mailto:btowery@comcast.net
Professional Highlights
During a publishing career spanning more than three decades, J.
Robert Towery has set a high standard for quality across a spectrum of
publishing, printing, and information technologies. The range of products he
has published and delivered include soft-cover and hardcover books,
business directories, magazines, maps, prepress services, printing, and Internet publishing that
have reached an international audience. All of Towery’s efforts are marked
by a careful, innovative design philosophy that has become a hallmark of
his reputation for quality and service. In the past decade he has
established himself as the country’s leading publisher of books and
periodicals showcasing communities. These have included works for
metropolitan chambers of commerce, development organizations, government
entities, as well as independently published products.
The
Urban Tapestry series
From business to sports and from politically relevant to
family conscious, Towery has published an array of magazines, newspapers,
annuals, and books that reflect the unique qualities of the communities
that they have served. The largest body of his work comprises the Urban
Tapestry Series, an award-winning collection of oversized,
hardbound photo-journals, which he inaugurated in 1990. The series details
the people, history, culture, architecture, commerce, and natural
surroundings of various metropolitan areas. A celebration of the diversity
of life in cities across the
Sample
covers from the Urban Tapestry series
Other
publications, products, and services
In addition to the Urban
Tapestry Series, the range of books he
has published has included such diverse publications as Unforgettable!
The 100 Greatest Moments in Los Angeles Sports History, Mine
Eyes Have Seen, Memphis Judge D’Army Bailey’s special remembrance
of his participation in the civil rights movement; and Data Power,
a guide to computerized auto racing systems.
Capitalizing
on his years of printing and publishing experience, Towery also developed a
range of graphic design, image manipulation, and other prepress
services. With a strong base of traditional print products to his
credit, he began serving as a major publisher for the Internet in 1995.
From high-quality editorial and graphic design to print management and
cutting-edge electronic publishing, Towery has always brought together the
expertise to ensure quality products and services in all his endeavors.
Current Endeavors
Over the past five years
Towery has provided consulting services to a number of publishers and he
currently serves on the boards of two publishing companies, Contemporary
Media (publisher of Memphis Magazine and Memphis Flyer; www.memphismagazine.com) and
Challenger Corporation (publisher of continuing medical educational
materials; www.chall.com).
He has also developed a financial management program
for publishers, QuartoSeer©, designed to project
the performance of published products over a period of years from
conception to profitability. QuartoSeer© will project up to 60
different editions of a published product in up to 60 different venues for 72
months, creating both cash flow and ebitda statements along with a wealth
of practical management data.
Towery is the owner of a sports car service and development company, Redline Unlimited, www.redlineunlimited.com, which has recently completed the development of a high performance Miata for the street and track.
In addition to these involvements, Towery is a principal in a new venture, Publishing Resources, Inc., which provides publishing services to the cook book industry among others. The launch of this endeavor promises to provide a new level of service to individuals and institutions publishing cook books while introducing them to unprecedented economies.
A Brief Personal
History
A 1969 graduate of
In
1985, having sold most of his locally focused publishing products, Towery
once again expanded the scope of his publishing interests by founding
Towery Publishing, which he developed into a nationwide, service-journalism
enterprise. This move has bred a diverse array of magazines, city
guides, membership directories, and books. Towery expanded the
business rapidly in the world of web publishing by creating the American
Community Network and a number of interactive newcomer’s guides
published on the Internet and known as IntroCities. In 2000 the company was recognized by Inc.
magazine as one of the 25 best medium sized technology companies in
By the end of the decade of the nineties,
Towery Publishing was the largest supplier of publishing services to
metropolitan chambers of commerce in the country. Towery sold the
enterprise in August of 2001, to Baretz Publishing LLC a wholly owned
subsidiary of the Oxford Companies of
Towery was a member of the first graduating class of
Leadership Memphis in 1979 and has continued to support the activities of
that institution. He has worked with numerous civic and cultural
groups as well as serving on the boards of a number of institutions
including Playhouse on the Square, the Memphis Urban Arts Commission, and 5
years as a Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Memphis Chamber
of Commerce. He currently serves on the board of the Memphis College of
Art.
Towery is married, the father of two and has pursued
a number of avocations as fervently as his career in publishing. He
was a successful, professional racecar driver, retiring after having won
the International Motorsports Association’s North American Sports Car Team Championship in 1998 and
today frequently instructs budding racers. He is also a practiced martial
artist, holding a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do.