Aces of Trades: Barry Rhonemus' link to Valley View Golf Club goes back decades

LANCASTER — It's only natural Barry Rhonemus would buy the Valley View Golf Club.

"I grew up playing out there," he said. "My father was a young brick mason. He was actually one of the masons that was building that clubhouse back in 1961."

Rhonemus owns the course at 1511 George Road NE with his wife, Jennifer. They bought it in August.

Rhonemus' father, Donald, was injured while building the clubhouse when a bulldozer back up too quickly and knocked down a retaining wall, trapping his father for about 45 minutes under the rubble on May 29, 1961. He died in 2015.

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In spite of the tragedy and Rhonemus being out of the area for 30 years, he said the golf course has always been special to his family.

"Any time I would come home that's just where we went," he said. "My brother and father were both avid golfers. They loved Valley View. My dad for the last 15 years of his life he was at the course every day. Whether it was in the winter drinking coffee with his buddies in the morning or playing golf when weather permitted."

Bill George founded the golf course in 1956.

"We heard a couple years ago that it was for sale," Rhonemus said. "Of course, I knew the George family since I was a kid. I've been very, very blessed for my wife to allow me to chase this crazy dream. We're honored and humbled to be carrying on a great Lancaster legacy."

But owning the golf course is not Rhonemus' only endeavor. He also owns an investment management/wealth advisory company called Juncture Wealth Strategies. Rhonemus founded the company in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has five offices around the country.

Additionally, he plans on opening a vineyard and wine tasting room at the golf course in the summer of 2023.

"What's crazy is I'm actually an engineer by degree (at Ohio University)," Rhonemus said. "About halfway through my engineering degree, I realized that I really didn't want to be an engineer. So I just started taking a lot of classes, electives on the business side. Primarily in finance. Then my first job was in corporate cash management for a large commercial real estate developer out in Los Angeles."

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After five years Rhonemus decided he liked working in personal finance than corporate finance.

As for the golf course, he said all has gone well since he and his wife bought it.

"God has moved so many mountains for us to be able to do this project," Rhonemus said. "Almost every day something amazing happens out there. We just developed a fantastic team. Everybody just works so well together. The community outreach and support has been just humbling and overwhelming in a great way. We couldn't be more excited."

Away from work, Rhonemus said his religious faith is first in his life followed by his family.

"I got married very late in life and I've been so blessed to have an amazing wife and now three children," he said. "They're my stepchildren, but they're my children to me. We just had our fourth grandchild. So for me, it's all about faith and family."

jbarron@gannett.com

740-681-4340

Twitter: @JeffDBarron

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Barry Rhonemus' link to Valley View Golf Club goes back decades