20 Under 40 - 2001 Profile: Kathy A. Pulley

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: November 2001

Being the one who sometimes has to say no when it comes to money can put a person at odds with other managers. But Kathy A. Pulley, regional controller for Lee Enterprises' Quad Cities Strategic Business Unit in Davenport, Iowa, has done so much to make managers' lives easier that she has their respect and gratitude.

With Pulley on board, "budget time is the most wonderful time of the year," says Quad-City Times Publisher Charles Pittman.

Pulley serves as chief financial officer for the group's four regional publications: the daily Quad-City Times in Davenport, the six-days-a-week Muscatine (Iowa) Journal, The Muskie Trading Post, and Thrifty Nickel shoppers.

In her post for three-and-one-half years, Pulley has made major changes: relieving other managers of much of the budgeting process and providing analyses and interpretation that allow them to make decisions without wading through spreadsheets. "I try to be a financial manager and planner, identifying trends and looking for opportunities to grow revenue and cut costs," she says.

A big believer in automation where possible, Pulley brought the company's processes up-to-date. Managers now get monthly reports electronically. And she developed a spreadsheet to compare actual revenues with forecasts and budgets, putting information at managers' fingertips.

Another efficiency will soon allow sales reps to enter advertising tickets with handheld devices, eliminating separate data entry. Pulley and her staff of 17 do more with less by exploiting basic tools. For example, they use Excel to develop reports and manipulate data, allowing sales reps to easily pull up comprehensive account histories.

With the industry changing rapidly, she aims to provide financial information at a moment's notice, so decisions can be made quickly. "I don't want lack of information to be an excuse for not moving forward."

Education: 1989, B.S., accounting, University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.
Career: 1989-90, auditor, Deloitte & Touche, Chicago; 1990-93, auditor, McGladrey & Pullen LLP, Moline, Ill.; 1993-97, assistant controller, Bowater Communication Papers Inc., Moline, Ill.; 1997-present, regional controller, Quad Cities Strategic Business Unit, Lee Enterprises, Davenport, Iowa.
Personal: Age, 36. Born, Moline, Ill. Married, husband Roland, one daughter.
Diversions: Running, spending time at home with her family.
Connections: Quad-Cities Strategic Business Unit, Lee Enterprises, 500 E. Third St., Davenport, Iowa 52801, (563) 383-2342, kpulley@qctimes.com.