After serving two years in the Army Air Corps during World War II, Mr. Lavender entered Grinnell College in his native state of Iowa, graduating from there in 1950 with a double major in Political Science and Economics. He subsequently served on the Grinnell Board of Trustees from 1996 to 2000. Mr. Lavender settled permanently in Acapulco in 1954 when the city had 78,000 inhabitants. He recalls that in 1954 there were no traffic lights in Acapulco and the transit department didn't own a single vehicle, --not even a motorcycle. His original enterprise was a restaurant called "Hungry Herman's", located in the downtown area near the Post Office. That branched out into other endeavors and Mr. Lavender likes to refer to this period as "a learning experience".

The real estate career was launched in 1964, immediately following the expansion of the Acapulco airport to accommodate direct jet service from the United States. The timing was fortuitous and Mr. Lavender recalls that that was "a heady period". Commercial property prices along the Costera enjoyed an increment of 100% per year during 1967 and 1968.

Mr. Lavender was a founding member of the local Realtors' association, a chapter of AMPI, the Mexican National Realtors' Association, and served a two year term as president of the local group.

He is also a founding member of the Brisas Guitarrón Homeowners' Association in Acapulco, served two terms as president of that group and continues on the board of directors. In addition, he served for 26 consecutive years as a member of the board of directors of the Las Brisas Homeowners' Association. In the area of civic activity Mr. Lavender was among the founding members of Amigos de Acapulco in 1960. This organization, the largest charity endeavor in the state of Guerrero, is dedicated to helping needy children. Its activities include financial support for six orphanages with a total of 320 children, a free-of-charge outpatient clinic with a full time doctors, nurses and social workers which attended over 6,200 youngsters in 1999, and a scholarship program which gives partial assistance to 20 needy teenagers of proven scholastic ability. Ron Lavender has served 16 years on the board of this group and has served two two-year terms as its president and is currently serving in his third two-year term as its president.

He continues very active in the real estate business five and a half days a week, but he is an avid sailor and Saturday and Sunday afternoons will invariably find him on the bay or offshore in his 36 foot sloop, "Tonina".