Steve Flowers: Jimmy Rane – An Alabama Legend

Abbeville’s Jimmy Rane has been heralded as the richest man in Alabama.  Indeed, his wealth status has been documented in the Business Bible Forbes Magazine. He is a legitimate billionaire. Forbes estimates his net worth at $1.2 billion.

Jimmy is the only billionaire I have ever met. However, you would never know he was a mega wealthy Forbes Magazine businessman. He is as down to earth as an old shoe. To talk with him is like visiting with your lifetime cousin, who lived down the road. He is as humble as the day he was born, 77 years ago. He not only remains humble but is one of the most benevolent and kind men in Alabama. His benevolence and philanthropic endeavors are incomparable in the annals of Alabama history.

Jimmy Rane grew up and still lives in Abbeville. He is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Great Southern Wood Preserving Company. It is the largest pressure treated lumber producer in the world. Rane has elected to keep the company headquarters in his hometown of Abbeville, Alabama, a city of 2,000 in Henry County. 

There is no question that he loves his hometown of Abbeville. His father, Mr. Tony, was the son of Italian immigrants. Tony Rane was stationed at Fort Rucker as a military man in World War II.  He met and married a beautiful Wiregrass girl, Libba, whose family had lived in Abbeville for over 200 years. Jimmy’s parents settled in Abbeville and his father was successful owning several restaurants and a hotel. It is obvious that Jimmy adored his parents. Portraits of Mrs. Libba and Mr. Tony adorn his office walls.

Jimmy Rane attended Marion Military Institute, where he starred in football. He then went to Auburn University, graduated from his beloved Auburn in 1968, and continued on to earn his law degree from Cumberland School of Law in 1971. Jimmy was practicing law in Birmingham when his wife’s parents were killed in an automobile accident leaving behind a small lumber treatment plant on the brink of bankruptcy. Unable to sell the plant, Rane returned home to Abbeville to manage it. Rane operated the plant and made it successful, while at the same time holding down a smalltown law practice. He would also later become a Henry County Judge.

He held down three full time jobs/professions for 15 years until the mid-1980s. He decided to make Great Southern his objective. He quit his law career, borrowed a million dollars and jumped in with both feet. As they say, the rest is history.

He invested heavily in advertising primarily through college football, but also using himself. He appeared in advertisements for the company portraying a fictional cowboy named the “Yella Fella.”

Jimmy Rane’s benevolence and generosity has been bestowed on primarily three things: the preservation of his hometown of Abbeville, Auburn University, and his Jimmy Rane Foundation, which provides college scholarships for deserving Alabama students.

Jimmy’s parents, Libba and Tony, loved Abbeville as does Jimmy. He has revitalized his hometown. It started early when he restored the Henry County Livestock Company stockyard. His father, Mr. Tony, was one of the founders. Huggin Molly’s, a restaurant in downtown Abbeville, came about as a tribute to his dad’s years in the restaurant business. The renovation of the Archie Theatre is a reminder of Jimmy’s childhood of going to the movies. 

Jimmy Rane has been an influential and dedicated leader, supporter, and promoter of Auburn University for more than 50 years. He has served as a member of the Auburn University Board of Trustees since 1999. He provided the funds to construct the Anthony Rane Reception Center located in the Auburn University Athletics Complex. In recent years, Jimmy has given Auburn University a state-of-the-art culinary building. It is called the Tony and Libba Rane Culinary Science Center.

Jimmy Rane has a long history of supporting education. He established the Jimmy Rane Foundation in 2000 to provide college scholarships for deserving students.  His goal was to help “the kids in the middle,” he said, “If you’re really poor, foundations and colleges have money for you. If you’re rich, you don’t need help. The people in the middle families who make too much money to get aid, but don’t make enough money to pay for college are the ones who need help.” By 2024, the foundation has awarded 680 college scholarships to outstanding and deserving students for a total of 7.2 million dollars in awards.

Jimmy Rane is not only an Alabama Legend, he is an Alabama Treasure.

See you next week.

Steve Flowers is Alabama’s leading political columnist. His weekly column appears in over 60 Alabama newspapers. He served 16 years in the state legislature. Steve may be reached at [email protected].