HOWARD - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Accounting Supervisor
• Assistant Controller

Amalia joined the Howard Group in 2015. She works as the Property Accountant. Previously, Amalia worked in the hospitality industry as an intern with Sandestin and the American Hospitality Academy. She received a BA degree in Accounting from Florida State University and an MA in Management of Public Administration and Regional Development from the University of P. J. Safarik in Slovakia. Amalia's hobbies include baking, traveling, swimming, biking, and watching movies.

Job Titles:

• Vice President of Operations

Bill heads up the operations department for Howard Group properties, including retail, office, warehouse, and marinas. After working in the accounting field for 11 years, Bill entered the world of retail and shopping center management. He has worked in the industry for over 30 years and has been with The Howard Group since 2008. "Working with Mr. Howard and my colleagues at Howard Group has been the most rewarding experience of my career," he says. "Call me crazy, but I love this industry." Bill and wife, Sue, have been married for over 30 years. They enjoy spending time with their three sons, BJ (Kate), Bradley, and Brandon, and spoiling their two grandchildren, Drew and Quinn.

Job Titles:

• Executive Vice President of Real Estate

As Executive Vice President of Real Estate for Howard Group and Broker for Howard Realty, Dana Hahn is responsible for leasing premier retail, restaurant, and class-A office space within our company's portfolio, including Grand Boulevard at Sandestin® and Silver Sands Premium Outlets. She manages full-service leasing initiatives from the inception of merchandising and lease-negotiations through the collaborative design and construction process. Hahn is continuously working with local, national, and prospective international retail and restaurant tenants. She also works with office tenants in business sectors, including medical, real estate, engineering, legal, insurance, and banking. As the Broker for Howard Realty, Hahn is responsible for brokerage management as well as acquisitions for the company. Before joining Howard Group in 2006 as Leasing Manager, Hahn handled commercial and industrial land sales at The St. Joe Company. In 2003, she received a Bachelor of Science in Finance and one in Real Estate from Florida State University. She and her husband, Robert, currently live in Seagrove Beach with their daughter, Charlotte. Hahn is on the Board of Directors for the Walton Area Chamber of Commerce and is an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). She was previously a longtime member of the Board of Trustees for the Pensacola Little Theatre and Pensacola Cultural Center.

Job Titles:

• Vice President of Business Development

Job Titles:

• Vice President of Hospitality and Human Resources

As the Vice President of Hospitality & Human Resources, Karen McNevin is responsible for the property management and operations of hospitality projects for Howard Group, including two Marriott hotels and a Hyatt Place hotel in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®. Karen also manages Human Resources for Howard Group. With more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry across major and independent hotel groups, including the Marriott Corporation, the Peabody Hotel Group, and Hilton Corporation, Karen considers this industry her passion. As a young girl, she turned her family kitchen into a front desk and placed room numbers on all the bedroom doors. Checking in her friends and taking them to their "rooms" was her first "job" in hospitality. Karen is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), the Lake Norman, North Carolina, SHRM chapter (LKNHR), and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Karen enjoys traveling around the country, especially throughout California, with her husband, Matt. They have two Labradoodles who keep life busy and interesting.

Job Titles:

• CEO
• Chairman

Job Titles:

• Finance
• Vice President of Accounting & Finance

Lisa is Vice President of Accounting & Finance of Howard Group. She has over 25 years of business experience spread across the areas of outside sales, marketing, and accounting and has worked two years as an auditor for a public accounting firm. Lisa has a BBA in Marketing, a BSBA in Accounting, and is a Florida-licensed CPA. Lisa is married with two children-Hunter, 23, and Hailey, 17.

Job Titles:

• Financial Controller

Marie is an experienced Financial Controller with a demonstrated history of working in the commercial real estate industry. She earned a Bachelor of Science Business Administration (BSBA) in Accounting from Southern New Hampshire University. Her industry experience includes multi-anchor mixed-use development, large-scale retail, hotels, and upscale national restaurants. She is skilled in multiple accounting software programs, including Sage 300 CRE, Sage 50, QuickBooks, and Oracle, and has extensive knowledge with financial and managerial accounting, operating budgets, forecasting, financial reporting and analysis, and internal controls. Marie's professional and personal characteristics include strong organizational and communication skills and being a team player. Marie's hobbies include spending time with her wonderful husband, family, and friends. She loves boating and living on the Emerald Coast.

Job Titles:

• Chief Operating Officer
• President
• Member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

Matthew R. Hagen is the President and Chief Operating Officer of Howard Group. As President, Matt's job is to oversee the various departments and develop and communicate goals for the company with the help of other departmental leaders and team members. Matt joined Howard Group in Destin, Florida, in 1999 following a position as Corporate Controller with SM Morris, Ltd.-a construction, manufacturing, and industrial development company based in Dublin, Ireland. Prior to joining SM Morris, he was a Commercial Manager for Fru-Con Construction Corporation, a multinational construction company with offices in St. Louis, Washington D.C., and Vancouver, BC. He managed all site financial activities on various projects throughout the United States. Originally from St. Louis, Matt is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), the Florida Institute of CPAs, the Florida Division of Real Estate, and the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). A graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, he holds a BS in Accounting and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and licensed Florida Realtor.

Job Titles:

• Leasing Administrator / Paralegal
• Leasing Administrator and Paralegal

Meredith Neese is the Leasing Administrator/Paralegal for Howard Group. She is responsible for drafting and finalizing leases, renewals, amendments, and other lease-related documents; managing and tracking all retail and office leases and agreements; and working closely with the Vice President of Real Estate on the operational needs of Howard Group's real estate department. Before joining Howard Group, Meredith lived in the Atlanta area for 10 years, where she worked for commercial real estate companies and developers, including Brixmor Property Group and Hendon Properties. Meredith received her Paralegal Certificate from Kennesaw State University. Originally from Tallahassee, Meredith and her husband, Jay, are happy to be back in Florida where they enjoy spending time at the beach with their two children, Jackson and Harper.

Job Titles:

• Director of IT
• Executive Administrator
• Director of Information Technology and Executive Administrator to Keith Howard, Chairman & CEO
• Director of Information Technology, Executive Administrator & Personal Assistant to Keith

Penny Tullos Polk is the Director of Information Technology, Executive Administrator & Personal Assistant to Keith Howard, and Executive Administrator for DOMEMP, LLC. She brings over 20+ years of experience to the table, and has held various positions before joining Howard Group, in the financial, medical, legal, and real estate industry, as well as private sector. Some of the positions she has held are Assistant Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Wealth Management, HR/Compensation Manager, Assistant Accounting Manager, Personal Assistant, Paralegal with an emphasis on real estate and FDIC failed-bank cases, and as a being a Certified Medical Transcriptionist. She also has many years of experience with C-Level executive management, estate management, staff management, as well as medical, legal and finance administration. Penny has been a longtime supporter of the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Emerald Coast Children's Advocacy Center, and Food for Thought.

Job Titles:

• Property Accountant

Ross Kenseth joined Howard Group in 2018. He is a member of the Accounting Department as a Staff Accountant. Ross has an Associate of Arts Degree from Northwest Florida State College and previously worked in the motorsports industry. In his free time, he enjoys golf, running, and reading.

Job Titles:

• Administrative Assistant
• Office Manager

Susan Cornell is Office Manager for Howard Group and the Administrative Assistant for the Vice President of Operations at Howard Group. She also serves as the Howard Group Receptionist, greeting everyone with a smile. Before joining the Howard Group family, Susan was a Branch Manager with Tyndall Federal Credit Union and worked in the financial industry for almost 20 years. Susan is the proud mother of one son, Gavin, who is currently serving with the United States Air Force. She enjoys the beach, photography, traveling, and spending time with her little buddy, Baxter.

Job Titles:

• Development Manager / Director of Tenant Coordination
• Director of Development and Tenant Coordination

Tom is a fourth-generation Floridian, born and raised in rural Myakka (just east of Sarasota)-a one stop sign, one gas station kind of town. He has enjoyed destruction and construction since working alongside his older brothers in the framing and masonry trades, and Tom eventually became a block mason. An extremely cold Florida winter caused him to detour for a job in the US Air Force, where he enjoyed worldwide travel in a career of project, materials, and information management. On retirement, Tom returned to Sarasota and the construction arena that was his passion, working as a project superintendent for a prominent residential builder. Luck would have it that he ended up in Walton County one perfect weekend in the summer of 1997 and relocated from Sarasota to South Walton in January of 1998. Tom joined Howard Group in April of 1998, working in the Development division as Project Manager, Development Manager, and Director of Tenant Coordination. Given his long time with Howard Group, as one might expect, Tom is intricately linked to his counterparts in Operations, Leasing, Marketing, and Accounting, along with the other members of his work family. Tom helps to plan, entitle, permit, contract, and construct a variety of commercial building types, as well as coordinate tenants' interior build-outs within those buildings-work that brings him great satisfaction. Ever-energetic, when he's away from the office, you'll find Tom working on some never-ending "project-of-the-moment" (whether his own or on behalf of others), walking miles on the magnificent local beaches, plopped in a chair along the beach or bay shores with an ice-cold beer, or enjoying another spectacular home-cooked or local eatery meal. His three children are his joy (along with good food, good beer, and deep-sea fishing).