Rowland of E.W. Howell guides company to the forefront of both public and private sectors

One of the true tests of leadership is successfully guiding a company through challenging times. At the helm of E.W. Howell since 1997, president Howard Rowland has been a powerful leader, skillfully positioning Long Island's largest construction management and general contracting firm at the forefront of both the public and private sector. In conjunction with the firm's New York City office, E.W. Howell focuses on projects in the metro region including Long Island, the five boroughs, northern New Jersey, the lower Hudson Valley and southern Connecticut. Founded more than 100 years ago as a residential builder of many of Long Island's most notable Gold Coast mansions, among them the estates of Henry Guggenheim and E.F. Hutton, E. W. Howell has an enduring reputation for quality work, integrity and service to client needs. The company also enjoys a history of a nimble response to economic conditions, refocusing its building expertise from the residential to the commercial over the course of the 20th Century. Rowland, who joined Howell in 1983 as a project manager, attributes Howell's long-term success to the diversity of its portfolio and particular clients. "Central to our success has been our ability to win projects that generate ongoing opportunities," he explains. "Clients such as Saks Fifth Avenue, Sunrise Assisted Living, Target, Lowes, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University and The New York Botanical Garden have all awarded E. W. Howell multiple projects." Rowland's insistence on a diversity of clientele has another benefit. "Diversity leads to longevity. One of the strengths of the firm is that we're not so focused as to be a specialist. Because of our broad experience and knowledge we can move between private and public sector jobs, an ability that has enabled us to be busy during both boom and recessionary periods. When the private sector was active, we continued to cultivate public projects. These public contracts have given us an edge to remain strong in the current environment. We didn't have to cut back when the private sector slowed." Stony Brook University has been a source of opportunity for E.W. Howell, with projects as diverse as the Simons Center for Geometry and Physics, the Stony Brook University Advanced Energy Research Laboratory, a renovation of the university's Chemistry Building, and renovation work at Stony Brook University Hospital. "It's exciting, challenging work and the designs are extraordinary. It is work that we're particularly proud of at the end of the day." Another case in point is the recently completed library at Stony Brook's Southampton campus, which was started when Southampton College was part of the Long Island University (LIU) system. "When the campus was put up for sale this project, which was about halfway completed, got mothballed. Fortunately LIU made the decision to continue construction so that the building was secured against the elements. When Stony Brook purchased the campus, we were able to get the contract to complete the remaining work. As the exterior work had been completed there was little to no effect on the building. There was some redesign but basically we finished it as originally intended." Brookhaven National Lab has utilized E.W. Howell, most recently for its Central Chilled Water Facility expansion, Center for Functional Nanomaterials and Research Support buildings. Similarly, Howell has performed high tech construction for the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and the SUNY Farmingdale Broad Hollow Incubator Facility. "We will continue to look towards Stony Brook University, BNL, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Farmingdale for future projects. These institutions seem to be in line for stimulus money, other public funding sources such as the Department of Energy and private funding. There is a synergy of shared resources between these institutions that I find intriguing. Of the scientists and engineers who train at a Stony Brook or Farmingdale lab, many of them will ultimately work at BNL or at Cold Spring Harbor Lab. We're glad we're involved at both ends of that relationship and are eager to pursue more projects of this type." Rowland has encouraged E. W. Howell to be at the forefront of green construction. The firm recently completed the LEED Gold Manhattanville College Student Center in Purchase, NY, and obtained Silver LEED certification for the Center for Functional Nanomaterials and Research Support Buildings at BNL. The Stony Brook University Center for Advanced Energy Research Lab is expected to achieve LEED Platinum certification and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is designed to achieve LEED Silver certification. "We've made a significant investment training our supervisory staff to meet the demands of this growing field. Using recycled building materials and recycling job sites debris is integral to green building." Another emerging market for E.W. Howell is road construction, which is targeted for stimulus money. Howell was recently contracted to improve traffic flow on the heavily trafficked stretch of County Road 58 between the Long Island Expressway and the traffic circle in Riverhead. Through work that E.W. Howell has done for United Cerebral Palsy of Suffolk County (UCP) Health Center, Howard Rowland has found a cause dear to his heart. The UCP Center, completed in 2008, is a fully accessible health facility that provides primary and specialty medical, rehabilitative, mental health and dental services to individuals with disabilities, seniors and others in the Long Island community. "The UCP Health Center was originally designed on a much grander scale to encompass an educational facility. It was a painstaking process to deliver a building that met their needs and stayed within budget, but through this project I developed a relationship with the staff that made me a supporter and a friend. Seeing the work that they do, it's hard to say no." For his contributions on the behalf of the organization, UCP honored Rowland in 2004 and this year he is serving as the honorary chair for its annual gala. Another important cause for the E.W. Howell team, and one that is generously supported by its subcontractor community, is its Benefit for a Friend Golf Outing. "Paul O'Rourke, our executive vice president of operations, put together this fundraiser. It gives 100% to the cause, which is to provide financial assistance to construction families that have experienced an illness or job loss that creates a financial burden. Over seven years we have raised close to three quarters of a million dollars through the generosity of the construction industry."