Vice Chairman
Ronald (Ron) J Ward is Chairman of Western Forms Group. Western Forms is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri is the original manufacturer of aluminum forms used for cast-in-place concrete construction. The Company, founded in 1962 by Mr. Ward’s father E.B. Ward, has been in continuous operation for over 60 years. Western Forms Systems are currently used in single and multifamily residential construction in over 40 countries on 6 continents. In 2020 the system was used to build over 400,000 residential housing units worldwide.
Mr. Ward with over 45 years of experience in “industrialized housing production” experience brings highly valuable experience and guidance to Southampton as the Company will use energy-efficient concrete cast-in-place construction technology for its identified projects in Marion and Citrus Counties. He will be a key advisor to Southampton in the areas of real estate development and construction management.
Under Mr. Ward’s leadership, Western Forms Group acquired Florida-based Solid Wall Systems to offer turnkey concrete housing shell production in the Florida and Southeast US markets. Solid Wall Systems will be joint venturing with Southampton to assure efficient application of Western Forms Construction Technology and supporting technical and training for Southampton’s home construction in Florida.
Mr. Ward is a graduate of the University of Detroit. He is also a leading member of several concrete manufacturing associations. Mr. Ward is active in many local and national charities including the Knights of Columbus (4th Degree Knight) and Catholic Charities.