Featured Alumnus: Mark Rowe '91 | Avon Old Farms News | About Us | Avon Old Farms

Starting, managing, and growing a successful business requires lots of drive and commitment. It takes dedication, hard work, and an overwhelming desire to turn a dream into reality. Many of the traits needed to be a successful entrepreneur—aspiration, perseverance, conviction—are instilled in every Avon boy, and Mark Rowe ’91 is a prime example. Today, we share how his time on the Farm factored into his future career.

While some boys are always destined for Avon Old Farms, this certainly wasn’t the case for Rowe. To start, he and his siblings weren’t thrilled about enrolling in private schools in the first place. “We fought with our parents on that but then I ended up loving it. The relationships with teachers were huge for me. I went from Cs and Ds in public school to Dean’s List.”

A Massachusetts native, Rowe attended Cardigan Mountain School for middle school. His next stop seemed destined. “All the men in my family went to Deerfield, but I didn’t like it.” Instead, the familiar all-boys environment and opportunities in athletics at Avon appealed to him.

He expressed his gratitude for educators like Mr. Kevin Driscoll ’72, Mr. Alan Rozinsky ’62, Mr. Art Custer, and more for making it easy to settle in at his new school. “I knew it was the right choice right away. The mentorship from teachers was huge for me. They truly wanted you to succeed,” Rowe shares.

His main extracurricular focus was golf. Rowe spent three years on the varsity golf team and was named team captain his senior year. But he also took the opportunity to try out new things, and ended up with some of his favorite memories in the process. For example, he initially tried out for the soccer team during his first year at Avon, but ended up as a varsity cross country runner where he set a few course records and earned multiple “Athlete of the Week” awards. “They saw me running during soccer conditioning and asked if I would switch over to cross-country,” Rowe explains. “I still remember one race. The fastest runner in the Founders League was on the other team. I remember coming out of the woods to start the final sprint and just saw the whole football team lining both sides of the course. As soon as I saw that I was able to finish strong and win the race.”

This memory stands out for Rowe, but he also acknowledges it wasn’t a unique experience at Avon. “That was just the spirit of the whole school. The student body all supports each other. I know I was cheering all those guys on at their next game the same way they did for me.”

After each fall season running cross country, Rowe spent each winter as a manager on the varsity basketball team before returning to his primary passion of golf in the spring. He was also a member of the Nimrod Club and WAOF. He then matriculated to Rollins College where he studied business and economics.

After graduating from college, Rowe pursued a golf career while working various sales jobs in New England and the Atlanta area. Eventually, these two paths conjoined. “One job I had after college was caddying at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. I was caddying for all of the CEOs of big companies I knew. Now, in a full-circle moment, my company does all the signage for the FedEx Cup that happens at that course.”

In addition to creating and supplying the signage for major golf tournaments, Rowe’s company ADnormous Graphics creates large-scale vinyl graphics for clients all across the country and even internationally. Customers range from local small businesses to massive brands like Coca-Cola. Now an industry leader, ADnormous began humbly as an idea in Rowe’s head and a combination of his work experiences. He had worked with enough print companies and various UPS affiliates to realize there was an opportunity. In 2006, he decided to go all-in. “I sold all my stuff—cars, property, and was sleeping under the production table on an air mattress and showering at the LA Fitness nearby. After two years of that it had taken off and has grown steadily in the 20 years since then.”

Today, ADnormous Graphics operates out of a 20,000sq/ft building with 18 employees and the ability to design, print, and ship worldwide. The company’s operation includes in-house graphic design, photography, print production, and installation capabilities. With nearly three decades in the industry, Rowe’s extensive experience includes fleet branding, graphic design, production, installation of large-scale graphics, displays, signs, banners, vehicle graphics and wraps, and custom vinyl graphics. While he no longer sleeps at the office, Rowe still spends most of his time there. “I’m there 60 to 80 hours a week still. It takes a special person to become an entrepreneur. Whether you fail or succeed, you need to keep putting in the effort,” he explains.

Rowe credits his time at Avon with instilling these values. “I actually learned that a lot at Avon. We’re winners. I think the drive to win in sports at Avon became a general drive I have as a person. I also think Avon prepared me to be a better person. At Avon, you learn to have integrity and I’ve taken that to my business. I always try to do the right thing. I definitely think Avon prepared me for success in life.”

Although running his business takes a lot, Rowe made sure to make time to attend his 35-year high school reunion this fall. “I’m definitely looking forward to reunion. We had a really great class and we’ve got a good-sized group coming. We haven’t lost that bond.” In fact, Rowe and a few others booked a large rental house for the weekend. “We’ll be having an afterparty,” Rowe says, adding that what he’s looking forward to most is reconnection with his old friends and mentors.

Outside of his work, Rowe lives in the Atlanta suburbs with his wife, Karen, to whom he has been married for 12 years, and their 9-year-old daughter. While his business keeps him busy, family remains an important part of his life, and he enjoys spending time with them and staying active in the Atlanta community.

For anyone still considering joining Rowe at Reunion, it takes place this year the weekend of October 2-4. More information can be found on the school website.

Other than Reunion, Rowe’s future plans involve continuing to build his business. Specifically, he has goals of expanding internationally and capitalizing on new technology, and won’t be quitting any time soon. “I have no plans to sell.” He’s also currently in the same situation his parents once were, hoping to convince his child that enrolling at a private school could be the best move she’ll make.

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