Family affair
Four generations of Ashdown grads run plumbing business
ASHDOWN, Ark. — Bowman Plumbing Company isn’t your everyday business operation. It’s a family affair.
Ricky, John and Carter Bowman — the second, third and fourth generations of the family business — all have at least two things in common: They’re graduates of Ashdown High School and they’re plumbers.
Ricky, a 1972 graduate of Ashdown, said his father Eugene started the business in the 1960s after graduating from Ashdown around 20 years before.
Ricky is the current owner and has been since 1978.
While Ricky and his son John got into the business by chance, grandson Carter, who just graduated from Ashdown earlier this year, made it clear from the beginning that he wanted to continue the tradition.
“The only one so far in the family who planned on doing it is Carter,” Ricky said. “It was his idea. John and I, it just went that way, and was what we ended up doing.
“To tell you the truth, I was kind of surprised when he told us that’s what he wanted to do. When (John) talked to his guidance counselor and career coach at school, they said he was the easiest kid in the world to figure out because he knew what he wanted to do. I guess he just likes the life that we live and the things that this job offers.”
The Ashdown Public School District is very special to the Bowman’s because it gave them the preparation to achieve their goals.
Ricky said that opportunity has embedded a hard-working mindset among them all.
“I think it has instilled a hard-working culture in our family,” he said. “This business is not easy. You have to work hard to maintain your customers. If you don’t work hard enough to maintain your customers, then you’re out of business.”
Without a business office, Bowman Plumbing mostly operates wherever the jobs take them. Because plumbing is an the essential service, they have hardly been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They still have the same daily challenges, but Ricky says those challenges are made easier when he’s surrounded by those he loves.
“We’re all on the same page, and we usually know what particular jobs we’re all doing, how hard they are and whether or not we’re going to need some help,” he said. “I know the older I get, I need a little bit more help than I used to. But it works out really well for us. It’s a well-balanced deal.”
At the end of the day, he’s just grateful for a rare set of circumstances.
“It’s a lot of fun working with your family,” he said. “It’s allowed me to spend a lot of time with my family and to be at a lot of the activities my family took part in. Not many people have that opportunity.”