From plaster to drywall

F. L. Crane adapts, becomes largest South Central specialty contractor

By Angelle Bergeron

When plasterer F. L. Crane started F.L. Crane & Sons Inc. in Fulton, Miss., in 1947, he didn't know that his trade would be considered a dying art today. After establishing himself as a floor and ceiling contractor, his son Jimmie joined the company in 1962, rounding out the full interior finish repertoire.

"When metal studs and drywall replaced a lot of the interior plaster, we started in the drywall business," said F.L.'s other son, Johnny Crane, CEO.

"I got into the business in 1962," said Johnny Crane, who learned plastering working alongside his dad. "We still do some restorations where we run the ornamental plaster cornice just like we did in the old days."

Just as drywall made plastering for interior walls virtually obsolete, the 12-by-12 concealed acoustical tile ceilings were largely replaced by newer systems and, eventually, drywall.

advertisement

"We specialized in lots of various things like computer flooring, which eventually fell away as computers and technology advanced," Crane said.

By adapting its expertise to meet the needs of a changing market, F.L. Crane has consistently expanded its capabilities.

"We started doing the EIFS exterior finish systems 30 years ago," Crane said. "I did the first EIFS job in the state of Mississippi on Senator John White's house, and it's still there."

Likewise, F.L. Crane & Sons has expanded geographically to meet clients' needs.

"About 30 years ago, we did a hospital job in Austin, Texas, and then right after that we did a big job for IBM. That lead to the opening of an office in Austin," Crane said. The company expanded into Pensacola, Fla., after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and did so much repair work that they opened a branch there. Clients called the contractor to other states and F.L. Crane eventually established offices in Southaven, Cleveland and Jackson, Miss.; Bogalusa, La.; Tuscaloosa, Ala.; and Franklin, Tenn.

The company is one of the top 20 wall and ceiling contractors in the United States and doubled its earnings in the past decade to a projected $140 million in 2006. F.L. Crane is still family owned, with second and third generations involved in many phases of the day-to-day operations.

But Crane attributes the company's success to the fact that the familial environment extends to all employees.

"We surround ourselves with the best mechanics - good plasterers and drywall hangers who are just good people in general," Crane said.

And the company rewards good work by giving employees a personal stake in its success.

"We pay better than average, offer good benefits and three years ago we formed an Employee Stock Ownership Plan," Crane said. "That gives us a lot of strength. Everybody takes so much pride because it's their money and their reputation."