Client Spotlight: Southeast Venture, LLC
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
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
“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
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
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 Chad Thomas, Project Manager at Crain Construction
As a Nashville native, Chad Thomas has seen a lot of changes to the city’s skyline. But one thing that hasn’t changed over the years is Chad’s commitment to Crain Construction. He’s been with the company since he was 15 years old. “I started in the summer of 1991 when I was a student at […]
Spotlight: An Interview with Lewis Rankin, Former CEO at Crain Construction
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
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
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, […]
Spotlight: An Interview with JR Howell, Senior Superintendent at Crain Construction
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 […]
