Meet the NCC Board: Ron Lanz
The Northcenter Chamber of Commerce could not put on all the events, programs and networking opportunities that we do without the help of an amazing volunteer Board of Directors. This board is comprised of business owners, entrepreneurs and committed residents who have made an impact on the Northcenter business community. In this series, we will introduce you to them one by one. Today, meet our newest member of the board, Ron Lanz.
Ron Lanz is the newest addition to the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, serving his first term ever beginning this January. But he has been making an impact on Northcenter for more than a decade--the Lincoln Avenue streetscape project was built in part with his design and expertise.
“When I started, Northcenter was on the cusp of being recognized for its rapid revitalization activities,” Ron says. “Thanks to the tireless involvement and investment of core businesses and the community, the neighborhood has grown tremendously.”
Ron’s involvement in the Chamber is an extension of the great work he has done in Northcenter and across Chicago with Lanz & Associates, a team of land use planning and implementation advisors who work throughout the metropolitan area. Lanz & Associates works with municipalities and landowners on strategies for economic, environmental and land use development. Over time, he gradually became more involved with the neighborhood and the Chamber of Commerce because he had been involved for so long on the development and planning side. He’s excited to see the neighborhood continue to improve and share his ideas and expertise to help ensure that the “larger vision for the neighborhood and its ultimate potential are achieved.”
As a member of the Board of Directors, Ron hopes to keep business owners and residents in the area engaged and aware of community investment activities and opportunities. “If people feel like they’re involved, they’ll stay involved,” he says.
Ron says the reasons for his involvement in the neighborhood and the Chamber go beyond business. “My family (a wife and two sons) relates back to why I’m here,” he says. “The family feel of the neighborhood is very important to me.” Ron says one thing he loves about Northcenter is that his children have access to sports and recreation. In addition, the neighborhood is pedestrian-friendly and allows for his children to have a level of independence as they play and explore.
For Ron, a perfect weekend day in Northcenter involves a morning of baseball games at one of the area’s parks, followed by a movie at the Davis Theatre or a show at Signal Ensemble or one of the other performance groups in the area, or set up for a movie in the park that night. “We set up our chairs in the park and we see many of our friends doing the same thing,” Ron says. “Enjoying all that the neighborhood has to offer with my family, that’s the makings of a great day.”
