The Bowman heritage started in 1959 with a single truck and has since grown into an array of successful businesses in the following sectors:
- Transportation, including Trucking, Trailer Leasing, Warehousing, and Logistics
- Real Estate Development
- Hospitality & Sports Entertainment
The family-owned Bowman Group is committed – through their philanthropic arm and investments in Downtown Hagerstown / Washington County – to ensuring that the community in which these companies reside will thrive far into the future. Each business under the Bowman umbrella has added jobs and value to the community.
The Company History
- D. M. Bowman, Inc., – a transportation company providing truckload, warehouse, and logistic services for clients east of the Mississippi River – was begun in 1959.
- Bowman Sales and Equipment, offering rental services for storage and office trailer leasing in a four-state area, was established in 1972. This business, now known as Bowman Trailer Leasing, has over 30 locations offering on-site storage with sea containers, and storage trailers for use in construction, manufacturing, and retail.
- The Bowman Group, LLC and Bowman Development Corporation were founded in 1987 to develop investment opportunities for Mr. Bowman and his family. These businesses employ five real estate executives with over sixty years of cumulative experience in the acquisition, management, development and construction of warehouse buildings, office buildings, retail and hotel properties, and commercially and industrially zoned land.
- In 2001, the Holiday Inn Express opened and became the anchor for the Bowman Hospitality Campus that now includes the Homewood Suites, Home 2 Suites, Hotel 620, and the soon-to-be completed Tru Hotel – all owned and operated by Bowman Hospitality. The campus, located near the I-81 / I-70 interchange, has become a popular stopping point for those traveling the East Coast as it includes popular restaurants such as the Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings.
- The Bowman companies have worked through the years to revitalize Downtown Hagerstown through the acquisition and renovation of numerous properties including the Tri-State Electric building (2003), the Schindel Rohrer building (2016), and the Masonic Temple (2020). In addition, Bowman became a partner in the ownership of the Flying Boxcars, a baseball team in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in a new ballpark in Downtown Hagerstown. In its first year of operation, this venture saw over 175,000 visitors to the ballpark.
Thanks to a strong workforce, the Bowman companies have seen many successes through the years which allowed for the start-up of the Bowman Family Foundation in 2007. Since its inception, over $5.6 million has been distributed to nonprofit organizations in Washington County, MD. The Foundation is proud to have had an integral role in the building of the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine and Hagerstown Community College’s Workforce Training Center.
