American Pipe & Supply CEO John Howe is the recipient of the Birmingham Business CEO Award for midsize companies.

The award is part of the Birmingham Business Journal’s CEO Awards presentation.

Howe was named CEO of Birmingham, Ala.-based American Pipe & Supply in July 2012. Prior to coming to American Pipe & Supply, Howe filled various executive roles for Staples North American Delivery Division. He began as a divisional vice president before being promoted to division president and later regional vice president.

In the article, Howe was asked a series of questions related to his position and the city of Birmingham. Here are a few of the work-related ones (courtesy of Birmingham Business Journal; www.bizjournals.com/birmingham).

What is the best advice you were ever given in your career? “I had a mentor early in my career who told me that 80 percent of a leader’s job is people — 20 percent being the technical aspects of the role. I believe now it could be closer to 90 percent. Having the best team and helping them continue to grow and develop is key.”

What is the best piece of advice you can give to anyone who is an employee and looking to advance their career: “Be the best in your work rea, be a good teammate and have an infectious positive attitude.”

American Pipe & Supply is ranked No. 131 in the 2016 Supply House Times Premier 150 listing of top distributors.

Howe is one of five individuals featured in the 2016 Supply House Times/American Supply Association distributor roundtable that was conducted at ASA's NETWORK2016 in New York City. The roundtable interview, which features distributors discussing hot-button industry topics, appears in the upcoming January issue of the magazine.