INVESTING IN THE FUTURE WORKFORCE


Building a Legacy: Bob Cowan Leaves Lasting Imprint on Construction Workforce Landscape


By Carol Eaton


ation of the construction workforce in California, few people have had a greater impact or built a more lasting legacy than Bob Cowan, CEO of Marina Landscape, Inc. From his gift of an endowed schol-


W


arship fund and other contributions to the AGC Construction Education Foundation (CEF), to a new student internship program with the Southern California Contractors Association (SCCA), to continued investment in


hen it comes to supporting education and training and investing in the next gener-


his employees and the local community, Cowan gives new meaning to the term “giving back.” His early


commitment to hard work and ability to capitalize on opportunity enabled Cowan to build a successful career at a young age. He was just 12 and his brother Richard was 16 when


Bob Cowan


they started their own lawn-mowing business to earn some extra cash. Tat was 1971. Te brothers


incorporated in 1974, initially as Cowan Landscape Maintenance and later, Marina Landscape, Inc. Richard Cowan went back to school to obtain his business degree, acquiring skills and knowledge that helped grow the company. In the early 1980s they began taking on public works projects and made the pivotal decision to unionize—becoming one of just a handful of landscape companies that were signatory to three unions—the Pipefitters, Laborers and Operating Engineers Unions.


Major Transformation and Growth


During its half century


in business, the Anaheim- based company transformed from a two-person start-up into one of California’s largest and most respected independent landscaping specialty contractors, supporting hundreds of employees. Many of them have been with the company for decades. “We have some guys


that have been with us for 40 years now, and several


Marina Landscape, Inc. completed an innovative tree moving project at Sunnyvale Civic Center under contract with Hensel Phelps, to make way for the new city hall buildings.


16 September/October 2021


California Constructor


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