Meet the 2024 Women in Wide Format Winners: Kim Howell

Kim Howell
Owner
Tiny Mammoth Graphics

HAPPY 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY to Tiny Mammoth Graphics! It has been an unlikely path for Kim Howell to come to this milestone. She had 10 years’ experience in the pharmaceutical and medical industry before she ended up in wide-format print business by mere chance. In her words, she says she was ready for a change; was looking to disrupt and industry; embrace the challenges; and educate herself on wide-format techniques, which included having to pay her own way to wide-format conventions.

After being asked to leave a wide-format company that she built from scratch, she went where her heart took her: architectural interiors. In 2014, she started her own company and has never looked back. Many of her national “competitors” have contacted Tiny Mammoth Graphics to ask for basic tips like how to print and install a problematic project, and how to train their sales and graphic teams.

And while 10 years may seem like a short tenure in this industry, she always is pushing to learn and grow and there still are many things she wants to accomplish, she says. These include a scientific study on the effects of environmental graphics in various sectors (specifically in education and healthcare).

What makes women leaders in the wide-format digital printing industry?

“I’ve found success by investing in learning and development for all employees and clients/mentees/interns, etc…anyone who wants to learn more,” she says. “We support outside designers so they feel equipped to progress their skills through a mix of personal development, coaching, and knowledge sharing.” Education and progressing the industry are of utmost important to this exemplary businesswoman, and by giving back to the next generation, she is making a huge difference.

“I would love to see more diversity in leadership roles and improve opportunities for all levels of wide-format businesses and I believe that the right person for the job is anyone that is a team player, excited to work, and wants to always learn more without being complacent.”

Here are some examples of her community and business involvement:

Kim’s list of accolades are many. In architecture, she is a board member of local IIDA and planning of their chapter yearly, which is an in-person event with national speakers. She also serves on the board and volunteers at the local homeless shelter (Central Iowa Shelter and Services); volunteers and gives donations to Girls Who Run; volunteers, gives donations, and is a committee member at the Young Women’s Resource Center. If that wasn’t enough, she spends time volunteering with the Alzheimer’s Association Iowa Chapter as an event volunteer. With the Des Moines Big Picture Mentorship Program, she mentors to small business owners. She also is a Special Olympics Iowa volunteer. She personally has mentored other female industry members that have reached out to her to discuss various industry challenges including products, pricing, installation techniques, marketing, and more.

How does your work push the industry forward?

“Ours was one of the first businesses in the Midwest that was a wide-format printer that focused solely on the specific needs of commercial architects and designers,” she says. “With my colleagues, I used my background in science to help clients specify correct products and medias for their commercial projects.”

Her team also led a nearly three-year internal study, testing of adhesions on various paints, specifically with the effects they have on Zero VOC products. They even call 3M to request to speak with engineers about specific products, ensuring they will be a good fit for a client’s project. There have been industry manufacturers that have asked her team to review, provide feedback, and test new products.