Ben Bowen
Landscape Designer & Manager
Ross NW Watergardens
Portland, Ore.
Education
Home-school
Portland, Ore.
Class of 1996
“My family moved to Portland when I was 17. Rather than start fresh in a new school, I finished out high school using a correspondence course.”
Work Experience
1992-1996
Summer Laborer
Bowen’s Inc.
Phoenix, Ariz.
“I worked summers for my grandfather, installing irrigation timers in big subdivisions in Phoenix, Ariz. From that point forward, it seemed natural for me to work with my hands—and my family.”
1996-1998
Owner/Operator
Bowen’s Landscape
Maintenance
Portland, Ore.
“Portland is a city of trees and water—a beautiful place to be a landscaper. And our food culture is fantastic. My only complaint is that I don’t have enough time to eat at all the places I want to.”
1998-2001
Full-Time Volunteer
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society
Brooklyn, N.Y.
2001-2004
Stone Mason Helper
Greenwich, Conn.
2004-Present
Landscape Designer & Manager
Ross NW Watergardens
Portland, Ore.
Did you know?
“I have a wonderful wife of 16 years and four boys. We are heavily involved in volunteer work, spend time with extended family and are always planning our next vacation.”
“I give my dad, Ross Bowen, credit for our success. He has always been willing to do whatever is needed to keep clients and employees happy.”
“My favorite part of the job is visiting a property that we transformed years ago and seeing how it has matured into something truly special.”
Words of wisdom
“Price your services so you can afford to be flexible with clients and generous with employees.”
“Don’t worry too much about the problems of today—just work through them.”
“If you are in business for years, you will have many bad days and even some entire projects that go completely sideways. Just accept it as part of the job.”
“We often take responsibility, blame even, for issues that are not necessarily our fault. But the result is an intensely loyal group of employees and clients. Basically, we are willing to lose the battle but feel like we are winning the war.”
Photos: Ben Bowen; ©istock.com/AndreyKrav
