>Mechanical Matters®

Welcome to Mechanical Matters®, an 'E-ZINE' publication brought to you from Jimmy Veteto, Solutions Provider, S.M. Lawrence Company, Inc.  Please take a time to read this great article as it pertains to your building's most important investment, your mechanical systems.  We are building mechanical solutions that matter every time by design.  

"Leave the Mechanical Matters® to us."

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 Since 1917,  S.M. Lawrence Company has delivered comfort.

The year was 1917.  President Woodrow Wilson announces to Congress the breaking of diplomatic relations with Germany and later declared war in the same year.  The National Hockey League was formed.  Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first woman member of the United States House of Representatives. The famous singer and actor Dean Martin was born.  The Adventurer, a short by Charlie Chaplin was released. S.M. Lawrence Co. opened its doors as a retailer of coal to Jackson, Tennessee.

S.M. Lawrence Co. got its name from its creator, Samuel Matthews Lawrence Sr.  Since 1917, his company has transformed into a nationally recognized full service mechanical contractor serving a majority of the United States. From a feed and coal business, then an electrical appliance outlet at the end of World War II, to a heating and air-conditioning business in the late 40's, S.M. Lawrence Co. is now a major mechanical contracting enterprise. In the late 1950's S.M. Lawrence Company added the service branch that serves Jackson and West Tennessee.  Since then, our commercial & industrial service division of S.M. Lawrence has grown to be one of the most recognized and respected HVACR service companies in Memphis & Jackson Tennessee.

 

Left picture is advertisement for Coal; Center is our first office (notice the horse and wagon); Right is advertisement for 'Sentry Coal (notice the phone number is '6')

When Sam Sr. retired, he passed the company down to his two boys, Sam Jr. and Bill.  (Left picture is a painting of Bill and Sam from the 1980s).  Bill Lawrence had 4 girls who all at one time worked in the office.  Sam Jr. had 4 boys, Sam III, better known as 'Bo', Frank, Charles and Ernest. As the world progressed and the demand for coal decreased in the residential market, Bill and Sam carried the company into the appliance, furnace and room air conditioners business. Because of the demand, our sheet metal division was born in the early 1960s.    In the picture below, looking from left to right, the second man on the left is Sam Jr. The man second to last is W.S. Holland who would later become the legendary drummer for Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. I can't understand why he left the air conditioning business to go play drums?

Skipping ahead a few decades, after an entire lifetime of dedication to his father's company, Bill Lawrence went on to retire.  Upon retiring, he sold his share of the company to Sam Jr.'s boys. In the mid 1990's Sam Jr., who was the longest tenured employee of S.M. Lawrence, stepped down and left the company in the hands of his boys, the third generation of Lawrences who are in the picture to the right:   Top, left to right: Charles, Frank and Earnest. Bottom, left to right: Sam 'Bo' III and Sam Jr.   All of the boys were raised in the business working as helpers and apprentices.  Each went on to college and later served as project managers, engineers and officers of the company.  In June of 1997, this company became one of the founding companies of what has grown to be the foremost building services provider in America, Comfort Systems USA.  Sam 'Bo' Lawrence III served as one of the 12 founding board members within the newly established conglomerate founded in Houston, TX.  Because of the national backing of Comfort Systems and of our sister companies, we now have the capability to be a part of any building project.     Chillers / Piping Duct / Sheet Metal Repair / Replacements

In the late 90s, S.M. Lawrence invited one of our sister companies, Casey Electric to join our ranks.  The Casey family sold their company to Comfort Systems and later became known as Lawrence Electric.  The addition of an electrical division our tool bag has grown.  We now offer Mechanical Contracting, Process Piping, Plumbing, Sheet Metal Fabrication, Electrical Contracting, Engineering, and Full HVAC Service.

In the spring of 2003, S.M. Lawrence opened its doors in the Memphis area with the addition of their operations located in Collierville, TN.  In June of 2006, the Memphis Business Journal published a front page article dedicated to our growth, and stated:

"S.M. Lawrence Company is fast becoming a force in mechanical engineering and contract work in the Mid-South and beyond." - Memphis Business Journal, June 2006

Since opening the doors in Memphis, our service base has grown to 50 plus service technicians in Memphis and Jackson, TN.  Over the past 90 years, our leaders have been visionaries and have changed with the ever-changing business world. Because of this, our growth has continued to this day.

Our most recent accomplishments in 2006:

• Mechanical and Building controls renovation of Southland Greyhound Park and Casino

• Large Mechanical renovation and upgrades at the Crittenden Regional Hospital

• Service provider for all Dana Automation facilities in the State of Tennessee and North MS.

• ME&P for White Hall located on the campus of Union University in Jackson, TN

• We are now the Engineering department / preferred HVAC provider for the FedExForum

• Mechanical and Electrical project for the Alabama Power Company

• Mechanical and Electrical for a new distribution facility for Ikea in Atlanta, GA

• Large Mechanical project for the new Tower Automotive plant in Meridian, MS

• ME&P needed for the Jackson Madison County Hospital's Emergency Room

• Proctor and Gamble's new distribution warehouse in Lima, OH

• New warehouse and showroom for Ferguson in Louisiana

• Mechanical and Electrical renovation for Portfolio Recovery in Jackson, TN

• Process Piping project for GCI's cement plant in Tampa, FL

• Paint facility for Trinity Marine's barges in Ashland City, TN

• Electrical installation for the new 16 baseball field 'Sportsplex' in Jackson, TN

• ME&P renovation of Summit Park Apartments in Whitehaven (south of Memphis)

• Completion of a large process piping for Pilgrim's Pride in Mayfield, KY

• New chiller plant for the CHS Hospital in Dyersburg, TN

• Electrical renovation and installation for the General hospital in Humboldt, TN

• Refrigeration replacement projects for multiple Sam's Club Stores in the Mid-South

and much much more!

When Samuel Matthews Lawrence Sr., set out to sell and deliver coal, I wonder if he ever imagined that his little company would 90 years later employee over 320+ employees?  I wonder if he ever imagined how coal would be replaced with large technologically advanced machines, or how his company would be the largest and most accomplished mechanical contractor in the Mid-South.  His dream and vision was to deliver comfort to the residents of Jackson, TN.  It's now 2007, and we still deliver comfort and whole lot more. 

I am entering into my 11th year with the company and wow...have we progressed in my short tenure.  I can't wait to see what is ahead.  S.M. Lawrence Company, Inc. has survived two World Wars, The Great Depression, Vietnam, September 11th, and many other hard economic times throughout the past 90 years in America and we are stronger than ever.  Happy 90th birthday S.M. Lawrence Company.  May God continue to bless our company and strengthen our relationships with each other for many more years to come.

"Remember to leave the Mechanical Matters® to us!"

-Jimmy Veteto, 901.378.7655

jimmyv@smlawrence.com