DONOR SPOTLIGHT - BOWES CONSTRUCTION

Contractor's Donations Pave Way To Better Facilities

It usually takes more than a little rain to dampen the spirits of Jackrabbit football fans on game day. However, the enthusiasm of the day was lost on one woman in a wheelchair whose friends were having trouble getting her chair through the mud to Coughlin-Alumni Stadium.

Fortunately, there was someone in the crowd who could ensure that traffic at future games wouldn't have to contend with the mud.

"We see that. We talk about it. We get a hold of Mike," says Eric Peterson of Bowes Construction in Brookings.

In a case like that, Peterson will call Mike Burgers, associate athletic director for development. Those are calls that Burgers likes to get.

"They're a company that comes to use and says, 'What can we do to help?'" Burger says.

Founded in 1975, Bowes Construction produces, sells, and services products in gravel, asphalt, and asphalt-recycling industries. The company also has a long history of donating its services for work on SDSU athletic facilities.

Long History of Helping

As a new generation is taking over the family business, that tradition hasn't changed. In the recent past Bowes Construction has donated its services to an impressive array of athletic facility projects.

At Coughlin-Alumni Stadium, Bowes helped get patrons out of the mud by supplying new asphalt for the entrance and by the ticket booths. The company also provided gravel under the scoreboard.

At the new baseball field Bowes provided fill material to shore up areas used for seating and batting cages. The company donated a parking lot on the east side of the Equestrian Center and provided fill material, a walkway, and cleared away construction debris during the building of Dykhouse Student-Athlete Center.

"Now we're building a new entrance road and parking lot" at the Dykhouse Center, Peterson says.

When most people think of making donations to an athletic program, they reach for their checkbooks. Bowes' crew, on the other hand, fires up some heavy equipment and gets to work providing services, materials, and labor.

"They're responsible for marked improvements in facilities that our fans and student-athletes don't take for granted," Burger says.

Many Benefit From Bowes' Generosity

With eighty-five employees and construction jobs that range across eastern South Dakota, working out the logistics for putting together a donated project might seem daunting.

"The biggest challenge is trying to fit it into your schedule," Peterson explains. "But because we do so much work up there, it fits in our operations well. We try to do whatever we can for SDSU."

The University isn't the only place in Brookings that benefits from donations by Bowes Construction. The company has also supplied materials and expertise for Habitat for Humanity and site work and asphalt for the Boys and Girls Club.

For Peterson and his wife, Miranda (Bowes) Peterson, along with other owners Lyle and Marcia Bowes and Jason and RaeAnn Bowes, there's a special pride in knowing that student-athletes and fans will be served by projects they completed on campus.

"Because we live here, because we go to the events, we're proud when we go up there, to see our work," Miranda Peterson says.

The Brookings natives aren't alums, but they are fans of the athletic program.

"WHEN YOU GROW UP IN THIS COMMUNITY, IT'S JUST NATURAL TO LOVE THE JACKS."
Miranda Peterson

Summer 2010-Dana Hess