Ronald Lane Pipeline Construction moved its headquarters to Clarksburg three years ago.
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — Since family-owned and -run Ronald Lane Inc. Pipeline Construction moved its headquarters from Arnoldsburg to Clarksburg in 2013, the business has grown exponentially.
“Logistics is the biggest reason we moved,” said Chris Lane, the company’s logistics and procurement officer. “A lot of oil and gas businesses are located here in the Clarksburg area. Clarksburg is the Marcellus-Utica capital for West Virginia. Harrison County also has an impressive workforce.”
In Calhoun County’s Arnoldsburg, the company’s headquarters had 17 acres and 34,000 square feet. In Clarksburg, the headquarters has 30 acres and 85,000 square feet, Lane said.
The company has eight locations, including the original site in Arnoldsburg. The pipe installing business has a fleet of about 500 units (pieces of equipment) in all of its eight locations, Lane said.
Another reason the business has boomed in recent years is because it added a commercial development division, he said.
“We take a raw piece of ground, develop it, and bring in infrastructure to the facility,” Lane said. “We prepare yards for multiple uses — some are oil and gas related, some are not.
“The commercial development division has allowed us to use our employees during the winter, when things typically slow down in the pipeline industry,” Lane said. “We care about that because we get to know our employees personally, and they’re like family. We like taking care of them. We have about 100 employees that stay with us year after year.”
Taking care of employees includes giving them a free breakfast and lunch every day, inviting employees and their families to stay at the Lanes’ Florida vacation home, and giving them substantial Christmas bonuses, said Ronald Lane, Chris’s father and the company’s president.
“I’ve been here three years, and I like this company because it’s family oriented,” said Scott Wiles, parts asset manager. “The owners are very passionate about their work. They value me a lot. They’re constantly giving me praise.”
The Lanes also pride themselves on being environmentally sound and maintaining a safety record due to their unique pipe laying process.
“Other companies lay pipe outside a ditch and use a large boon to lay it in the ground,” Ronald said. “We believe that it’s more dangerous to have heavy pipes on skid settings, since the pipes move around. If they fall on someone, it would be dangerous. We lay our pipe in the ditch one joint at a time and use less equipment, which moves less ground that could run off and disturb natural habitats. We use an assembly line and keep our crew small and close together, and focus on how much footage we can reclaim at the end of the day.”
Ronald Lane Inc. is also unique in that it’s a large, family-run pipeline business, Chris said. Ten family members are involved with the business. Chris said he started working in the business part-time when he was in high school, helping in the office with bids, purchasing and acquiring materials and equipment.
“After high school, I worked at the business full time, working with the material end of things,” he said. “Today I’m the purchasing logistics officer.”
Ronald had a lifetime of experience working as a pipelayer and comes from a family of pipelayers, he said.
“I love the pipeline industry,” Ronald said. “There are no two days the same. From clearing the right of way to ditching, laying pipe and reclamation (cleanup), we’re always moving into new areas. It’s a pretty good way of life.”
