Founded by a bricklayer and a joiner in 1923, today Bowmer and amp; Kirkland (B and amp;K) is a construction and engineering group made up of 26 companies spread across three continents—Europe, North America and the Middle East, employing a staff of over 1,300. B and amp;K works on large scale national projects as well as some of the well-known sporting, academic and transport buildings in the UK including the Edinburgh Elite Sports Centre and the Gatwick Airport. Last year, the company had a turnover of about £662 million.