People In Places Valerie and Greg Lingo Photo courtesy of Greg Lingo
Delco Dreamer Greg Lingo
can teach you more about life than any college degree. That’s the storyline for Greg’s movie, Last Call, which is set to be released on March 19th.
by Sheila Turner-Hilliard Most of us have that little — or maybe big — something we’ve always wanted to be able to do. You know, that dream that if you had enough time or money or energy, doing it would make you feel so proud and give you a great sense of accomplishment. It’s usually something outside of our comfort zone so it often ends up sitting on the shelf. And it’s sometimes a dream that can feel scary, risky and even absurd, but somehow it makes sense to us. Enter Greg Lingo, an Ivy League-educated, successful Main Line home builder who, in his latest project, has co-written and executive-produced a comedy film about life in Upper Darby. A little out of left field, right? Well, not if you’re a boy from Upper Darby who learned through the school of hard knocks that no matter where you go or what you do in life, the neighborhood you grew up in and the friendships you formed as a kid
“I had always envisioned working hard, getting an education and leaving the area,” explained Greg. “Yet I and my wife Valerie, who grew up in Broomall and graduated from Marple Newtown High School, ended up settling down just a few miles from where we both were raised.” The film, starring Jeremy Piven, Taryn Manning, Bruce Dern and Jamie Kennedy, is based on a fictitious “Delco” town called Darby Heights where the story is set around the main character’s decision to tear down or restore the neighborhood bar his family owned and ran when he was a kid. The comedy’s main character, Mick (Piven), is a real estate developer who left his friends and neighborhood behind only to realize that there is no better place on earth than his hometown, with his friends, even with all their unique personalities. Greg said, “The best day while filming on the set was when I reached out to my childhood friends because we needed bar patrons to be extras in the film. I was thrilled when 50 of them showed up!” Such a high turnout comes as no surprise to anyone who was born and raised in “Delco.” There’s just something special about where we live. In fact, if you want a good chuckle, look up Urban Dictionary’s spot-on description of what it’s like to grow up in this 184-square-mile suburb of Philadelphia. It starts off by saying, “Delco isn’t just a place to live; it’s a way of life. And Delco is not something you can obtain with a short visit or while you are only passing through. If you never been here, or don’t actually live here, you just won't understand.” Greg’s commitment to his hometown and beyond is both genuine and admirable. He works with Upper Darby High School students, to help them solidify after-graduation plans. He has also developed several SAT prep and mentoring programs for those students. Greg also takes great pride in giving back to the communities throughout Delaware County in which he builds homes. His company, Rockwell Custom, is firm in their commitment to be good stewards of the land, knowing that they have a responsibility to pass on a better world for the next generation. “For the most part, our company builds in communities with smaller building footprints and an abundance of open space, like our recent Newtown Square project in Ellis Preserve,” explained Greg. Their current project, Ventry at Edgmont Preserve, will maintain 108 acres of open space, accentuating the natural water features, meadows and woods. As accomplished as Greg Lingo is, he doesn’t take all the credit. In fact, he would much rather give the accolades to his friends, family and his team. “My success has been a direct result of the
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Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors
February 2021
