The story of Ken Lanci’s life is that he has always beaten the odds.

Born into in a housing project on the eastside of Cleveland, Lanci, as a child, spent a half dozen years on public assistance with his family. Clothing and shoes were often hand-me-downs. He remembers family members lying on the floor to hide from bill collectors pounding on the door.  Those days of hardship on East 110^th Street and Woodland Avenue and later on East 117^th Street give him a strong sense of compassion and desire to give back to the community. 

Ken Lanci was industrious at an early age. As a youth, he worked odd jobs to help make ends meet. At 19, he rescued the family print shop from bankruptcy. He had no formal business training. But, he was street smart and had a flair for dealing with people. Today, he fondly remembers the guidance he also received from two very caring mentors, Stanley Yulish and Art Harad.

As an adult, he utilized his skills to turn around other businesses. At last count, there were about three dozen. His successful efforts have saved more jobs and added to the county’s tax base. Take the case of a struggling wine distribution company. In 1987, he wisely chose to close it down and re-establish it as the Northcoast Wine Distributors. Revenues increased 320 percent over the previous firm.

Ken Lanci did not have a college degree and the economic deck was stacked against businesses trying to survive in Cleveland’s struggling economy. Most recently, he founded Consolidated Graphics Group Inc. (CGG) in 1996 and started the Consolidated Technologies Group (CTG) in 2008. Today, the companies have 150 employees with sales approaching $25 million a year.   As other firms shut down or migrated out of Greater Cleveland, he stayed put on East 40th Street.

In 2007 Ken Lanci suffered cardiac arrest and died, he was brought back to life by the doctors at Hillcrest Hospital and the grace of God.  Ken strongly believes his life was saved because there is more for him to do. In 2010 Ken Lanci ran for Cuyahoga County Executive as an Independent Candidate committed to “working for the greater good of all”.  While he did not win the race, he met so many wonderful people and simply could not walk away from his belief that he is to continue to “work for the greater good of all”.      

Never forgetting his roots, he remains today deeply involved in helping youths beat the odds of growing up in troubled environments. One of his favorite charities is OneSight Cleveland, a worldwide program that provides eyeglasses to underprivileged school children to help them succeed in the classroom. Ken Lanci and his wife, Linda, made a substantial donation to bring the program to Cleveland.

In just four years, the Ken Lanci-sponsored OneSight program in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has provided over 5,000 eye exams to students, with over 4,000 of them receiving eyeglasses. The total value of the gift was over $2 million.

The gift of clear vision has enabled these school children to learn and function on a higher level. Ken Lanci is also deeply involved in Project Love serving as Chairman for the past 15 years.  He is also Chairman of Purple America which was created in 2007 as the adult organization that works hand-in-hand with Project Love.  Project Love/Purple America helps teens and adults create a culture of kindness, caring and respect.

He and his wife, Linda, have contributed to over 70 Non-Profit Organizations.   They offer a Graphic Arts internship that provides advanced learning opportunities and paid internships for graphics arts students.

Ken Lanci also pays tribute to his heritage as a member and former “Man of The Year” for the Boys’ Town of Italy. This storied program was started in Italy in 1945 by Monsignor John Patrick Carroll-Abbing, an Irish priest in the Vatican’s diplomatic service. The Monsignor had assisted anti-Nazi resistance and aided Jewish refugee orphans.

Today, the agency helps children, many of whom suffer from abandonment, family dysfunction, domestic violence, wars and oppressive poverty. This compassion for the under-privileged, this old-fashioned notion that everyone can beat the odds if they are given a compass to find their own way, enables Ken Lanci to connect well with the everyday people of Cuyahoga County.

There are many other relevant facets to his professional experience. He served on the board of trustees of Teamsters Local 293 Health & Welfare Pension Board from 1994 to 2005. He also served on the board of directors of Independence Bank where he put his skills to work helping steer companies to solvency and job creation.

The final paragraph of his biography is actually the first chapter in his life—his family. Ken Lanci is a proud family man. He married Linda, his Maple Heights High School sweetheart, 41 years ago. They have three very successful children and six loving grandchildren.

Ken philosophy of life can be summed up in this quote: 

"The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities.  We need men who can dream of things that never were" --John F. Kennedy

Get to Know Ken Lanci:

1. Visit the Issues section highlighting the his Core Values.

2. Follow Ken Lanci on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

3. Tune into WTAM 1100am on Sundays from 6 pm to 8 pm for the Ken Lanci Radio Show "Working for the Greater Good of All". 

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