The best way to describe the narrative of Bowie Industries is to retell the story from another Texas Treasure Business Award recipient, Bowie News. In 1960 the newspaper printed the story of Owen Meyer – the story of a local boy who made good in his own hometown. Meyer was born in Bowie and reared here and attended Bowie schools. He graduated from Bowie High School in 1943 and immediately enlisted in the Army.
After two years of service, he was discharged and returned home. He is the son of Grover and Hattie Lou (Cleveland) Meyer of Bowie. He met Sigurd Andreasen eighteen years ago, and the two formed a partnership and founded the Bowie Machine Works, located at 1004 East Wise Street, Bowie, Texas, (where it is still located to this day).
(As stated in another 1960s article) Sigurd Andreasen is the co-owner of Bowie Machine Works, Inc., serving as engineer and plant manager. Andreasen came to Bowie 18 years ago after several years in service work for the U.S. Government. He originally came to North Dakota from Denmark, where he apprenticed in a machine shop and went to college. He came to Bowie in February 1944 and worked with Vincent Carpenter.
It was here at the old T.D. Wetzel Building on Smythe Street that the Bowie Machine Works started and where Andreasen first met Owen Meyer, his present partner. Andreasen’s engineering and machinist experience together with Meyer’s welding and selling experience have made this a perfect combination and resulted in the development of the famous Bowie Pump and Bowie Hydro-Mulcher.
The small company started in 1953 repairing oil field equipment and pumps. In 1955, the company originated the idea of building a rotary gear pump with rubber-coated impellers. In 1958 patents were issued along with the signing of Articles of Incorporation on September 26, 1958. Bowie Machine Works received United States Patent no. 2 833 224 in September of 1958. Bowie Industries received their United States Patent and trademark principal register in 1962 for the Bowie Hydro-Mulcher.
In 1976, Owen Meyer became the sole person in charge of the company known as Bowie Industries, Inc., employing over 100 people and is still one of the major employers in the city of Bowie, Texas. They work closely with the local college North Central Texas College and its industrial technology center for training the future workforce. They are firm believers in American-made and build strong to last. All Bowie Industries, Inc. products are created, manufactured, and assembled in the USA!
With its full manufacturing facility, Bowie Industries can provide turnkey solutions. Sheet metal operations, welding, painting, and assembly are all done in-house. Custom mountings on customers’ trucks with integrated toolboxes can
be done on-site for a complete turnkey finished product. Quality has always been a goal of Bowie Industries and there is no better way to control quality than to do it yourself.
Bowie Industries, Inc. started out with a vision of becoming a globally recognized manufacturer of reliable, high-performance rotary gear pumps. Over sixty years later, that vision has become a reality thanks in large part to the
determination and expertise of the people who’ve worked behind the scenes throughout the organization.
In 1983, Bowie Industries, Inc. and Rice Engineering and Operating Ltd. joined forces and introduced Bowie Pumps of Canada Ltd. as the Canadian manufacturer and supplier of Bowie pumps to the Canadian marketplace. Engineering teams have been responsible for a wide range of game-changing innovations. There are currently several thousand Bowie Hydro-Mulchers® out there hard at work, in nearly every corner of the globe.
Owen received the “Man of the Year” Award from the Chamber of Commerce in 1975 and the “Lion of the Year” award in 1996-1997. Owen (December 2004) and his son Gary Meyer (April 2012) both passed away leaving Owen’s daughter Carlotta and
her husband Dean Myers at the helm of Bowie Industries.
Bowie Industries is a fine example that hard work, education, and determination will net success. Dean and Carlotta Myers are upstanding community supporters with longstanding roots in Bowie, Texas. They continuously support local Bowie, Texas events like Chicken and Bread Days Heritage Festival and Jim Bowie Days and organizations and fundraisers. Plus, assist with any beautification projects. Dean provides historical notes and photos through his work on social media (Facebook) to add to the local heritage. Serving on the Bowie EDC board helps ensure future endeavors and progress of Montague County. In 2015 he was honored for the Montague County Manufacturer of the Year. The business has been recognized by many entities including the City of Bowie Main Street and Bowie Chamber of Commerce. Bowie Industries is a certified member of the International Association of Hydroseeding Professionals.
Who says that you can’t hydroseed in the snow? Equipment from Bowie Industries was used on January 13, 2013, in the New England states to do just that – hydro-mulch in the snow. It was a solar farm, and it had to be seeded before the solar panels were installed. The rows of panels were too close together to permit machine access after the panels were installed so the Bowie Hydro-Mulcher was called to duty. Over the last 70 years, Bowie Hydro-Mulchers have been used to establish vegetation in every conceivable condition. From the sand dunes of Iraq to the frozen tundra of Canada to the Winter Olympics, Bowie Hydro-Mulchers have been there making history.
Their customers are generally contractors, specializing in reclamation, erosion control, grassing, landscaping, and dust control from various private and public sectors. The company voluntarily utilizes its equipment and materials for erosion control for the local community and school. They often give back to the community when needed. As it says in its motto, “When it comes to landscaping needs, ‘Bowie covers the field!’”
For sixty-five years Bowie Industries has been changing the landscape of the industry from the rotary gear pump to the mulching creating rugged and dependable products and equipment proudly made in the USA. Earning them their current Texas Historical Commission’s Texas Treasure Business Award accolade as submitted by Bowie Community Development.
