Wide Variety of Projects Keeps Mike Barlow On His Toes

For Mike Barlow, vice president of finance for Belz, each day is a new learning opportunity. The variety of areas in which Belz is involved, such as malls, office space, joint ventures and residential development, means that no two days are ever the same for Mike. And that’s why he likes it.

Before joining Belz four years ago, Mike was a controller at Baker Donelson, the largest law firm in Tennessee. He decided to come to Belz because he liked what the company was doing for Memphis.

“Belz’s reputation and what the company was doing for downtown development brought me to Belz,” said Mike. “I wanted to be a part of the downtown revitalization.”

Mike works with a team of people at Belz who keep the“back office” running smoothly. Together, they are responsible for all accounting and financial functions of the company, including general accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, financial reporting, tax preparations, budgeting and forecasting. Mike's expertise is also utilized on special financial projects throughout the year. The dynamic and fast-paced environment of Belz ensures that Mike’s job never gets dull!

After work, Mike stays just as busy. He and his wife Dottie recently finished building a new home in the Collierville Reserve area with an in-law section for Mike’s parents, with whom the family spends a lot of time. The majority of Mike’s time outside of work, however, is spent with his and Dottie’s two children, Scott, 13, and Andrew, 4.

The family enjoys attending Grizzlies’ and Redbirds’ games, as well as cheering on Mike’s alma mater, The University of Mississippi. When they’re not watching sports, Mike’s sons are playing them. Scott is learning to golf, while Andrew just started to play soccer.“I try to play a little golf, but Scott and Andrew take up most of my time,” said Mike.

With every day bringing new opportunities for learning at Belz and an exciting family life at home, Mike Barlow is living a full life both in and outside of work. For him, the best part of working with Belz is variety, and he sees plenty of that each and every day.