We all know the story.  We’ve heard it from the time we were little tykes to … well … I am sure you’ve heard it this year.  Here is OUR take on the classic Twas the Night Before Christmas.

Presents:
“Twas the Night Before Christmas – Construction Edition”

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the site,
not a worker was working, well, because it was night.

The beams were all stacked by the Jobsite with care,
In hopes that the subs soon would be there

The supers were nestled all snug in their beds,
while visions of change orders danced in their heads.

And Clyde in his robe, and Zack in his cap,
Had just settled their brains for at least a short nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
Newell sprang from his bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window Rick flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a luster of midday to dump trucks below,

When what to Mike’s sleep-filled eyes did appear,
But a souped-up red sleigh and eight mighty reindeer,

With a little old driver so lively and quick,
They knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.

More rapid than jackhammers his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

“Now, Crow-bar! now, Wrench! now Nail-gun and Hammer!
On, Pick-axe! on, Bolster! on, Ladder and Rammer!

To the top of the roof! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”

As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;

So up to the scaffold the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of tools, and St. Nicholas too—

And then, in a twinkling, Dana heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each mighty hoof.

As Earle took out his earplugs and was turning around,
Over the trench St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in camo, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;

A bundle of tools he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! His lips wore a smirk!
His hands, they were strong from years of hard work.

He had big steel-toed boots to protect both his feet,
And the beard on his chin was as grey as concrete;

His hard hat he wore in a manner quite bold,
And across it were stickers from projects of old.

He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.

He was jolly and happy, and never complained,
And Dave thought to himself “He must be from Maine.”

A wink of his eye and a nod of his head
Soon gave them to know they had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
He filled up a Connex; then turned with a jerk,

And putting a thumb up to show all was good,
He gave them the mightiest laugh that he could;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a shout,
And away they all flew – up, over, and out!

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove from the site—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

BANGOR, MAINE – Sky Villa, LLC., the Hampden based development company, has announced that Bowman Constructors has been hired to complete renovations at One Merchants Plaza in downtown Bangor.

“I’m proud that Bowman Constructors will be completing the renovations at One Merchants Plaza,” said David St. Germain, owner of Sky Villa LLC. “I am eager to have the major construction concluded to welcome CES, Inc. into their new headquarters and for all of the building improvements done that benefit all of the building tenants.”

After the purchase of the building in August 2019, St. Germain announced that he would complete $2.2 million in renovations, part of which will be used to improve the heating and cooling systems for the entire building. The renovations also include a new layout and office space for CES, Inc., the engineering, environmental science, and surveying firm, whose headquarters will move to the top two floors in 2020.

“By hiring Bowman Constructors for the building improvements and renovations for CES’ office space, speaks highly of David’s objectives of quality results and construction delivered on schedule,” said Denis St. Peter, President and CEO of CES. “Along with our interior design firm, Bowerbird Design Collective, CES is pleased to partner with a strong design and construction team that will elevate our headquarters to a modern approach to work and collaboration.”

In addition to the interior work at One Merchants Plaza, Bowman is completing minor site improvements as well as updating the façade.

“This is an exciting project for us.” Says Kevin Bowman, President of Bowman Constructors. “Not only is One Merchants Plaza an integral part of downtown Bangor but the fact that it will be home to our friends and partners at CES makes it even more special.  We are honored to be part of the continued growth of Bangor’s historic downtown district.”

While CES will occupy the top two floors, Sky Villa will be renovating other floors to make room for new tenants in 2020. Epstein Commercial will be working with Sky Villa to lease some office spaces additional. Interested parties should contact Bev Uhlenhake at bev@epsteincommercial.com or 207.945.6222.

October 15, 2019 – The Bangor Humane Society announces that construction on their facility located on 693 Mt.  Hope Ave in Bangor will begin this week.

BHS is excited to also announce that Bowman Constructors won the bid process and has been awarded the capital renovation and expansion project.

”Bowman Constructors is honored to have been chosen to be a part of the team responsible for making this vision a reality.” says Brian Bowman: Vice-President of Bowman Constructors. “The Bangor Humane Society has a long history of giving our furry friends a stable roof over their heads. We are excited to help the Humane Society expand the roof over theirs so that they may continue to provide valuable education, training and adoption services throughout our local region.”

Bowman Constructors is thrilled to have had the opportunity to sponsor and play at the 24th annual Scramble for Scholars held by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.  The event took place on September 6th at the BEAUTIFUL Samoset Resort in Rockland, ME.  While more photos will be posted shortly, we couldn’t help but share some of the incredible views from the day.

Today, the Bowman team enjoyed a wonderful day of golf for a great cause! We were honored to be a sponsor of the Sebasticook Valley FCU Ending Hunger Golf Tournament at JW Parks Golf Course.  Not only was it great weather, a great course and great company; Team Bowman also walked away with the trophy! Best of all, it is one more opportunity to give back to our community.

Click READ MORE to view our event photo gallery.

The most important skill anyone can have is the ability to listen.

You probably thought that I was going to say something like time management or being able to use Microsoft Office.

The immediate access to information, at our fingertips and the anonymity of the internet, has proven to be a valuable tool in the growth of our society but has had some undesired consequences in the area of social interactions.

Understanding how to get across your wants/needs is essential to every job; no matter if you are a skilled laborer or a CEO. Someone in the construction industry or someone in the mortuary sciences. At Bowman Constructors, we pride ourselves in our ability to listen to our owners. It is one of the assets that sets us apart from our competition.

Taking the time to focus on understanding another person’s views will not only allow for a broader conversation on a topic but will also grow your knowledge base and open you up to new ideas and ways of thinking.

It isn’t as easy as it sounds. Personally, this is a pain point for me as I tend to want to get my ideas out before I forget them or the opportunity disappears. What I find, however, is that listening does not mute my own ideas but gives them more strength.

Try it out!

This Monday, team members from Bowman Constructors (including MAW board member, Kevin Bowman) and Langford & Low, Inc. partnered to assist in the construction of a play area for a young boy in Holden. Both Bowman Constructors and Langford & Low are longstanding Associated Builders and Contractors of Maine and Associated General Contractors of Maine members in the state.

It’s our mission to be builders – It is who we are. We create surroundings and form valuable relationships that strengthen our communities and enrich the ways people live in them.

While physical structures are the cornerstone of our work, Bowman is also proud of building in other ways. The Make-A-Wish Maine organization is one of the ways we help to build a brighter future for Maine children.

We encourage other businesses to join us in our efforts to help make a difference in the lives of local children through Make-A-Wish projects in your area.

Bowman was proud to have taken part in the Eastern Aroostook RSU 39 beam signing for the new Caribou Community School.

Kids from grades K – 8 stopped by to ensure that their name was present on a little piece of history.

We could not have asked for a nicer day or a better group of students!

Thank you to all who came out and made this a fantastic event!

Click READ MORE to view the photo gallery.

May 21, 2019 – Newport, ME – For over 30 years, Bowman Constructors has been known for their commercial building projects throughout the state of Maine. From erecting a new K–8 community school in Caribou, to constructing multiple financial institutions in the town of Waterville, to Beals Island where they built a new addition to their research laboratory and residence hall for Downeast Institute.

However, when the need for affordable senior housing began to grow, Bowman Constructors saw an opportunity to use their experience to tackle a new challenge.

“The biggest issue, in affordable housing, is the long-term operational costs,” explained Brian Bowman. “With our multi-unit housing plan, we have been able to solve that challenge and create a near NetZero housing model that can easily be replicated throughout the state.”

Bowman Constructors teamed with WBRC Architects to create a building energy system that includes a south-facing 100KW solar-paneled roofing system with a Central Maine Power net metering agreement to eliminate the need for fossil fuel and fossil fuel mechanical systems. Also part of this energy-saving design are super insulation, triple-paned windows, LED lighting, methods for capturing the heat from the solar inverter and using that to heat the water, and an electric baseboard, coupled with a whole building energy recovery system, to heat the building. 

“The biggest takeaway is that this works!” says Bowman. “As owners of two of these units, we see the long-term benefit and are excited to be able to do our part to help solve the issue of affordable senior housing in our state.”

With more state funding opening up to create more housing units, the Bowman/WBRC team is ready to help developers and housing authorities increase their QAP application score and get our state’s seniors in their new homes up to six months sooner.

April 1, 2019 – Newport, ME – The Bowman family has added one more branch to their company repertoire. Best known for Bowman Constructors and Bowman Mini Storage, the Bowman brothers are now branching out to become the BowMen. Their new company will feature custom archery equipment for recreational and sport use.

“It has been something that we’ve been wanting to do for a while now,” stated Brian Bowman. “Many of our staff are hunters and this just felt like the right move. We already had the equipment to craft these. It was just a matter of making the decision to go for it.”

The company will begin production of the bows in the early spring with a date for shipping slated for mid-summer.

“We really hope that people enjoy what we are doing and that they understand the concept behind this sharp turn from what we are known for,” explained Kevin Bowman. “We also hope that those reading this press release have a fantastic April 1st and have enjoyed our little bit of humor.”

It truly is a shame that these aren’t a reality as they would definitely get some use.