks forward to seeing the city continue to develop.

"I can't wait to see Jacksonville realize its potential, in every aspect of the word:
commercial, retail, arts, education. This city just has so much potential." In her free time, Rowland enjoys tak- ing jazz dance classes at Florida Com- munity College at Jacksonville.

"It's funny because the final part of the class is a recital. I'm 29, and my mom's in the audience with a video camera. It's so embarrass-ing. But it's worth it, because I get to dance."