About Darrell Howell

After Darrell Howell finished high school, he attended the University of North Alabama. He took a variety of business classes, eventually focusing on accounting and management. He graduated from the University of North Alabama in 1989 with a BS in Accounting and Management. While he is certainly proud of his achievements in college, he is most proud of meeting the love of his life during his time at the University of North Alabama. He got married in June 1990, and he has two amazing children with his wife.

After graduating with his bachelor’s, he went into the working world for several years. He initially started as a Controller at a bank in Waynesboro, where he helped manage the books. He was responsible for making sure all of the budgets were on track, managing the accounts payable and receivable, and keeping the bank profitable. Even though he spent time with his wife as often as he could, he knew that he needed to invest in his career. He worked a lot of extra hours, making sure that all of the odds and ends were tied up. This resulted in a handful of promotions, and he eventually shifted from being a Controller at the local bank to being the CFO of the Canadian division of a multi-billion dollar insurance company. By 1999, he had worked his way all the way up the ladder.

Even though he was proud of his accomplishments in the business world, Darrell Howell knew that there was more he could do. Therefore, he decided to go back to school. He attended Middle Tennessee State University, graduating with his MBA in 2000. He focused on accounting during his time in graduate school, and he went back to work for the insurance company. Armed with his new skills, he took the insurance company in a new direction, fostering an unprecedented period of growth. Even though he saw the value in insurance, he knew that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and children.

His family had owned a single Pizza Hut since 1978. It has become a staple of the community, and Darrell Howell decided that he could become more involved with his local community and spend more time with his family and children if he decided to follow in his family’s footsteps and return to the restaurant industry. He worked hard, growing his Pizza Hut footprint significantly. Expanded his Pizza Hut franchise stake to include multiple locations in multiple states. He left the insurance industry in 2003, and by 2015, he was one of the largest Pizza Hut franchisors in the region. He sold those restaurants in December 2015, transitioning back to the corporate world.