Ron Lenz
Joyce Wainscott
Intensely observant, intellectually curious, precisely diagnostic, and laser-focused on problem solving; all terms defining Ron Lenz, past president of SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary.
Ron was born in Wisconsin in 1947, his brother Russell in 1955. Their father was a sheet metal worker, their mother a homemaker.
In 1957 Ron’s family moved to the maternal farm, sharing the home with his grandmother. On the farm Ron’s engineering sense and business logic began to emerge as he combined his acquired knowledge from agriculture magazines and his keen sense of observation. He suggested increasing the dairy herd, limiting the grazing area, and buying a chopper, increasing the cropland by eight acres. Removing a stone wall, relocating the chickens, and doubling the milking herd improved quality and increased profits. Cash crops went to a canning factory.
Ron attended Washington Union High School where he met the love of his life, Pat. Classes in math, chemistry, and physics prepared him for chemical engineering.
After two years at UW Oshkosh and one in Madison, he and Pat married. Pat worked at the Capitol to fund two years of his degree. During his fifth year, Ron became president of the American Institute of Chemical Engineering student chapter.
After graduation, Ron and Pat chose to stay in Wisconsin, moving to Racine to work for Johnson Wax. Ron remained an employee of Johnson for 35 years. In 1975 he received his MBA from Marquette University.
In 1973 Ron and Pat adopted their daughter Christine. Eighteen months later, their miracle baby Elizabeth was born. Throughout the girls’ childhood, Ron and Pat gave whatever they took on all their energy and focus. From the S.E. Aquatics to the Lighthouse Summer Marching Band and church committees, they were involved in hands-on work and fundraising.
During his 35-year tenure with Johnson, Ron held 13 different positions. As an engineer, he developed a new process to make polymers and resins. In the management ladder, his roles included Specialty Chemical Divisions Engineering management, Corporate Development Manager, Assistant to Global VP of Global Manufacturing, Project Director for a new factory in Japan, Project Director for China Shanghai JV, Director of Asia-Pacific Operations, a JV with Canada Johnson in the manufacturing of Glade candles, and Senior Director of Safety, Quality Assurance, and Environmental Services.
Ron retired from Johnson in 2005 and moved to SaddleBrooke, playing pickleball, golfing, and travelling to 92 countries on seven continents. In 2017 Pat picked up a brochure on the Rotary at an Activities Fair, and Ron joined SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary and became its president in 2023.
Ron was “recruited” by the SaddleBrooke TWO board of directors to lead the Energy Task Force. The effort produced 13 money-saving recommendations, including the electric solar array for the Arts and Craft building, solar pool heater, LED bulbs, and high-efficiency heat pumps.
Ron’s story is one of close family ties, hard work, personal achievement, and self-reliance—an example for all of us and a life well lived.