F. Michael Reilly is chairman emeritus of Randall-Reilly, formerly known as Randall Publishing Co.
He retired in 2015 after 40 years with the company. Under his leadership, the company transitioned from a 40-employee magazine publisher to a strategic data, media, and marketing services company with over $130 million in revenue. Randall-Reilly employs more than 600 associates at its offices in Tuscaloosa and nationwide. Over 4,000 clients in the trucking, construction and agriculture industries use its services, which include hosting trade shows, publishing monthly trade magazines, creating comprehensive digital marketing campaigns, and developing industry-specific data portals and tools designed to find and retain customers.
Reilly began his career at Randall Publishing in 1975 while still a student at The University of Alabama where he answered a call on a student bulletin board for a sales job. After graduating, he joined the company full-time, and, along the way, built a deep friendship with then-boss Pettus Randall III. Excluding two-and-a-half years at Gulf Publishing Company in Houston, Texas, Mike spent his entire career at the company, moving up the ranks to become president and chief executive officer in February of 2002.
Reilly served as chairman of the board of the Birmingham branch of the Federal Reserve Bank’s Sixth District, Atlanta, Ga., is a member of the board of directors for both the Association of Business Publishers and Smart Bank. He also served on The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors and was a member of UA’s President’s Cabinet. Furthermore, he is on the board of directors of SmartBank.
Community involvement is a core value of Reilly. He is heavily involved in the Tuscaloosa-area chapters of organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club and United Way. He serves on the board of Arts ‘n Autism, is a member of the Rotary Club of Tuscaloosa, and chairs the board of the YMCA of Tuscaloosa. Reilly has been a member of Nick’s Kids Foundation Core Group since 2014 and received the Nick’s Kids Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
Furthermore, he has served on the boards of the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, NorthRiver Yacht Club, and the Boy Scouts Executive Board of West Alabama. In 2009, the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama named him an H. Pettus Randall Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2011, the Reilly family was named the United Way Alexis de Tocqueville Society Family of the Year. He is also an active member of St. Francis Catholic Church and has led a number of initiatives there.
His father’s military service also inspired Randall-Reilly’s participation in Wreaths Across America, an organization that commemorates fallen soldiers every year by placing 700,000 wreaths on graves at locations around the world.
He and his wife, of 43 years, Debbie, have three children, Brent Reilly (Jessica), Fran Powe (Thomas), and Katie Floyd (Matthew), and five grandchildren.
