| | Published January 23rd, 2019
| Terry Ring honored for behind the scenes work
| | | By Pippa Fisher |  | | Terry Ring Photo Andy Scheck |
This year's Business Person of the Year has been named - Terry Ring of Ring Construction. He will be honored with a dinner celebrating his many contributions to Lafayette at the Lafayette Park Hotel and Spa on Friday, Feb. 1. Mayor Cam Burks will also give the State of the City address.
Ring is very involved with both the Lafayette Rotary Club and with the Chamber of Commerce. As the head of Ring Construction, a soft story expert company specializing in seismic upgrades and foundation replacements, he has a decades-old history in Lafayette. Ring and his wife, Iris, have two grown children, Elizabeth and Conner.
Ring was born in San Francisco but was raised from a young age in Lafayette, attending local schools. After a few years of traveling in Latin America he attended UC Berkeley and graduated with a teaching credential. He worked at oil refineries and shipyards to pay for college. "After being unceremoniously fired for the last time, I decided to start my own company," says Ring, and so after getting his general contractor license, he started Ring Construction.
But even beyond his successful business, he is known around town for his boundless volunteering.
Among the many community projects for which Ring has offered his construction expertise are the stage at the reservoir and most recently, the memorial honoring local fallen service men and women at the Veterans Memorial Center. He is part of the Iron Man team - the group of volunteers who set up, take down and do whatever else is necessary behind the scenes at the Art and Wine festival each year. And he is this year's incoming president of the Lafayette Rotary Club.
"The number of hours he has donated is immeasurable," says Larry Blodgett, owner of Lafayette's Blodgett's Carpet and Flooring. "Ring has donated more than any check ever written in Lafayette in terms of hours spent volunteering. But he never takes credit."
Characteristically, Ring says he was humbled "and a bit mystified" at receiving the recognition. "It was an absolute surprise."
Blodgett, a fellow Rotarian, worked with Ring and his crew on the design and installation of the stage at the reservoir. "He is as honest a person as anyone I have ever met," he says, explaining that Ring is the type of guy who says what he means, and means what he says.
"He's always the guy schlepping stuff," says Blodgett.
Executive director of the Chamber of Commerce Jay Lifson agrees. "He is one of those residents in Lafayette that always gravitates to a place where he can roll up his sleeves and help," Lifson says. "From the Rotary Stage at the reservoir, and the Veterans Memorial to being a founding member of the Iron Man Team volunteering at the Art and Wine Festival, he is always the first one there and the last to leave."
Ring explains that he joined the Chamber of Commerce about 10 years ago. "As for the Art and Wine Festival, I enjoy it," he says, noting that it's a marathon - "40-50 hours over three days."
In fact, his reaction when asked about any of the contributions he has made to the community is to say, quite simply, that he enjoys it.
"Being raised in Lafayette, I like Lafayette. It's a good community. I like to contribute to the schools - that's important - and the chamber and rotary do that," he says.
"It doesn't all happen through government. Some of it has to happen through volunteerism."
Further information on the dinner in Ring's honor can be found on the chamber website. Reservations are required.
Info: https://cca.lafayettechamber.org/EvtListing.aspx?dbid2=CALAF&evtid=8594&class=E |
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA