Cowin Equipment Company remains a family-owned business as it has been for over 83 years.
Early History
Percy Cowin left his employment with the Woodward Iron Company to form in 1924 a small engineering and underground construction company, Salmon & Cowin, Inc. It was then, and remains today, an engineering and underground construction company primarily involved in projects such as mineshafts and slopes, tunneling, etc. The Salmon family interest was eventually purchased by Percy Cowin and this company became known as Cowin & Company, Inc.
Sometime in the middle 1930's Cowin & Company, Inc. became involved to a small degree in the rental and sale of Ingersoll-Rand Air Compressors in addition to performing some local contract blasting services. The two companies entered into a formal distribution agreement in 1938.
In July 1940 the machinery sales/rental part of the business, while still very small, was separated into a new company named Mine and Contractors Supply Company, Inc. Upon graduation from college in 1953 Percy's second son, Peter Cowin, took over the small operation that was Mine and Contractors Supply. After earning his engineering degree and military service in Korea, Percy's first son, John Cowin, had already entered Cowin & Company, Inc.
Years of Growth
In 1955 Mine and Contractors Supply became known as Cowin Equipment Company, Inc. The years from 1953 through 1964 were years of greatly improving volumes, profits and capitalization. In 1964 a new company, Cowin Euclid Company (which later became Cowin Road Machinery), was formed to represent the then Euclid division of General Motors. It was felt that this company could aggressively focus on the heavier, earth-moving equipment while not distracting the success Cowin Equipment Company was enjoying with a more general line of construction equipment. Cowin Road Machinery had a separate location in Birmingham but shared facilities with Cowin Equipment Co. at the newly opened branches in Mobile and Montgomery.
The 1960's and 1970's were periods of stable growth for both companies. Cowin became the distributor for Grove Cranes in 1971. During a recession in 1980 Cowin Road Machinery was merged into Cowin Equipment Company leaving the latter as one solid company representing all products. In Birmingham the equipment company operated out of the new Tarrant City facility where it still is today.
The 1980's and 1990's were decades of further growth amid an ever-changing industry. CEC opened facilities in both Huntsville/ Decatur and Pensacola, Florida in 1987. The company continues to represent all of the Construction and Mining divisions of Ingersoll-Rand, the three divisions of Grove Worldwide, and other Product Lines including Kobelco, Kawasaki, Terex, Liebherr, Gomaco, Etnyre, Broce, and Takeuchi. In the Central and Northern region of Alabama, CEC became the dealer for Case Corporation in 2001. In 2002 CEC opened its first offices in Georgia with facilities in both Atlanta and Albany. In Georgia, CEC is the authorized distributor for Kobelco, Kawasaki, Terex, The Wirtgen Group, Broce, Indeco, and others. At all locations, CEC continues to pomote its "hybrid" strategy of equal emphasis on Sales and Rental, combined with a total commitment to Product Support. We feel that this "hybrid" strategy is the ultimate in customer responsiveness! Whether a customer wants to rent, buy, or rent with an option to purchase, CEC is utterly flexible and receptive to those needs. A third generation of the Cowin family is involved in the management of the company with James P. Cowin serving as President and CEO. In CEC's most recent years the company has experienced record volume and profitability.
