Let’s call Lakewood Swimming the Stacy family business and let’s note how much Kristie Stacy excelled at it. Kristie followed her father and joined her siblings as an exceptional swimmer and student at LHS. She earned her first letter as a freshman and then every year thereafter, culminating with being elected captain during senior year. Her accomplishments include designation as an MVP and Plain Dealer Athlete of the Week. She was an individual and relay record holder, qualified all 4 years for the state competition and during senior year, she was state finalist. Kristie was designated as a High School All-American multiple times and while she was excelling in the pool, she was a member of the Lakewood High School National Honor Society.

After graduation, Kristie joined another long line of decorated swimmers at Kenyon College. One of her college coaches remarked that in her four years at Kenyon, during which she earned a BA in Anthropology, “Kristie approached scholastics and sports with uncompromising integrity and direction.” It was clear that she ‘grudgingly refused to accept any limitations placed on her quest for success.” In her four years at Kenyon, Kristie became a four-time All American, who contributed to four North Coast Athletic Conference championship teams and four National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III championship teams.

At the collegiate level, Kristie collected a total of 14 NCAA titles. Two of those titles were for her specialty, the 100-yard butterfly. The other 12 came from her contribution as a member of multiple relay teams. She collected four championship titles in the 400-yard medley relay, three each in the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay, and one each in the 200-yard freestyle and 800-yard freestyle relay teams.

During her senior year at Kenyon, Kristie set the varsity record in the butterfly and she was the recipient of the Jess Falkenstine Award, which is presented to the top student athlete who best

displays distinguished characteristics in leadership and integrity. Moreover, she was inducted into the Kenyon Swim Teams’ Shawn M. Kelly Memorial Hall of Champions.

Kristie was honored in 1992 as NCAA Woman of the Year for Kenyon College.

After college, Kristie went on to assist younger swimmers by coaching at the local level with LRST, Lakeshore Swim Club and the Shaker Sharks, as well as at Youngstown State University and Baldwin Wallace College. Kristie earned her RN degree and currently works as a care coordinator for HomeCare. She lives in North Ridgeville with her husband, Bob, and their dog, Skye.

The term “high achiever” does not quite do justice to describe the life and work of Ken Thewes, whose professional accomplishments range from a significant role in the overhaul of Air Force One to Chief Marketing Officer for Regal Entertainment Group, the second largest cinema company in the world.

Ken lost his dad when he was eight years old and he and his 3 siblings were raised by their single mother, who worked as a nurse while earning her GED, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. His time at LHS was an accurate predictor of his future success. Ken was a standout athlete and scholar at LHS. A 4-year varsity letterman on the swim team and valedictorian of the Class of 1983, Ken won the respect of his classmates by being voted ‘most likely to succeed’ and ‘most intelligent.’ At age 16, Ken and his brother attempted an open water swim across Lake Erie and made it 17 miles before the cold forced them to abandon their attempt.

Ken earned entrance into the U.S. Airforce Academy where he double majored in both mathematics and electrical engineering and graduated with honors. He later earned a master’s degree in engineering. While serving in the USAF, Ken earned plumb assignments, including becoming the first USAF liaison to Egypt and NATO for F-16 identification issues. His work on Air Force One produced a completely overhauled plane with state-of-the-art avionics for President Ronald Reagan.

After leaving the Air Force, Ken changed course and entered the business world which started him on his path to being one of most respected marketing professionals in the country. Ken initially made his mark in a broad range of industries and million dollar brands which include Proctor & Gamble, followed by senior marketing rolls at Spartan Stores, Brinker International, Yum Brands and Darden Restaurants, where he guided their well-known brands such as Chili’s, A&W, Red Lobster, Cheer, Tide and many others to household name status. At Red Lobster, he launched the brand’s inaugural website. If you recall a commercial, image or jingle associated with one of them, Ken most likely had a big part in that. Fans of “The Office” will recall the multiple times when the Dunder Mifflin crew met up at Chili’s. Ken was responsible for the product placement of Chili’s on that show and is considered a pioneer of strategic ad and product placement in television and movies.

Ken joined Regal Entertainment Corporation as its Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in 2012, where he heads up all marketing efforts for the Company. In addition, Ken leads the teams responsible for advertising, digital and social media, film marketing and promotions, public relations, consumer insights and local marketing.

Ken significantly impacted the marketing approach of Regal with his belief that Regal should set itself apart by creating unique experiences for its guests, including leveraging its loyalty program to become the largest in the U.S. as well as introducing an innovative app that includes augmented reality capabilities to put moviegoers into the scenes of selected new releases.

During his career, Ken has been the recipient of numerous accolades and awards, including the 2019 Valiente Award for boldness in marketing, the 2017 and 2018 Addy awards for Regal Advertising, among others. He is also an active volunteer and philanthropist who is involved in a variety of charitable and professional organizations. He is a frequent contributor and interviewee in trade and business publications such as Forbes Magazine. Ken is currently a board member with the Regal Foundation, the Variety of Eastern Tennessee Children’s Charity where he is past president, and the Knoxville Zoo. Ken also relaunched and expanded the Coca-Cola Regal Films program, supporting student filmmakers in over 40 colleges and universities across the country.

Ken and his wife, Patty Tracy-Thewes, have been married for over 30 years and have a college aged son. They live in Knoxville Tennessee.