Aviation
Howes got a background in airport management as the Commissioner of Aviation, Poughkeepsie, New York (1975–1980), and then as executive director of the St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in St. Petersburg, Florida (1980–2001), as well as working at Baltimore/Washington International Airport. When Howes was appointed director of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in 1980, the airport had less than 100,000 airline passengers annually. By 1993, passenger volume had increased to 721,977; beginning in 1995, it surpassed one million passengers yearly. In response to the growth, major improvements to the airport's terminal were completed in the 1990s. Howes also negotiated a 15-year lease with United Parcel Service in 1994 for its Florida air freight hub and expanded the airport's 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) industrial park.
Howes' business-related awards include: the FAA Southern Region's Airport of Year Safety Award for 1998 and the Bermuda Hotel Association's "Man of the Year" for 2004.
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