illiams Inc.
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The history of Williams begins in the latter part of the 19th century with the efforts of an ingenious and
ambitious person, Frank B. Williams, who was ready to take advantage of the opportunity afforded by
the building of new railroads westward into Texas. Frank B. Williams slowly acquired thousands of
acres of cypress-bearing swampland in Louisiana and began a timber harvesting and milling operation.
The F.B. Williams Cypress Company, Ltd. became one of the largest lumber companies in the United
States by the early 20th century. Lumber harvesting activities continued through the 1920s and the
lumber mills sawed their last log in 1934.
Frank B. Williams’ son, C.S. Williams, investigated the possibility of moving the entire lumber operation
to the West Coast to harvest and mill virgin redwoods stands but the decision was made to stay in
Louisiana because of the poor national economic outlook.
Smart management foresaw the financial difficulties of the late 1920s and 1930s and had almost
completely removed the organization from the stock market and other speculative ventures by the time
the economy collapsed.
Oil and Gas was discovered on the former cypress lands in the early 1930s and a new chapter began
in the organization’s history. Williams, Inc. was established in 1931 as the successor to the F.B.
Williams Cypress Lumber Company, Ltd.
Since that time Williams has been an active investor in the Oil and Gas Industry and has funded a
number of venture capital projects. Currently our primary business focuses are hydrocarbon production
and real estate development. The narrow focus of operations allows the organization to efficiently
leverage in-house expertise with consulting geologist, geophysicists, and others when needed.
Our land portfolio
Williams currently owns over 85,000 acres of undeveloped land in 13 parishes throughout Louisiana.
Our land portfolio is rich in natural resources; including oil, gas, and renewable resources.
Williams’ leases there land for drilling exploration, surface and sub surface leases, rights-of way, and
permits. Our leases offer: hydrocarbon production, canal permits, saltwater disposal permits, seismic
permits, pipeline rights-of-ways, wild alligator harvest, alligator egg collections, hunting leases,
campsite leases, and crawfish leases.
Williams has been developing residential apartment communities for over 20 years. The focus of these
efforts is in the Cypress Estates residential apartment community located in Ponchatoula, LA. We are
currently developing Phase III of Cypress Estates. Phase III is expected to be completed by July 31,
2010.
Williams, Inc. has endeavored to generate superior returns on invested capital and add value to the
Louisiana ventures in which it participates. The organization has a long history of successful
investments in both the petroleum and real estate industries, and plans to continue its focus on
investment opportunities in these areas. We will make every effort to be superior stewards of our land,
guardians of the environment, and leaders in the communities in which we operate.
A history of smart resource management, including intelligent land use, strategic capital investments,
and sophisticated financial analysis has generated positive returns for the organization and is expected
to continue for future generations.
The best is yet to come.
History of Williams Inc.
