Philip Lance Van Every: Shaping Modern Charlotte

Philip Lance Van Every: Shaping Modern Charlotte. . (left panel) , Phil Van Every (1913-1980) was a prominent Charlotte businessman, and civic leader. He was the grandson and son of Lance Packing Company (Lance, Inc.) founders Philip L. Lance and Salem A. Van Every. In 1932, he joined the family business as a salesman when annual sales were below $1 million., At age 29, Phil became president and chief executive officer of the company. In 1961, he oversaw the building of a new expansive plant on Pineville Road (8600 South Boulevard) and opened the facility in 1962. Lance snacks are still made there today. Under his leadership, the company rapidly grew from a small family-owned operation into a nationally recognized public company. At his retirement in 1973, the company had 4,500 employees in 34 states and $80 million in annual sales., (captions) , Philip Lance Van Every , Lance supported war efforts by providing snacks to U.S. military troops and by making strategic tools for military use during the war years., (right panel) , Mayor and Philanthropist , Phil Van Every served as mayor pro tem (1951-1953) and as Charlotte mayor for two terms (1953-1957). His passion for the Carolinas and civic responsibility inspired him to establish the Philip L. Van Every Foundation in 1961. He was inducted posthumously into the N.C. Business Hall of Fame in 1992., Civic Growth , Mayor Van Every presided over the completion of Independence Boulevard, an expansion of Memorial Hospital, the building of Park Road Shopping Center and Ovens Auditorium-Coliseum complex, and launched the fundraising campaign for the Dowd YMCA., (captions) , Ovens Auditorium and adjacent Charlotte Coliseum. Photo: Courtesy of the Robinson Spangler Carolina Room , May 18, 1954 (Freedom Park): U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Mayor Phil Van Every commemorate the anniversary of the signing of the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence. , Chas Fagan is an American artist whose works can be found in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, Washington National Cathedral, The White House, and St. Peter's in Rome.