Contegra Construction • Eric Gowin
Eric is a 1986 JCHS graduate who founded one of the top construction firms in the St. Louis area.
He created the business while still living in Jerseyville. He had over 40 options for business names written on a piece of paper and chose Contegra as it stands for Construction + Integrity.

You can find much of his work while driving down 255, but you can also find it right here in Jersey County.
A few of his projects include: Jerseyville Waste Water Treatment Plant, Carrollton Bank/Jerseyville Banking Center, Jersey Community Hospital ER Expansion, West Star Aviation, World Wide Technology, Beardstown Splash Pad, and Jerseyville Sydenstricker Nobbe Partners/John Deere where we met the morning he spoke with us.

Days after graduating from SIUE, with a degree in construction management, he took a job at the refinery. He later took a job with Granite City Steel. He also worked for a major construction firm in St. Louis and felt confident he could serve his clients better if he opened his own firm.

Fast forward to present day and his company has done business in over 30 states, is a 100% employee owned company, and did $440 million in revenue in 2022!

Eric gave each student a card with many words of wisdom. The moment he walked out of the door the students were very vocal about how impressed they were with the business he created from scratch.

"Eric plays an active role in many local charities including the Ronald McDonald House Charity and serves on the Kids & Clays Committee to support the areas Ronald McDonald Houses. Some of the other charities supported include the Backstoppers, annual Adopt-a-Family event, St. Louis Children’s Hospital (KIDstruction)." (contegracc.com)

Thank you for speaking with us!

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