Mile for mile

David Burgess showed up at marketing and publishing firm Miles Media in search of a job in 1999, armed with a degree in English and anthropology from Auburn University.

Burgess met with Miles founder Roger Miles. He got a job — starting at the bottom, as an editorial assistant. His salary: $9.50 an hour.

Burgess has since worked his way up to president of the company, now Miles Partnership. The Lakewood Ranch-based business, with a niche in digital marketing for travel and tourism entities, did $60 million in sales in 2016, has 200 employees and a second office in Denver. “In no way did I stick a flag in the ground and say 'I want to run this place one day,'” Burgess says. “I've pretty much done every job along the way.”