Rowland joined Watson Ess Marshall and Engass upon graduation, leaving in 1980 to join
Kansas City Southern Industries (KCSI). He was promoted to President and COO of KCSI in 1983, then served as CEO starting in 1987, retiring as Chairman in 2004. To help the railroad maintain its independence, he was part of the push to diversify the company into the less capital-intensive fields of finance— including the acquisition of
Janus in 1984—and technology—with the establishment of DST as a division to automate
mutual fund record keeping. These entities became so successful that between 1995 and 2003, Rowland oversaw splitting KCSI into three public companies:
Kansas City Southern (railroad),
Janus Capital Group (mutual fund), and
DST Systems (financial technology). In 2005, after his retirement from KCS, Rowland and his wife Sarah purchased a small
Garden City, Missouri, bank, which later became Lead Bank. At the time of his death, Rowland was serving as Director and Chairman Emeritus of
Janus Capital Group. Rowland was also a Trustee of CED (Committee of Economic Development) where he was given a CED 2011 Distinguished Performance Award. Rowland was a panel presenter in a CED forum called "Hidden Money: The Need for Transparency in Political Finance". == Community involvement ==