How Notre Dame football begot Ryan Companies US, Inc.  

Continued from History page

Fran replied that he might not make it because of work. “You don’t mean that!” his father said. Fran wanted to climb the corporate ladder at Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, so in fact, he did mean it. “Well, we’ll just have to do something about that! Yes, we’ll have to see what we can do,” said James Henry and that began the process of ending one family partnership and the beginning of another. 

James Henry's brother bought James Henry's half of their Dray Line business. While James Henry approached another Hibbing businessman about buying a different business, he sent Elizabeth to Minneapolis with a message: "Dad will buy Otto Frederick's lumber company if Fran comes home to go into business."  James Henry bought the Frederick company for $18,000. When asked what he would call the new company, he said, "It'll be called nothing but Ryan." On January 3, 1938, Frederick Lumber Company became Ryan Lumber and Coal — the partnership between James and Francis Ryan was born.

In a town where lumber was cheap, lumberyard owners also had to be contractors to compete. And so, by virtue of buying a lumberyard, James Henry and Fran Ryan also became contractors. Not, however, that they knew much about it! "I didn't know a two-by-four from a two-by-six, and Dad didn't either," recalled Fran. "Dad simply said, 'We'd better figure this thing out!'" And they did. The first project they built was Bill Toivala's house on Wisconsin Street in Hibbing for $4,500.

In its second year of business, Ryan Lumber and Coal welcomed a new partner, Russell Ryan. Evenutally, all four of James Henry's sons had a role in the business. Today, two of his grandsons are co-owners, many of his great grandchildren have worked as field laborers and and one has advanced to development work. All due to Notre Dame football!