Meet our Michigan Publishers
All the publishers of the print editions of The Country Register have stories to tell about how they became a part of this unique organization! Of all, however, Bill and Marlene Howell of Saginaw, Michigan, have the most special connection since they were the first ones to approach Founder Barbara Floyd after she started publishing in l988.
The Howells first saw an issue of The Country Register during the summer of 1989 while they were vacationing in Arizona. Like Barbara, Bill and Marlene could see the potential of this 'niche' publication so they approached her to see if it might be possible to do a paper like The Country Register in their home state. Bill had recently retired as an industrial engineer from General Motors; Marlene was still teaching full time.
Marlene's sister, who lives in Arizona, had a copy of the paper and they used it as their guide for planning shopping excursions. One of the shops they visited was run by Barbra-Jean Floyd, Barbara's daughter. The Howells mentioned that they had seen her shop's ad in The Country Register so Barbra-Jean shared the story of how her mom started publishing the paper in order to promote their own shop plus help other owners who needed reliable, affordable advertising. The Howells called Barbara Floyd and the rest is history!
Since those early beginnings, Barbara, Bill and Marlene have become fast friends in addition to being fellow publishers and have been part of the networking foundation for all the publishers who followed. The Howells have loved their second careers and it has supported Bill's computer related hobby. Marlene retired in 1998 and now spends her time finding more great shops to promote in Michigan. Their state offers an abundance of great specialty shopping, often found in historical buildings.
The Howells invite you to visit Michigan, the Great Lakes State, with its large variety of activities during every season. They also recommend that you use The Country Register of Michigan as your shopping guide during your visit . . . it will make your excursions much easier and a lot more fun!
Bill and Marlene Howell
3790 Manistee
Saginaw, MI 48603-3143
Phone: (989) 793-4211
Fax (989) 793-1395
E-mail: tcrmi@mac.com
