James W. “Jimmy” Rane, who transformed a floundering timber business into the world’s largest treated lumber company, received an honorary Doctor of Commerce from Samford University’s Brock School of Business during spring commencement Friday.
“From time to time, universities run into, become aware of, are introduced to or know people of extraordinary character, merit and impact. Today, I'd like to introduce you to a man who has all three,” said David Cimbora, Samford provost and vice president for academic affairs.
Before displaying the marketing genius that made Rane a business titan, he received his juris doctor from Samford’s Cumberland School of Law in 1971. He described that period as “challenging in the best of ways,” thanks to demanding courses and classmates who became lifelong friends.
“It’s a joy to be back on this campus,” Rane told business and education graduates inside Pete Hanna Center. “Samford is a special place, where plans are made, refined, and sometimes completely rewritten. That has certainly been true in my life, and I suspect it will be true in yours as well.
“When I earned my law degree here in 1971, I could not have imagined that 55 years later I would return to stand before you in this moment. I’m thankful not only for this recognition, but for an education that truly changed the course of my life.”
'Life will not always follow your plan'
Coming out of law school, Rane planned to join a prestigious firm in Birmingham—a trajectory that changed when his in-laws died in an automobile accident. While settling their estate in Rane’s hometown of Abbeville, Alabama, he took over a small, defunct wood-treatment plant on the family property. The intent was to sell off the machinery while staying focused on his promising legal career. Unable to secure a buyer, he set up a law office in downtown Abbeville, served a term as Henry County Judge and managed the plant on the side.
Today, he heads a family of companies that grew from that single lumber facility.
Rane became founder and chairman of Great Southern Wood Holdings, Inc., which owns or is affiliated with a diverse portfolio of companies in domestic and international markets. Those industries include manufacturing and distribution of building products, sawmill operations, trucking operations and restaurants.
Best known among the companies is Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc., producers of YellaWood brand pressure-treated pine products. GSWP and its subsidiaries operate in 29 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 39 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, part of the European Union, and the Mediterranean region.
“Life will not always follow your plan,” Rane said. “In fact, some of your greatest opportunities may come from the paths you never intended to take. Take what you’ve learned here and keep going. Keep learning. Keep working. And when the path changes—as it inevitably will—have the courage to follow it.”
Economic powerhouse
Born in 1946, Rane and his company have remained headquartered in Abbeville since its founding. For the last 30 years, Rane has made a concerted effort to revitalize, preserve and repurpose numerous aging buildings in the city’s downtown area, and many of Abbeville’s historic structures have been returned to use as company facilities. Rane led the transformation of a former Peppermill mill facility into Abbeville Fiber, a sawmill that at its 2019 grand opening represented the largest economic development investment in Henry County history.
"While maintaining its headquarters in Abbeville, Mr. Rane's company has become an economic powerhouse for the city, Henry County, the Wiregrass region and the state of Alabama," stated Samford trustees in their resolution.
Rane credited high school experiences at Marion Military Institute followed by professors at Auburn University who “lit a fire in me as a lifelong student of history.” Those institutions prepared him for Cumberland School of Law, “where I earned a terrific legal education.” He said Harvard Business School management programs proved crucial for his decades of success overseeing Great Southern Wood Preserving.
“The key thing I’ve taken away from those experiences,” Rane said, “is that learning should never stop, no matter what stage of life you’re in.
Rane’s success fueled meaningful philanthropy, such as establishing the Jimmy Rane Foundation in 2000. He serves as foundation president and actively raises money to fund college scholarships—assisting 830 deserving students at some 188 universities since its inception.
“None of us gets here alone,” Rane said. “We all stand on the shoulders of others. In my case, my grandfather made a long journey from Sicily to this country, and his sacrifices—along with those of many others—made my opportunities possible. The same is true for each of you. Take time to recognize that, to be grateful for it, and to honor it in how you live your life. As you go forward, commit yourselves to something larger than your own success. Live with integrity. Serve others—your community, your state, and your country. And whatever you choose to do, pursue it with excellence.”
