EW Howell Construction Group’s executive chairman Rowland to retire, effective Sept. 30, 2026

Plainview, NJ EW Howell Construction Group’s executive chairman Howard Rowland plans to retire effective September 30, 2026, after a distinguished 43-year career with the company. Rowland joined EW Howell in 1983 as a project manager and has held various roles throughout the last four decades, most notably president, CEO, and executive chairman. EW Howell joins employees, clients, partners, and friends in celebrating his extraordinary career and lasting legacy. Dan Williams will continue to serve as president and CEO of EW Howell.

“We extend our sincere gratitude to Howard for his invaluable contributions to EW Howell over the last four decades. His leadership, guidance, and relationships have enabled the company to reach new heights, supporting our continued mission of building remarkable projects across New York and the greater tri-state area. We wish him the best as he embarks on this new chapter,” said Williams.

Prior to joining EW Howell, Rowland worked at TF Jackson Electric, where he developed strong relationships with EW Howell’s leadership team. Throughout his tenure at EW Howell, Rowland has overseen projects for Grumman Aerospace, United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Suffolk, North Shore University Hospital, and Estée Lauder.

Founded in 1891, EW Howell is Long Island’s longest-running and one of the largest general contracting and construction management firms. With offices in Plainview, NY and in Midtown Manhattan, the company provides general contracting, construction management, and design-build services across the New York metropolitan area, having completed multiple projects for Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York Botanical Garden, Sunrise Senior Living, Target, Simon Property Group, the New York City School Construction Authority, and many major healthcare systems, among others.

Rowland’s leadership has been instrumental in the success of EW Howell. Over the course of his tenure, he held several key positions, including director of purchasing, vice president of estimating and purchasing, and executive vice president of operations. He was named president in 1997, and in 2010, he became a partner with EW Howell’s parent company, Obayashi North America, San Francisco. In 2024, Rowland was promoted to executive chairman, where he maintained EW Howell’s reputation for integrity, dedication to quality, competitiveness, safety, and resilience.

“Howard led EW Howell with a quiet dignity and understated strength and would live by his word; this permeates the company’s culture to this day,” said long-time friend Charles Wolf, AIA, quality director at EW Howell for 10 years. “This spirit was, and is, a big part of the reason clients, as well as talented construction professionals, were drawn to EW Howell and why those relationships continue. During his four-decade career at EW Howell, Howie, as he is affectionately known, treated the company as a family and was a responsible role model for us. For this reason, many have spent the better part of their careers at EW Howell.”

Rowland’s passion for construction began at a young age – he was captivated by local construction sites during his youth and took drafting classes in high school. He received an Associate’s Degree in Construction Engineering Technology from Farmingdale State College in 1976, followed by a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture and Master’s Degree in Business Administration from New York Institute of Technology in 1978 and 1988, respectively.

Rowland served as chairman of New York State’s leading construction industry organization, the Associated General Contractors of New York State (AGC NYS), and is slated to receive AGC NYS’s highest honor, the S.I.R. Award, which signifies the highest standards of “Skill, Integrity, and Responsibility,” at AGC NYS’s 2026 summer meeting this August.

Rowland has also served as a board member for the Farmingdale College Foundation, Mercy Center Ministries, New York’s Building Contractors Association, and United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Suffolk. He has been recognized with several honors: he was named Mercy Center Ministries’ 2015 Man of the Year in 2015, and was presented with an AGC In the Community Award in 2011, Ward Melville Heritage Organization Award and the New York Botanical Garden’s Founders Award in 2016, and a Long Island Business News Icon Award in 2017, which further underscore his contributions to both the construction industry and his community.