As they settled into the weekend on a Friday evening in December, western Kentuckians were startled from their rest by an ominous warning from the National Weather Service: “You are in a life-threatening situation. Mobile homes will be destroyed. Considerable damage to homes, businesses and vehicles is likely and complete destruction is possible.” A massive supercell storm had formed over the region with the potential to spawn multiple tornadoes—which is exactly what it did.

Just before 9 p.m. on Dec. 10, 2021, what would be the largest and most destructive of those tornadoes—an EF-4 with winds of more than 160 mph—touched down in northeastern Arkansas and continued on a nearly three-hour, 160-mile path, ripping through western Kentucky and leveling homes and businesses in its wake.

The storm was one for the record books—the most powerful twister to ravage the area since 1925 and the deadliest of all time, with a death toll of 77 people. Recovery efforts required all hands on deck—a call that Lexington, Kentucky–based Gray Construction jumped to answer. From the days immediately following the disaster, Gray has had boots on the ground, paying employees their regular wages not to help pick up the pieces of the broken communities of western Kentucky and rebuild what was lost.

Deep Roots

Answering the call was a no-brainer for Gray, whose roots in western Kentucky stretch to company founder James Norris Gray. Upon returning home to Kentucky from service as a naval petty officer during World War II, Gray took his first step into the construction industry, building a tobacco barn on a local farm. Thanks to his uncanny ability to foster relationships, recruit the right people and understand customer needs, he began to win regional contracts, and in 1960, James N. Gray Construction was incorporated.

Today, Gray has grown into an internationally recognized family of companies with a primary market focus on manufacturing facilities. Headquartered in Lexington, Gray has offices from coast to coast in the United States as well as in three international locations: Alberta, Canada; Dublin, Ireland; Basel, Switzerland; and Yokohama, Japan.

Keeping true to its roots, Gray family members have provided leadership throughout the company’s history, with Stephen Gray—the youngest of James Norris Gray’s sons currently involved—today at the helm as president and CEO of Gray, Inc., the parent company of 12 operating companies, including Gray Construction. His most passionate area of focus is stewardship of company values, which include this simple statement: “We treat others the way we want to be treated.”

Living the Golden Rule

Gray believes in extending its core values beyond its own walls by giving back to local communities. The company donates 2% of its annual pre-tax profit for a three-year period to a charitable organization chosen through a company-wide vote. Currently, the recipient is Children of Fallen Patriots, which provides scholarships to children who have lost a parent in military service.

“What I love about supporting Children of Fallen Patriots is that we have the opportunity to meet some of the scholarship recipients and hear firsthand how the organization has impacted them,” says Gray COO Patrick McCowan. “Sitting and listening to the stories of these young adults is absolutely inspiring, and I feel very fortunate to be part of a company that puts such an emphasis on giving to groups like this.”

On the local level, Gray team members not only donate to community philanthropic initiatives, but also volunteer their time with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, the National Alzheimer’s Association, Toys for Tots and the National Kidney Foundation, to name a few. During the tornado recovery, the team has pitched in any way possible, from general cleanup—including physical labor such as clearing debris as well as skid-steer operations—to shuttling, organizing and distributing donations to impacted area residents.

“I believe the objective of life is to discover one’s purpose,” says Jaime Patterson, resource manager for Gray. “For myself, being a servant leader is my purpose. I may never get the opportunity to change the world, but each day at Gray I find an opportunity to make an impact that can change a person’s life.”