Salon Owner and Industry Leader Ron D. “Ron” Provenzano lost his brave battle with cancer December  13. He was 68.

After working as a manager with the Jewel Food Stores in Countryside, IL, for more than 20 years, Provenzano founded Zano Salons with his former wife Denise in Naperville, IL. Today, Zano Salons and Spas has five locations, and is currently managed by Denise, along with her and Provenzano’s two sons Sam and Nicholas Provenzano.

Ron Provenzano also was a past president of the International Chain Salon Association, which later was renamed the International Salon and Spa Business Network. He continued to be an active member of the organization.

Ron is survived by his wife Margaret Melaniphy Provenzano.

Visitation will be held Tuesday, December 17 from 2 to 9 p.m. at Friedrich-Jones funeral Home & Cremation Services, located at 44 S. Mill Street in Naperville. Services will be held Wednesday, December 18 at 10:30 a.m. and will proceed from the funeral home to SS. Peter & Paul Catholic Church for an 11 a.m. mass and Christian burial. The church is located at 36 N. Ellsworth Street in Napervilee. In lieu of flowers, please send memorials to Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, 70 E Lake St/#720, Chicago, IL 60601. (www.chicagohomeless.org)

Throughout his long beauty industry career, Provenzano was always willing to share his professional insight with other salon owners and beauty professionals. His many industry friends remember him for his generosity, his inspiration and positivity:

“Today, we lost one of the best members of all time. Ron was a warm and welcoming presence and he will be clearly missed by all of us at ISBN. It is a sad day for us, but today I am certain Ron is in paradise.”—Jason Volk, president of ISBN and CEO of Chatters Canada and Tommy Gun’s

"No matter what was going on in business, Ron would always say, 'It's all Good. Everything's Good!' His positive attitude was very contagious."—Carlton Whitaker, vice president, The Spa by Mitchells and Mitchells Hair Styling Academy 

"Ron was a true gentleman, a great marketing mind and a valued friend. His enthusiasm for life and his love of friends and family will be sorely missed.  We all feel like we have lost a part of ourselves."—Gordon Logan, founder, Sports Clips, and ISBN past president

"Ron was a great leader in the salon industry in that he always cared about making sure others were successful around him.  Most importantly, he was a true friend and mentor.  He will be deeply missed by myself and many others." —Phil Horvath, vice president and general manager, ULTA

"Ron was so approachable and made you feel like the most important person in the room.  Zanos was one of the first chain salons that I worked with in the late 90s when I was learning about the industry. Ron was so patient, and loved to share his knowledge. He didn’t care what your title was, who you knew, or how much revenue you did … if you were in the beauty industry you were family. He will be missed and I am grateful to have spent time with him at the latest ISBN conference this year reminiscing and talking about his favorite topic…family."--John Harms, founder and CEO, Millennium Systems International

"I will miss Ron, I worked with him on the ISBN Board for more than 10 years. He did a great job as president of ISBN and contributed  to the growth of the association. He was always very friendly to all and he was willing to assist others in every possible way that he could and he did. He was a very successful businessperson and what he has accomplished will continue on. So said, he was so young and full of life, and a lot of energy. I appreciated his friendship.”—Henry Pelusi, Studio of Elegance/Philip Pelusi

“The industry has lost another gem. Ron was a smart and successful man and he was always positive in all my interactions with him. He always spoke his mind with direct fluidity and wisdom.”--Leon Alexander, president of Eurisko

"Ron Provenzano will be missed by all who came in contact with his charismatic, genuine demeanor. Ron was a personal friend of mine. A loving guy that would want us to live life to the fullest, as he did."--Paul Brown, founder, Paul Brown Beauty Companies

“Ron was a mentor and a great friend, he had a smile that would light up the room. His sprit was amazing, truly one of the most positive people I have met in my life. I learned so much from him and am a better person because I knew him.”—Paula Malloy Huerta, DVP and DMM, JCPenney Salons

“Ron loved this industry and always cared about the success of the stylist. From the first time I met Ron, he was always upbeat. It was at ISBN and he was the president. Since that time, my wife, Lisa, and I became good friends with not only Ron, but with his family. One time that stands out is when Ron and his two sons, Sam and Nick, came to our salons for a visit in 2010. We both have similar business structures with multiple salons and were struggling through the economy. They brought all their financials, and we spent the morning going over theirs and the afternoon going over ours. We both walked away with a lot of good ideas that helped us get through the tough economic times. Not many people would do that, and that is only one of the things that made Ron a special person. He will be missed!”—Larry Walt, president, Design 1, Inc.