Trade Construction Acquires Competitor

Easley Firm Buys Four-Star of BR, Builds 15,000 sf Fabrication Shop

by Woody Jenkins

CENTRAL — Trade Construction Company, 17043 Joor Rd. in Central, is undergoing a period of growth and has reached two important milestones already this year.

Trade Construction president/CEO Brennan Easley announced that effective Jan. 1, Trade has purchased its largest competitor in the Baton Rouge area, Four-Star Industrial Contractors, Inc., of Baton Rouge.  Easley said, “Trade Construction and Four Star have always shared similar cultures, many of the same philosophies, and most importantly the same regard toward quality, safety, and the plain adage of ‘doing things right.’”

Both Trade and Four Star perform pipe fabrication for major industry.  Trade’s clients include Ex-
xon, BASF, Williams, Turner, James Construction, and Boh Brothers.

Easley has also announced construction of a new 15,000 square foot pipeline equipment manufacturing shop that will help Trade expand its capacity.  That facility is now complete.  The larger side of Trade’s business is manufacturing pipeline equipment and pipe fabrication.  It also has a construction division that focuses on oil and gas and pipeline-related work.

Trade Construction is physically located in Central, and many of its employees also reside in Central, but none of its business comes from Central.  As a result, it brings a lot of money into the Central community.

Trade has 75 employees at its manufacturing facility on Joor Road.  Four Star has another 30 at its operation on Strain Road off O’Neal Lane in Baton Rouge.

Easley said Four Star will keep its separate identity and name.  Two of Four Star’s previous owners, Randy Landry and Mike Hicks, will continue in their current capacities, while the third owner, Steve Whitfield, will retire.  He said the company will maintain all of its contracts and relationships.

Brennan’s father and Trade’s founder Will Easley has now retired from the business, but Brennan has been joined by his sister, Andi Kirkpatrick, as CFO.

As far as what to expect in 2012, Easley pointed to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s announcement that $30 billion in new industrial construction will begin in Louisiana this year.  He said, “We hope to get some of that work.”

Brennan said he and his wife chose to live in Central.  “This is my hometown,” he said.  He graduated from Central Private and earned a civil engineering degree from Louisiana Tech and an Executive MBA from LSU.

When asked what Central can do to be more competitive, Easley said, “This is a great community with good schools and low crime.  As a civil engineer, I naturally think about ‘roads and commodes.’  So I see our big needs as infrastructure, especially improving our roads and expanding our sewer capacity.  Central has a great future, and we’re proud to be part of it.”