Two heavy hitters in the Midwest construction industry—Robert “Bob” Abel, director-in-charge at Blue & Co.’s Carmel office and director of the firm’s Construction Industry Services Group, and Robert “Bob” Bowen, founder of Bowen Engineering Corporation and CEM’s Donn E. Hancher Distinguished Fellow at Purdue—have teamed together to fund an endowment to provide a scholarship to Purdue students wishing to pursue both a construction engineering degree through CEM and an accounting or finance degree through Krannert School of Management.

“We realize that the task of obtaining both degrees is a tall order,” Abel says, “but the person that is willing to take up the challenge and succeed is the exact type of person that we are looking for to be the future leader in one of our companies.” And that is exactly why they have collaborated to fund the Bowen and Blue Scholarship—to provide construction and accounting firms with graduates who have expertise in both engineering and accounting, and are therefore posed to be the next leaders in industry.

According to Abel and Bowen, the types of leaders the construction industry needs right now are hard to come by. “To have technical knowledge is great. To understand the financial costs of such applied technology, along with the impact that it has on a business, is outstanding,” says Abel. “But to also have the ability to lead others is rare indeed.”

Knowledge is powerful and essential to serving clients effectively. The more a contractor knows and understands about a client’s business, the more value can be added to the contractor’s work with the client. “At Blue & Co., our owners have a great financial understanding of our clients’ performance,” Abel explains. “But if Blue could combine this with the technical understanding of a client’s construction trade, Blue’s ability to add value would be greatly enhanced.”

Leaders with enhanced understanding and knowledge of both the technical and financial sides of a construction business have the confidence and passion to explore and improve processes.

The CFO at Bowen Engineering has a Purdue bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in accounting. According to Abel and Bowen, he is able to bring solutions to problems that are both mechanically sound and financially feasible. His professional training allows him to anticipate potential technical problems and their financial impact before they actually arise, and he can deal with those problems proactively.

Abel and Bowen are excited to usher in a new generation of engineers like Bowen Engineering’s CFO, trained in both the technical and financial aspects of the construction industry.

Students who are enrolled in both programs, have previously earned a Purdue degree in one program and are currently working on a degree in the other, or are simply interested in learning more about the scholarship are encouraged to contact Bonnie Sondgeroth at bonniek@purdue.edu.