Alona Alimagno-Bowman: Breaking barriers

One’s grit is critical to one’s success. Grit is vital for survival, for triumph. It is resilience amidst adversity. It’s passion and perseverance put to the test.

At the onset, Alona “Tylou” Alimagno-Bowman, my sister from another mother, flew to California to mend her broken heart. She was 25 then. What was supposed to be a short healing vacation in 2006 for Tylou, who just finished Architecture at the University of Santo Tomas then, led to an opportunity that would change her life.

And the change includes being on top of operations of a big, male-dominated construction company in the US. Tylou, who started as an estimator, is now the vice president of operations of Best Contracting Services Inc., “a large specialty contractor that provides construction services for the entire building envelope.” The building envelope, according to Tylou, “is any work that wraps the building against water including roofing, waterproofing, metal panels, sheet metal and glazing works.”

“That time, I was at a crossroads in life. It was mid-June 2006 when I gathered the courage to send my dad a simple but life-changing text: ‘Pa, I need a favor. Please buy me a ticket to the US. I need to move on and get my life back.’ Without hesitation, my father replied, ‘OK. When’?”

Before her 26th birthday on July 10, 2006, Tylou flew to the US with a piece of luggage filled with clothes and memories. She never realized that her plain request for a plane ticket from her father was actually a passport for a new break. On the day she decided to choose herself was also the moment she promised to rebuild it.

And rebuild her life she did even if it meant being on her stilettos, so to speak, in a male-dominated world. Even if it meant riding the bus when she was new in the US, missing the stop and walking in the dead of winter just so she could figure things out.

Along the way of rebuilding her life, there were men at work who challenged her, who questioned whether she belonged, who questioned if she could lead.

“But none of the setbacks stopped me…I decided to create my own space. And in doing that, I’ve found something bigger: the power to show others, especially young women and working mothers, that it can be done,” Tylou said via text.

(We were texting while two important events were taking place on that day for the Alimagno family. One was the oath taking of Tylou’s youngest sister, lawyer and economist Alexis Alimagno, who now is a vibrant and intelligent addition to the city council of Cabuyao. Two, was the graduation of her niece Julia A. Pascual, daughter of Tylou’s eldest sister Mye and her husband Joseph Pascual, who took up Medical Laboratory at De La Salle College in Dasmarinas, Cavite.)

Tylou arrived in the US for what she thought would “just be a short break.” Instead, she found herself at Best Contracting Services, where the owner recognized her potential and sponsored her on a training visa, later transitioning to a working visa. And with her sweat and blood, she acquired legal sponsorship later on. She’s married to Darryl Bowman, an American, and they have a teenager daughter, Adrianna.

For 18 years, she has occupied almost all the possible positions in the company—estimator, project coordinator, drafter, project engineer, superintendent, assistant project manager, project executive. Now, she’s the VP of operations, which means she takes a big part in managing 850 workers, mostly men.

Tylou ended up at Best Services because her parents, architect Ed and Connie Alimagno, recommended her to their friend, a Filipina who was working then at the company. Later on, her sister Mariel Alimagno, an engineer, also migrated to the US and began her job at the same company.

“My Ate Mariel will always be part of the reason I’ve made it this far,” Tylou said.

“My career has been anything but rainbows and unicorns. Construction is still, in many ways, a male-dominated world. And in the early years, women, especially young, immigrant women, were few in the industry. I was one of them: a Filipina trying to find her place and prove her worth,” she said.

In her company, Tylou started in the office, but it didn’t take long for her to realize she wasn’t built for a desk. “I asked to be sent to the field, to the job sites and that’s where I found my rhythm. That’s where I discovered my strength.”

Tylou is grateful that in discovering her strength, she had the support of the executives of the company led by Sean Taba, CEO of Best Contracting.

She added: “Leadership has always been my passion. But my journey to vice president of operations was anything but smooth. I often compare it to jiu-jitsu, you don’t just show up and get the black belt. It takes years, it takes stripes, it takes grit. For me, it took 16 years of hard work, setbacks, growth, and relentless resilience.

“There’s a saying that ‘there’s no crying in construction.’ I disagree. But every time I wiped away those tears, I came back tougher, sharper and stronger. Over time, I transformed into the leader I had always hoped to become, a woman who owns her space in the field, not despite the challenges, but because of them.”

Before coming to the US, Tylou lived a charmed life in the Philippines. But deep inside, she knew that wasn’t enough. “I wanted something more not in material things, but in identity…So I left everything familiar behind to start over, to find myself, and to create something of my own.”

As a mother, she carries “an added layer of purpose.” In 2015, the Bowmans’ world was shaken when Adrianna was diagnosed with a brain tumor. She’s doing good now and that chapter in their lives “didn’t break me.” Through it all, “I’ve had my biggest supporter by my side: my husband.”

But even before all these job titles, Tylou knows that everything started from home. “What Papa and Mama instilled in me is what truly got me here. They taught me the value of hard work, humility and showing up even when it’s hard. That foundation shaped who I am now. My sisters (Mye, Nezlee, Mariel, Aliw and Alex) are my very heart. They always believe I can surpass every adversity.”

“I came from another country, spoke with an accent (I’ve never changed it; it’s my trademark). I was underestimated, but still rose. I broke the barrier in a male-dominated industry. This journey hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth every step. I wear every challenge, every lesson and every win like a badge of honor,” Tylou concluded. *