Page 99 - SOUTHERN OREGON MAGAZINE SPRING 2022

JOSHUA L BONG

C O N ST RU C T I O N

combining form and function in modern-day concrete

by valerie coulman provided by joshua bong construction

n the construction and architectural design industries, concrete has been find-
ing its renaissance from a commonplace material of industrial properties, to a
material of form, design, elegance, and durability. Joshua Bong, owner of Joshua
IL Bong Construction in Eagle Point, has seen that metamorphosis firsthand
through his own 25 years in the business, and in his family’s roots in concrete.

“I kind of fell into it [as a profession],” he comments. “My family’s done concrete for
a long time – some of them for more than 45 years – and I would work with them in
the summers.” While still working with them on occasion, he has branched out with
his own contractor’s license and built his own crew.

Like many contractors, when the recession of 2008 hit
the construction industry, Bong and his team had been
doing a lot of work with spec homes and subcontract-
ing for area builders. But then, “all the builders went
away.” As businesses were hit, and contractors either
closed or relocated, Bong found himself reinventing
his business also. “I basically had to get smaller and get
more hands on.”

At that point, he started working directly with home-
owners, primarily in Ashland because that’s where
building was still happening. Bong found the closer
connections and smaller jobs more to his liking. “I
found that I enjoyed it way more,” he remembers. “I fit
in comfortably there.” He also found that during that
process he connected with a range of architects whose
vision gave him a chance to do more than pour drive-
ways and foundations. One of those early specialty jobs
came after connecting with Andrew Gower of Andrew
Gower Design in Ashland. “He had a specific look he wanted, and I thought, I can do
that. It became fun.” Also, custom jobs usually allow a little more time and, he admits
realistically, a little more money.

They also involve some unique and special projects, like the Angel Reflection Garden
at Celia House in Holmes Park in Medford. Bong was part of constructing the con-
crete plinth that houses the workings of the fountain and supports sculptor Kevin
Christman’s statue of a listening angel that the garden is named after. Water flows
down all four sides of the fountain’s plinth, while the inside edge of the surrounding
concrete bench features a poem written in stainless steel lettering that can be read
as you walk around the peaceful and contemplative fountain.

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