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, […]

Client Spotlight: Southeast Venture, LLC

An exterior photo of the Southeast Venture headquarters building.

Southeast Venture, LLC’s history echoes and mirrors Crain’s history in several ways. These similarities are also what make them excellent partners. Both companies are Nashville institutions. Southeast Venture started in 1981, while Crain established operations in 1933. When Southeast Venture launched, Crain Construction’s Charles Gill worked with J.E. Crain to fund, plan, and build several […]

9 of Our Most Memorable Projects from the Past 90 Years

An aerial view of the Aertson and surrounding buildings on the west side of downtown Nashville.

2023 marks our 90th year as a construction company in Nashville. To honor the occasion, and the hundreds of men and women who played a role in helping our company achieve such a milestone, we wanted to highlight a few of our most memorable projects. As we look back —and recall the thousands of projects […]

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, […]

5 Keys to Early Cost Estimating in Commercial Pre-Construction

man looking at construction plans on a wood table

Staying within budget is one of the most important factors in any commercial construction project. There are many decisions to be made throughout the construction process, and an accurate estimate is essential to ensure that the overarching plan for your project is sound. The pre-construction phase helps build a solid foundation for commercial construction, especially […]

How to Navigate Seasonal Challenges in Commercial Construction

The BNA Hilton rooftop while it was still under construction

Navigating seasonal challenges in commercial construction is an essential aspect of hitting key milestones and maximizing the success of a project. While living in the southeast offers the incredible benefit of enjoying all four seasons, it also means that general contractors need to understand how various weather conditions can impact a job site. From managing […]

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 […]

7 Issues that Can Derail a Commercial Construction Project

An excavator scooping gravel on a construction site.

A commercial construction project functions like an ecosystem. There are hundreds of individual components, individuals, and decisions that can affect each part of the process. If something goes awry, such as long lead times or unexpected delays, the overall timeline can be impacted. While project delays can stem from a wide variety of root causes, […]