In her own words: Ad agency owner Judy Davis Rounds

Northern Nevada Business Weekly: Tell us a little about Davis Rounds Advertising & Marketing:

Davis Rounds: It started in 1995 after the birth of my second daughter. I was working out of the converted baby room in my house. I have since built a 1,000-square-foot office at my home. Davis Rounds is a full-service advertising company that provides clients with any form of advertising and marketing they need. My goal has never been to become the largest agency, but to always be the best in client service, in creative solutions, in design and concept and innovative marketing.

NNBW: What role do you play in the company?

Davis Rounds: I specialize in account management and media buying and hire independents to work on the creative. This is a great formula because it allows me to fit the right designer with each client.

NNBW: What kind of boss are you?

Davis Rounds: I'm a great boss! I let me have time off whenever I need it, and I still get paid for vacations!

NNBW: How did you get into this business?

Davis Rounds: I actually started in news. When I was in high school I went to Washington, D.C., and saw the Senate and the Supreme Court in action and heard many speeches. One of them touched me deeply. It was from a Senator who had been blackballed because he tried to stop big business from dumping waste into nearby rivers. From then on I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I wanted to be Barbara Walters. I went to UC Berkeley but at that time they didn't have an undergraduate degree in journalism so I ended up with a degree in mass communications. In 1988, I was working as the news director for a top-40 station, but news was its last priority. As a result, I did a little bit of everything, including on-air, trafficking, production and account executive work. After working seven years in news, I decided I enjoyed the advertising end of media much better.

NNBW: What do you enjoy about it?

Davis Rounds: What I enjoy most about advertising is when a campaign is successful! You can look back at all the work that went into it, from strategic planning, to creative to the media buy and promotions and know it all clicked! That is a great feeling!

NNBW: What are some of the challenges that face your profession in the next few years?

Davis Rounds: Technology is changing so rapidly it's very hard to keep up with everything. As a media buyer it's my job to keep on top of every new advertising medium. Just when you think you've figured out one technology, everything changes from PC to mobile phone applications to social networking.

NNBW: What effect will the changing economic environment have on your company?

Davis Rounds: Although first quarter was slow, business is picking up, and clients are beginning to approve budgets again. This is a good sign and I believe it will only continue to get better. As Henry Ford said, "A man who stops advertising to save money is like a man who stops a clock to save time."

NNBW: How do you spend your time away from the office?

Davis Rounds: I love sports and the outdoors! Snow skiing, bicycling, camping, water skiing, softball. I love the theater, volunteering on various non-profit boards and at my daughter's schools. And I enjoy being with my girls. They are the highlight of my life.

NNBW: What's the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Davis Rounds: I have two: "Never burn bridges," and "It's not what you know, it's who you know." My mother always told me these when I was young. Neither quote really resonated with me until I got older and in to the business world, but now I totally understand what she meant!

NNBW: Any final thoughts?

Davis Rounds: For all you graduates and school kids, take a lot of math classes, because math makes the world go 'round. Who would have thought that I needed to be really quick with adding and subtracting when I was a disc jockey or news producer but I did. As a media buyer, I analyze data all day. And now that I own my own business I need to know money and finances better than ever.