L.H. Tanner Construction: Building Strong Family Roots
When Lawrence Tanner became a general contractor, it wasn’t a surprise to those who have known his family. Both his mother and father were successful contractors in Brevard County, and Lawrence took to it like a hammer to a nail. Now, together with his wife, Holly, they are taking L.H. Tanner Construction into the future. The plan-build method that they apply to their clients also sums up the approach they have taken to grow and strengthen their business.
Flash back to the late 1980s, at a concert at House of Blues. Lawrence already was a successful contractor working in Orlando and beginning to make his place in Melbourne. This concert was a first date for him and Holly. His best friend, Rod, had suggested the blind date, and things clearly went well.
“I'd owned the company for almost 10 years by that point, I started when I was very young,” Lawrence said. “My family was in this business, they built some of the nicest stuff in the area from the 70s from right here in the Lake Washington area.
“A lot of people hired my mom (Bettie Tanner) because she was very, very strict in the way things were done. The older generation still remembers she didn't put up with anything.”
The family took their framing and roofing company well into the 70s, designing and building some of the area’s better homes. They also built commercial and industrial space until Larry Tanner retired. With a couple of years of college and trying a “bunch of different things,” Lawrence came back home to start a renovation and landscaping company in a building he leased from his father. He was 22 years old. In 1997, he began L.H. Tanner Construction.
Holly also grew up in Brevard County. Lawrence (class of 1986) and Holly (1989) both went to Eau Gallie High School, though they didn’t know each other there. Holly went to the University of Central Florida to earn a degree in physical therapy and has been a practicing therapist with Health First for 22 years. She also joined the business with Lawrence a few years after they married. Holly said she knew “nothing of the world I was entering.” But she learned.
“I don't handle any tools. And I don't drive heavy equipment, but I am a people person and I enjoy building client relationships,” Holly said. “I like the permitting and I like being able to do more of the support the business requires.”
That’s served L.H. Tanner well as good relationships with clients and government agencies are vital to the business.
The Tanners stand out because of their inclusive approach and strong foundation. In recent years, they have developed the plan-build model, which is the basis for the success of their business.
“We like to be a one-stop resource for our clients. We take them from the planning phase to the plans to permitting to construction,” Lawrence said. “It is as much a plus for the client as it is for us because we can streamline the process. We are looking at always keeping to their needs and to their budget.”
So, what’s their niche? They don’t have one.
“I think what's made us fortunate is that we've not pigeon-holed ourselves into one type of market because we’ve developed multiple opportunities and we're capable of many things,” Holly said.
Lawrence added, “For us, the most important thing is finding the right clients. Our company is relationship driven. We currently are working with clients in the planning and construction for industrial metal buildings, medical, and retail. I also like site development and we own our own site development equipment so that we can also address the site needs just as much as the construction needs of a client and the development of their project.”
Lawrence and Holly are preparing to pass the company to the next generation and want their son, Josh, to have a smoother ride than what they’ve had.
“Josh is very similar to Lawrence and he's got this amazing brain. He's highly intelligent. He's a doer, and started drafting for us when he was about 15,” Holly said.
Josh learned architectural drafting and AutoCAD at Eau Gallie High, graduating in 2017.
“When I first started,” Lawrence said, “I drew everything on paper because that's what my parents did, showing me from the time I was a kid. They drew all their own houses, then we built the house. Besides the AutoCAD, Josh has been helping me perfect some of the systems that I’ve been working on. We see the future of construction and the importance of young people becoming involved in the construction trades.
“It's so much fun because I had to work most of the way through his childhood to get where I'm now. And now I get to see him every day. It's hard to work with your child sometimes, but I just put my ego aside, and I try to curb his.”
Josh’s younger sister, Miya, is 14. Her parents think she'll lean toward a career in art, education, or politics.
A big part of the Tanner future, though, is not just building for clients. The building their company operates in now was built by Lawrence’s parents and leased back to the business. Today, L. H. Tanner owns much of the property around their building off Lake Washington, and is planning on building more industrial space to lease.
“I saw what my father did and that's when we started working toward the same thing,” Lawrence said.
Lawrence and Holly are now building a 13,000-square-foot industrial space next to the Cemex plant off Lake Washington Road near their office. They plan to have two more built within the next 18 months to lease. Their office will be moved to one of the buildings that will be facing Lake Washington.
“We have been investing toward this goal since I bought the first piece of property next door in 2004. This is our dream, and the future of L. H. Tanner Construction,” Lawrence said.
“This project demonstrates the planning and building of a large industrial space including us performing the site work and construction.”
Business is good, and after working all day most days together, home life is good.
“It never goes home with us, hardly, for whatever reason,” Lawrence said laughing.
“When we leave here in the evening, we shut business down,” Holly said. “We also go to bed very early. If you ask anybody, ask any of our friends, they call us pumpkins. We try to be in bed by 7 p.m., we start by 4 a.m. most mornings.”
And the Tanners know how to have fun. Even if they go all the way to Alaska to have it. The family enjoys fishing and snowboarding, and they also visit the family farm in Georgia.
“And you know, sometimes just going home is nice,” Holly said.
Since 1997, L.H. Tanner Construction has been a trusted name in general contracting and plan-build services, including site development, commercial, residential and marine construction and renovation. This has included award-winning historical restorations, a nationally recognized fitness center, churches, community centers, banks, and medical facilities, residential renovations, public parks, fishing piers and shoreline stabilization projects. Their motto and goal: Building value that lasts.
L.H. Tanner Construction
2300 Avocado Ave, Melbourne, FL 32935
Facebook: /LHTannerConstruction
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