On Nov. 17, 2011, Major League Baseball unanimously approved the purchase of the Houston Astros by a group headed by Houston businessman Jim Crane, marking the beginning of a new era of Astros baseball.
As Owner and Chairman, Jim Crane hit the ground running upon taking control of the Astros in 2011 by immediately putting his plan to rebuild the franchise into action. As a highly successful businessman in Houston and former standout college pitcher, Jim’s credentials made him the perfect choice to build a winning team both on and off the field in Houston.
From the start, Jim was clear about his goals: to make the Astros a ballclub that can have sustained success at the Major League level by building a top-notch farm system and to provide Astros fans with an outstanding experience at Minute Maid Park.
In just six years, Jim Crane took the Astros from worst to first in spectacular fashion. Houston’s farm system, which was ranked as one of the worst in baseball in 2011, recovered in a three-year span to be ranked as the best in baseball in 2014. Since then, that same farm system has produced multiple Major Leaguers and everyday players and has given the Astros the ability to pull off multiple trades, all signed off on by Crane, including the acquisitions of Justin Verlander in 2017, Gerrit Cole in 2018 and Zack Greinke in 2019.
Buoyed by promotions and acquisitions, the Major League club went from a 111-loss season in 2013 to ultimately winning its first World Series Championship in 2017. The club has continued to produce at the highest level, as the Astros posted 100-plus win seasons in five of the last six years (did not reach the mark in 2020 due to a shortened season because of the COVID-19 pandemic). Not only have the Astros reached the postseason each of the last six seasons, but they have advanced to the ALCS in all six of those years, becoming the first team in AL history to advance to six straight ALCS. In 2019, the Astros set a franchise record with 107 regular season wins and won the American League pennant. In 2022, the Astros won their second World Series title, going 11-2 (7-0 through the ALDS and ALCS) as they rolled through the postseason after winning their fifth American League West Division title and fourth American League pennant in six seasons. In 2021, the Astros won their fourth American League West Division title and third American League pennant in five seasons. Overall, four of the club’s five World Series trips, including the 2022 and 2017 World Series Championships, have come under Crane’s ownership.
In order to make the experience at Minute Maid Park one of the best in baseball, the Astros have made several large-scale renovations to the ballpark under Jim’s leadership. The multi-million-dollar investment in center field, the addition of the Astros Hall of Fame Alley, the renovations and enhancements to the ballpark’s suites, an upgrade to the video board and ribbon boards in the stadium, along with a new team store in center field are the most recent innovative updates that showcase Jim’s commitment to making Minute Maid Park a great destination for fans of all ages.
Jim recognized the need for a new Astros Spring Training facility and successfully moved the team to West Palm Beach in 2017, where players and fans now enjoy a first-class, state-of-the-art facility, Ballpark of the Palm Beaches. Through a partnership, Jim also purchased an office building five miles from the Spring Training facility and had it redeveloped into a Hilton Garden Inn branded hotel which serves the public as well as Astros players, staff, and families.
He also successfully brokered the purchase of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks in 2015 and was closely involved with the acquisition of a Class-A Advanced affiliate in the Carolina League in 2017. In 2019, that team had a new stadium built in Fayetteville, NC, and a new nickname, Fayetteville Woodpeckers. Ballpark Digest recognized the Woodpeckers’ brand with the Logo/Branding of the Year Award in 2019. Additionally, Jim continued to add to the Astros minor league system acquiring the Sugar Land Skeeters franchise to serve as the Astros Triple-A affiliate prior to the 2021 season. In January of 2022, the Skeeters underwent a successful re-brand to the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.
Under Jim’s leadership, the Astros have supported several of MLB’s diversity initiatives, including MLB’s eighth annual Civil Rights Game and ancillary activities as well as MLB’s Diversity Summit, a sports employment and business opportunity career and trade fair. Houston has twice hosted the Urban Invitational, a nationally televised collegiate baseball tournament designed to give HBCUs and their baseball programs national exposure, as well as the Breakthrough Series, a collegiate and professional scouting showcase featuring a diverse group of top high school players in the country. In 2023, the Astros debuted the inaugural Astros Foundation Cactus Jack HBCU Classic, hosting six HBCUs for a nationally televised tournament at Minute Maid Park featuring traditional HBCU rivals from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
Passion for the Game
Jim hails from St. Louis, Mo. where he became a loyal, spirited fan of the St. Louis Cardinals. As a teenager, he caddied for members of the Cardinals team at local golf clubs and parked cars for patrons at Cardinals games. Jim was impressed by the Cardinals’ caring, family atmosphere and the team’s close ties with the local community. He has carried these values forward throughout his life in business, philanthropic and personal relationships.
As a young man, Jim put his innate passion for baseball into action at Central Missouri State University (now the University of Central Missouri), where he was a standout pitcher for the Mules from 1973-76 under the late, revered coach, Robert Tompkins. Jim still holds the Mules’ single-game strikeout record with 18, and in 1997, was inducted into the Central Missouri State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Jim was the primary underwriter of a $1.2 million renovation in 1998 of the old Mules Field on the University of Central Missouri campus. On Jan. 21, 1998, the facility was renamed the James R. Crane Stadium/Robert N. Tompkins Field in honor of Jim and his beloved coach. Jim continues to contribute to the college annually to provide athletic scholarships for Mules baseball. On Jan. 29, 2017, Jim was enshrined in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for his outstanding pitching career at the University of Central Missouri, his generous donations to UCM baseball and his successful efforts in rebuilding the Houston Astros franchise.
Jim earned a Bachelor of Science degree in industrial safety from Central Missouri State University in 1976. This led to a loss-control job evaluating commercial risks for an insurance company and then a move to Houston in 1982, where he entered the freight forwarding business.
Success in the Business World
In March of 1984, at the age of 30 and with $10,000 borrowed from his sister, Jim founded Eagle USA Airfreight (EGL, Inc.). In his first office located in Houston with a sole employee, Jim handled the loading and trucking himself. The company made money in its first month, and Jim ultimately built it into an organization of more than 10,000 employees with 400-plus facilities in 139 countries. EGL was named one of Houston’s “Best Places to Work,” and reached No. 599 on the Fortune 1000 list during Jim’s tenure. Jim has been the recipient of a long list of awards and honors for his entrepreneurial activities and business successes. The company was acquired in an LBO transaction in August 2007.
In August of 2008, Crane formed Crane Worldwide Logistics (CWL), a premier global provider of customized transportation and logistics services. CWL continues to grow rapidly with experienced members of Crane’s management team and sales force at the helm.
Jim’s love of baseball is unabated, and he has added the game of golf to his athletic endeavors. He acquired the Floridian, a private golf resort in Palm City, Fla., in 2010. In 2017, Jim ventured into the restaurant business and opened Osso & Kristalla and Potente named after his children. In 2018, he also took ownership of the Houston Open, the PGA TOUR tournament that was in danger of leaving the city. The tournament is operated under the Astros Golf Foundation transitioned to the newly renovated Memorial Park Golf Course in 2020.
Jim also acquired Davaco, a leader in high-volume remodels and technology deployments for global brands. He then started a software company, Modiant, as well as Crane Safety, a commercial safety supply company.
Stepping Up and Giving Back
As Astros Owner and Chairman, Jim has embraced the opportunity to give back to the City of Houston and beyond. Since he took ownership of the club, the Astros Foundation has donated and invested over $50 million into the Houston community and beyond.
In 2022, the Astros Foundation embraced the community of Uvalde, Texas, making them a part of the Astros family in the aftermath of the shooting of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Crane, 85 front office staff and the Astros Foundation mobilized to visit the Uvalde community on July 8, 2022 to bring some healing to the community through the game of baseball. The Astros then welcomed 3,500 citizens of Uvalde to Minute Maid Park for a special Uvalde Strong Day on Aug. 14, 2022 as the Astros took on the Oakland A’s. It was also announced that the Uvalde Little League would become a part of the Astros Community Leaders Little League program, providing a multi-year commitment of over $1.2 million to maintain their little league fields, provide new fencing, concession stand, uniforms, equipment and more. The Astros also made Uvalde a special stop on the 2023 Astros Caravan, with Alex Bregman and Lance McCullers Jr. visiting with students at Uvalde Elementary and Flores Elementary among four community stops with the 2022 World Series trophy in January 2023.
In 2021, the Astros Foundation led the way in the fight against COVID-19, partnering with the City of Houston to use Minute Maid Park as both a COVID-19 testing site and as a vaccination site.
In April of 2020, during the early stages of the pandemic, Jim stepped up to connect the Astros Foundation with Crane Worldwide Logistics, which resulted in millions of medical supplies being delivered to Houston hospitals within the Texas Medical Center. The goal of the partnership was to provide funding, logistics and transportation support for much-needed medical supplies and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) being used by healthcare professionals to treat COVID-19 patients.
In 2020, Jim also connected the Astros Foundation and Crane Worldwide with Astros players Carlos Correa and Martin Maldonado plus other MLB players from Puerto Rico to assist with delivering medical supplies to the island during the COVID-19 pandemic. In that endeavor, the Astros Foundation and Crane Worldwide covered 100% of the freight and transportation costs and also coordinated the logistics to get those much-needed medical supplies to Puerto Rico.
Crane and the Astros Foundation are the first to jump to action after natural disasters in the area, holding supply drives at Minute Maid Park to support relief efforts for communities impacted by storms. Most recently, drives were held to collect supplies for communities in Louisiana impacted by Hurricane Laura in 2020 and Hurricane Ida in 2021. In 2021, the Astros Foundation and Alex Bregman held a water distribution drive to support local Houstonians during recovery from Winter Storm Uri.
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Jim and the Astros ownership group were among the first to pledge $4 million to relief efforts. Jim also facilitated the shipment of more than 240,000 pounds of disaster relief supplies to Puerto Rico, where he was instrumental in transporting families of Astros and other MLB players, as well as hospitalized patients in critical condition, to safety.
In 2018, when the City of Houston was in danger of losing the Houston Open golf tournament, Jim helped establish the Astros Golf Foundation to ensure that the historic, PGA Tour tournament would remain in Houston. As a result, since 2019, the Houston Open has been presented by the Astros Golf Foundation and has had a tremendous impact on the Houston community, becoming the single-biggest fundraiser for the Astros Foundation. The Astros Golf Foundation spearheaded a $34 million renovation to Memorial Park Golf Course, which now plays host to the Houston Open. One of the key goals of the Astros Golf Foundation is to provide much-needed resources and funds to the citizens and community of Houston through park improvements, charitable fundraising and investing in youth programs.
Jim is committed to providing local children the opportunities he feels baseball afforded him in his youth. One of his first initiatives after purchasing the Astros was the creation of the Astros Community Leaders program, which won MLB’s prestigious Allan H. Selig Award for Philanthropic Excellence in 2017. As part of the program, a multi-million-dollar partnership was formed with the City of Houston’s Parks and Recreation Department and included participation from several corporate partners, whose financial donations supported the field refurbishments, year-round maintenance, league programming and uniforms. Now, tens of thousands of young athletes receive free uniforms, equipment, tickets to Astros games and professional instruction through the Community Leaders program. The parents, coaches and league participants also benefit from different types of clinics through the Community Leaders program, attending clinics on coaching, groundskeeping, nutrition, education, and much more.
“Baseball was very important to my development,” Jim said. “Playing baseball made me a lot more confident and comfortable in my ability to achieve things. I’d like to be able to help more kids get the opportunities that I had through baseball.”
Jim has been the recipient of a long list of awards and honors for his entrepreneurial activities and business successes. In 2019, Jim was recognized as the MD Anderson “Living Legend” and was also presented with the Ben Taub Humanitarian Award at their Jubilee of Caring event. He also won the 2019 Houston Sports Award Executive of the Year award. In May of 2018, he received the Public Service Award from the American Leadership Forum and was also inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame where he received the August A. Busch, Jr. Award. On November 1, 2018, Jim was inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame and in December 2018 received the Jack Buck Award from the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis, Missouri.