Gaylon Lawrence Jr

Lawrence owns large agriculture and banking companies as well as the country’s largest heating-and-cooling repair distributorship. His extensive financial holdings include more than 165,000 acres of farmland in Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas and Mississippi; five banks; the world’s largest privately owned air conditioning distributor, USAir Conditioning Distributor; and a major citrus operation in Florida. Lawrence owns Tennessee Bank & Trust, which was spun off from its Arkansas-based parent. His bank holdings also include Clarksville's F&M Bank, which he bought in 2015. In Nashville, Lawrence's real estate holdings include the 1201 Demonbreun office building, which he co-developed with developer John Eakin and where CapStar Bank is headquartered. He's also partnering with Eakin’s Fund III group of local investors in plans to develop a nine-story, 280,000-square-foot mixed-use building on a parking lot at Rolling Mill Hill. Lawrence made headlines for a legal dispute with the parent of Nashville-based CapStar Bank. As reported by the USA Today-Tennessee Network, the bank in a lawsuit accused the businessman from Arkansas and his Lawrence Group of violating securities laws by failing to disclose plans to gain control of CapStar in filing disclosures. Gaylon Lawrence Jr. has purchased Heitz Wine Cellars in St. Helena, a storied Napa Valley brand that has been popular among collectors and wine enthusiasts. The sale announced Wednesday includes the Heitz brand, winery and 425 acres of vineyards that includes properties in the Rutherford and Howell Mountain wine regions. A purchase price was not disclosed. The winery was founded by the Heitz family in 1961 and was owned and operated under three consecutive generations.