Spotlight: An Interview with Brian Hopwood, Superintendent at Crain Construction

A professional portrait of Brian Hopwood, Superintendent at Crain Construction

At Crain, we’ve worked hard to build a reputation for genuinely caring about the well-being of our employees and passing along wisdom and knowledge to help others grow. These are the core values that inform the way we work at Crain, and Brian Hopwood embodies these characteristics well. Brian’s unwavering dedication to the team, experience, […]

Spotlight: An Interview with Sherry Crain Arledge

Portrait of Sherry Arledge, wearing professional attire, with a friendly smile, in a well-lit indoor setting.

Crain Construction has always been a family-oriented company. J.E. Crain started the business during the Depression in 1933. While its name has changed slightly over the years, many of the familiar faces of the original family remained the same. Sherry Crain Arledge is one of those faces. The granddaughter of J.E. Crain, and daughter of […]

How Crain’s Company Culture Improves Project Outcomes

Crain Construction Employees Celebrating 90th Anniversary in Evening Wear

Every company has a culture. When it comes to commercial construction work, combining tight deadlines and high-pressure projects with a commitment to safety and quality can create some fairly complex situations. A strong, healthy company culture makes a big difference in how those situations are handled—and how employees, stakeholders, trade partners, and owners are treated […]

Building with Giants: Honoring Those Who Impacted Our 90-Year Legacy

The Original Crain Construction Office Building

“I can’t imagine anybody telling you there’s something you can’t do,” says Sherry Crain Arledge, the granddaughter of Crain Construction’s original founder, J.E. Crain.  In this case, Ms. Arledge was speaking to former Crain CEO Lewis Rankin about his golf game. However, the same can be said of Ms. Arledge herself, her father, her grandfather, […]

Spotlight: An Interview with Lewis Rankin, Former CEO at Crain Construction

Lewis Rankina, a Crain Construction past CEO, in a professional portrait.

In 2023, Crain Construction celebrated 90 years of construction in Nashville. Earlier this year, the company celebrated this major milestone with hundreds of friends, clients, and industry partners. While Crain is now run by brothers Michael and Mark Rankin, their father, Lewis Rankin, started working for the company in 1972, when it was still known […]

Our Effective Framework for Commercial Construction Communication

Construction workers busy doing dirt work at the Crestmoor site in Nashville

Every commercial construction project consists of many different elements. These include different roles, tasks, meetings, details, and decisions throughout the course of the project. Clear and effective communication is key to ensuring all of these factors work together smoothly. On the flip side, poor communication is one of the prevailing issues that can derail a […]

Spotlight: An Interview with JR Howell, Senior Superintendent at Crain Construction

Portrait of JR Howell, a senior superintendent at Crain Construction, in professional attire, smiling and standing against a plain grey background.

JR Howell was born and raised just 40 minutes from downtown Nashville, but his neighborhood wasn’t packed with houses. In fact, to this day, it remains a peaceful oasis resting on 5,000 acres. JR had the unique experience of growing up inside Montgomery Bell State Park, a vacation destination for thousands of people. His dad […]