Lazenby carves path to success, sons follow suit
March 3-9, 2014
By Becca Bona
Ron Lazenby grew up in North Little Rock, and although he’s had time outside of the Natural State, today he faithfully calls the area home.
Early on, when it came time for college, he did not stray far from the state’s center.
He remembers UALR was his collegiate choice partly due to finances, and partly because it was the thing to do in the 70s.
“A bunch of us from North Little Rock went to UALR that year,” he recalled from his current desk from the third floor of the historic Villa Marre.
His journey, from getting involved with Greek life in college, joining the Navy, and helping to start a real estate company, has made Lazenby the man his today – a successful businessman.
Looking back on his experience at UALR, he reflects on the experiences he had.
“The best way to get involved socially was through the Greek [system],” he explained. The campus was smaller in both student size and physical size, but the experience was that “everybody had jobs,” and was working to make educational as well as professional ends meet.
These days, both of his sons have made UALR work for them. His oldest is a graduate of both the law school and main campus, and his younger son is currently heavily involved with Greek life as acting president for the Inter Fraternal Council at UALR.
Thus, Lazenby has seen his alma matter come full circle in his son’s higher educational journeys.
After graduating himself, he would experience a career in construction management and real estate before deciding he would join the Navy.
He was a submariner for 5 years, before the claustrophobia set in. “I always wanted to do it,” he explained, “I just wanted a different lifestyle and to travel.”
When he returned, he worked for VCC, a construction management company as a project manager. “That was a great job, it was a great environment to work for,” he said. VCC is known for their cutting edge use of technology, which he found to be interesting in his work.
As the housing market began to fall, Lazenby actually took a step closer toward real estate. By improving upon houses and then selling them, he realized he was in the perfect step to partner the start up of a real estate company, although he had to wait for the final pieces to fall into place.
“When the bottom fell out, the first thing to stop was [construction of] new property, so you have to reshape quickly if you want to survive,” he explained.
The area that did begin thriving, although slowly, was the historic and older areas in Little Rock, surrounding the Villa Marre and the developing area along South Main Street.
In 2012, Lazenby found out that the Villa Marre was for sale, and he made the purchase. The building, the only one in Little Rock intact of its time period, is now open for venue use. The space also houses the company that Lazenby is a partner of – The Villa Marre Real Estate Group.
“It’s a very unique building, it’s the only one with its type of architecture left,” he said. Lazenby is very supportive of local organizations such as The Quapaw Quarter that strive to keep up historic properties. “It’s horribly expensive to preserve these properties,” he said.
It turns out that Lazenby is quite happy with Central Arkansas. He took the opportunity the Navy provided him to see the world, and he now says he respects and understands the gem that the area is.
“Arkansas has so many great things. You can drive 10 minutes and be in the woods, 15 minutes and be near a prairie, 20 minutes and find some beautiful rolling hills. There is no other area like it.”
With budding young professionals for sons, Lazenby has solid advice to future or recent graduates.
“We are used to thinking that a degree is enough. However, these days everyone goes to school for a degree, so you have to take it one step further,” he advised.
When he’s not working, he enjoys playing golf and making the trip to the coast of Florida, his favorite get-a-way.
You can take the sailor out of the boat, but you can’t take the yearn to travel out of the sailor. Lazenby is always looking forward to his next traveling adventure, but at the end of the day, he knows Central Arkansas will always be his home.
