COMMISSIONERS

Robert L. Bowen

Commissioner

Gov. Eric J. Holcomb appointed Dr. Robert L. Bowen, P.E., to the Ports of Indiana Commission in July 2018. Robert is the founder and chairman of Bowen Engineering Corporation and served as his company’s CEO from 1967-2009.

Bowen Engineering is an experienced self-performing general contractor with operation centers and projects throughout the country and ranks consistently as an ENR Top 200 Environmental Firm and among the ENR Top 400 Contractors. Robert’s company has an extensive history in both the water/wastewater and energy/industrial markets and is a nationwide Industrial Water, CSO, ELG, MATS, and CCR construction expert. Bowen Engineering has constructed over 1,000 treatment facilities and has strong phys-chem, biological, evaporator experience with multiple technology partners.

Robert is the recipient of many honors, including the ACCE Mark Benjamin Lifetime Achievement Award, the ADL Man of Achievement Award, ENR Legacy Award, the IBJ Michael A. Carroll Award, the ASCE OPAL Lifetime Achievement Award, Purdue’s Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, an IPS Hall of Fame inductee and the Indiana Heartland Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Ernst and Young.

He is published author and, in 2017, released his first book about how to build a construction business from the ground up titled, “It Takes More Than Concrete.”

Robert has served on Purdue’s Krannert Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee, the Purdue Dean of Engineering Visiting Committee and has been the Chairman of the AGC of America Municipal/Utilities Division. In addition, he is Past President of the AGC of Indiana, served on the American Arbitration Association Panel of Arbitrators and is a long-time member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Robert and his wife, Terry, established the Bowen Foundation in 1994. The Bowen Foundation provides scholarships to minority students in Indianapolis to pursue an education past high school. He serves as a Director on the board for the Center for Leadership Development, is a Director on the board of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, is the Founder of the Science Bound/IPS-Purdue Partnership and served as a Director on the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Indianapolis.

Robert holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Purdue University, completed the OPM Program at Harvard Business School and holds honorary doctorates from Purdue University and the University of Evansville.

Since 2010, Robert has been volunteering his time to teach during the fall semester at Purdue University. His class is “Leadership and Advanced Project Management” and focuses on the technical challenges of the construction industry and the managerial decisions needed to keep a project moving forward.