Ivan, Sr. is born on October 20, 1927, just two years before the Great Depression.
Ivan, Sr.’s parents struggle to make ends meet. When Ivan is 13 years old, he helps lead the school basketball team to a championship victory - without shoes. He makes the choice to leave school to work in the mines and help support his family.
Ivan is drafted into the U.S. Army and, after basic training at Fort Riley, he is shipped to Camp Cooke in California where he meets his wife, Virginia Ferrell.
In March of 1951, Ivan is sent to Japan for further training and then to the frontlines in the Korean War.
Ivan, Sr. and Virginia are married on January 11, 1953 in California.
Ivan, Virginia and their first-born Bennie, move to Commerce, Oklahoma where Ivan not only earns his GED, but also his Associates Degree from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College.
The Crossland family continues growing rapidly. From 1955 – 1960, five more children are born: Virginia Anne, Patty, Mike, Ivan, Jr. and Curtis. The family purchases its first house in Treece, Kansas for $4,000. Ivan, Sr. serves as Mayor and Fire Chief of the volunteer fire department.
Ivan and Virginia’s seventh child, Mary, is born. Ivan purchases a Redi-Mix plant and moves his family to Columbus, Kansas.
In 1968, Christopher is born, and Teresa follows in 1971. Ivan sells the cement business and joins two of his friends to form SEK Construction.
In 1977, Ivan sells his share of SEK and starts Crossland Construction. What is now one of the largest family-owned construction companies in the nation starts from humble beginnings in the family garage. This year, Patrick, their tenth child, is born. The family is complete.
Ivan, Sr., nicknamed “Red Iron,” starts building his business one relationship at a time. With his wife Virginia, son Mike and less than a handful of employees, Ivan continues to build his business erecting metal buildings across the region. The rest of his sons will eventually join the company as well.
What now serves as our company headquarters, the first office for Crossland is built.
As business continues to grow, life begins to change for Ivan, Sr. and his family - he is diagnosed with cancer. Ivan begins to train his six sons to take over the business.
Crossland enters into a new segment of the construction market and establishes Crossland Heavy Contractors, Inc.
Ivan, Sr. celebrates the company’s largest awarded project to date, the Kansas Technology Center at Pittsburg State University. The project is also named the largest school project in the state of Kansas at the time.
A Crossland tradition started in 1994, the sixth annual Superintendents Retreat is held, where employees enjoy recreational and team building experiences.
Crossland Construction makes it into the Top 400 Contractors list ranked by Engineering News Magazine (ENR) - 400 exactly.
After a long battle with cancer, Ivan “Red Iron” Crossland passes away on June 2, 2002. Ivan’s six sons take the helm and forge ahead.
The company jumps to new heights, with a growth of 37%, and is ranked among the Top 150 Contractors in the United States.
Crossland opens two new offices, one in Wichita, Kansas and one in Prosper, Texas. Other celebrations this year: Crossland is awarded the Greenest Office in Northwest Arkansas for our sustainability program, the Kansas Governor’s Award of Excellence and the Kansas 2008 Business Appreciation Award for Successful Workplace Practices.
Tragedy strikes the Midwest as two tornados badly damage Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Joplin, Missouri. Thousands of homes and businesses are destroyed, and hundreds of lives lost. Crossland crews assist in search and rescue efforts and coordinate heavy equipment, tools and manpower. Nearly one hundred employees from Crossland Construction and Crossland Heavy work around the clock to help with cleanup and reconstruction efforts, with one common goal—to rebuild better and stronger.
Crossland opens two more regional offices, one in Denver, Colorado and one in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. We continue to grow to serve our customers.
Crossland celebrates our 40th anniversary and continues to climb the industry ladder, now ranked #79 in the Top Contractors in the U.S. and are also ranked among the Top 250 Contractors in the World.
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