navyseum Crew

Ronald Lanz is Founder and President of NAVYSEUM - Active Exploration Centers.  As an entrepreneur throughout his professional career, Ron's expertise in economic and commercial real estate development, market feasibility, and land use consulting is evidenced by his founding and successful leadership positions as Principal/Partner at Land Strategies, Inc., Lanz & Associates, Inc., Land Vision, Inc., and Great Lakes AEC, LLC / NAVYSEUM during the past 22 years.  Ron is responsible for the NAVYSEUM concept origination, project validation, port identification and securitization, and assemblage of his crew of highly experienced location-based entertainment professionals to execute the NAVYSEUM - Active Exploration Center at Great Lakes/North Chicago, as well as ports currently beyond the horizon.   

Jason Somerville is the Managing Partner of EIG having arranged and invested over $4 billion of capital across more than twenty-five media entertainment companies.  EIG's expertise includes multiple media and entertainment industry sectors, including content distribution, filmed content, location-based entertainment, music rights, and musical theater.  EIG operates in four areas: investment banking, merchant banking, corporate advisory, and asset management. Jason is providing investment banking and financial consultant services for the NAVYSEUM development team.

Jumana Brodersen is the founder and CEO of St. Louis-based JCO and previously served as the Head of Creative Development for SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. She has designed and produced numerous successful location based entertainment attractions for theme parks, water parks, zoos, and marine mammal parks around the world, including Klump Island (Tivoli Gardens), Bays of Play (SeaWorld San Diego), and Jungala (Busch Gardens Tampa). Jumana is leading NAVYSEUM’s design, attraction programming, and exhibit design.

Richard Freudenthal (Lead Exhibit Manufacturer) is a partner at Chicago-based SVI Themed Construction Services and has designed and produced hundreds of exhibits and experiences including countless Vegas attractions, Broadway productions, theme park attractions, museum exhibits, and sets for television, movies and the Metropolitan Opera. Earlier in his career he worked for Fairchild, McDonnell-Douglas building scale prototypes of military aircraft and other aerospace elements. SVI designed and built “Battle Stations 21” at Naval Station Great Lakes, a 2/3rd scale US Navy Destroyer simulator used for recruit sailor training at the Station. Richard is leading NAVYSEUM’s exhibits construction. 

Mike Devine is the Managing Partner of Cleveland-based Gallagher Museum Services and previously managed Algonquin Museum Services, and was a CPA at Ernst & Young. He has advised and served as owner’s representative for some of the country’s most interactive museums, including The Mob Museum in Las Vegas, The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, and The United States Olympic Museum in Colorado Springs, CO. Mike is advising the developer on NAVYSEUM’s operating plan and capital budget and will help build the attraction’s operating team.

Dan Martin (Advisor) is the Principal of Market Feasibility Advisors and previously Vice President of Economics Research Associates (ERA). He has prepared more than 300 feasibility studies and economic impact analyses over the last 25 years including theme parks, waterparks, museums, zoos, aquariums, parks, and military bases. Dan completed a feasibility study and economic impact analysis for NAVYSEUM. The findings of the MFA feasibility study serve as the basis for the key revenue drivers of the attraction’s operating model.

John Harris and Fletcher Martin bring branding, identity development and marketing experience to NAVYSEUM. Populated by award-winning graphic designers, design innovators, former journalists, editors, reporters and news anchors, a5 offers deep experience helping clients to craft and tell their stories in compelling and concise ways.