John Lawrence
Posted
10/30/2012
John Lawrence is a
magazine guy. He's built a career selling ads and running
magazines, which as an industry is pretty far afield from the metal
construction industry. With his partner, Sam Milnark, though,
Lawrence created Metal Building News (which became Metal
Construction News), Metal Architecture, Metal Home Digest and Metal
Building Developer. These magazines became a focal point for the
promotion of the industry, the voice of contractors and architects,
as well as the embodiment of the success of the commerce within the
industry.
It is a funny thing that happens when a person has to sell an ad
in a magazine. He needs to define an audience for that ad-someone
willing to purchase the product being sold-and convince the
advertiser there is value in spending the money. That simple sell
can define an industry and, done over and over and over and over
again, it can make an industry grow. For that simple yet vital act,
John Lawrence receives the Metal Construction Hall of Fame
award.
Of course, Lawrence did more than just sell advertising. After
working for nearly two decades selling for the Wall Street Journal,
newspapers and Penton Media Inc. publishing company, he and Milnark
found opportunity in the metal building world. "We were inspired by
a building system we saw up in Michigan," Lawrence says. "It was a
firehouse, police station and municipal complex. A small building.
But we said, 'Hey, this is pretty nice. This is an industry we
could serve.'" So they decided to start a magazine to serve that
industry.
In June 1980, the first issue of what was then called Metal
Building News rolled off the presses. It was distributed nationally
to an audience of contractors, erectors and design-build
contractors. Just as importantly, it contained 16 pages of
advertising. Asked when he knew the magazine would be successful,
Lawrence says, "We knew right off it would work." In addition to
advertising, the two men received a stack of letters from readers,
demonstrating that the time was ripe to define an industry.
Lawrence has been present at the creation of most of the major
milestones in the metal construction industry. He was instrumental
in helping get the Metal Construction Association off the ground
during initial meetings in Houston and Dallas in the early 80s. He
also helped launch METALCON International. "We knew that if there
was a strong trade association," he says, "we would have a strong
industry."
During that time, Milnark and Lawrence divided tasks so that he
was responsible for running the business side of the magazines,
while Milnark worked within the association. "Sam was a gifted
guy," he says. "He readily took the construction market. He was
mechanically inclined."
If Lawrence does take stronger credit for one thing, it is the
creation of Metal Architecture magazine and the focus on selling
metal building systems to architects. "I'm very proud of our
selling to the entire market," he says. "Builders, contractors and
design-build contractors. And going across the aisle and bringing
architects in. We brought the metal building system in front of the
architect."
While the magazine helped sell the metal building system to
architects, it also aggregated an architect audience that allowed
manufacturers to more easily reach this tough-to-get audience. Many
avenues for promotion of the metal construction industry have
emerged over the years. But the success Lawrence found through his
efforts in defining the industry, building an audience and selling
the concept to everyone helped make those subsequent efforts louder
and more successful. For that, Lawrence earns Metal Construction
Hall of Fame honors.
"The greatest joy of being a part of this industry is the
opportunity to build strong and memorable relationships with many
of the finest people around."