Robert Lanteigne

Founder, News Defender

Robert Lanteigne is a business preservation advisor, entrepreneur, educator, former business broker, and manufacturing advocate with more than four decades of experience helping organizations navigate growth, change, innovation, and transition.

Born in Montreal, Canada, Robert has spent his career building bridges between people, ideas, technologies, and opportunities. For the past ten years, he has lived in Florida, where he continues to support business owners, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and communities throughout North America.

Beginning his career in the skilled trades, Robert developed a deep appreciation for craftsmanship, operational excellence, and the people who build and sustain businesses. Over the years, he expanded his expertise across manufacturing, technology, education, workforce development, design, business strategy, and organizational leadership, creating a unique ability to connect people, opportunities, and solutions.

Throughout his career, Robert has collaborated with business owners, manufacturers, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, industry associations, public companies, startups, and community leaders around the world. His experience spans advanced manufacturing, Industry 4.0 initiatives, workforce development programs, business modernization, strategic partnerships, organizational growth, and emerging technologies.

As a former Business Broker with Transworld Business Advisors, Robert gained firsthand experience helping business owners evaluate opportunities, navigate transitions, and explore strategic alternatives. This experience reinforced his belief that every business represents far more than financial statements. Behind every company is a founder, a team, a legacy, and a story worth preserving.

As the founder of News Defender, Robert's mission is to help business owners preserve value, protect legacy, and create new opportunities. He serves as a trusted connector between owners, advisors, investors, lenders, educators, and solution providers, helping organizations identify practical paths forward during periods of transition and uncertainty.

Robert is particularly passionate about supporting manufacturing in North America. He believes that advanced manufacturing, workforce education, automation, additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies will play a critical role in rebuilding industrial capacity and creating sustainable economic opportunities for future generations.

In addition to his business activities, Robert has dedicated significant time to education and professional development. He holds a Bachelor of Education from Université du Québec à Montréal and a Master of Arts in Architectural Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design in New York. Throughout his career, he has served as an educator, mentor, speaker, and industry advocate, sharing practical knowledge gained through real-world experience.

Robert is also the author of The Non-Technical Language of Light, a book designed to make the principles of lighting accessible to a broader audience. He is an active member of the Lighting Agora community and has contributed to numerous educational, professional, and community initiatives throughout his career.

Today, Robert continues to focus on helping business owners, manufacturers, entrepreneurs, and communities build stronger futures through strategic relationships, practical solutions, and a commitment to long-term value creation.

Guiding Philosophy

"Every business represents a lifetime of work, every owner has a story, and every challenge contains the seed of a new opportunity."