After graduating from North Central in 2006, I went on to get my BA in Telecommunications from IU-Bloomington. I lived in NYC from 2010 to 2021, where I started my family while working in digital marketing, production and consulting. During that time and well before it, my uncle Doug Light (NCHS class of 1981) was president of Ceramica, Inc., the family business that he co-founded with my grandpa Dick Light and two of his seven siblings (Keith & Marianne Light, also NCHS grads) in 1988. After a hard-fought battle against cancer, Doug passed away in 2020. Since I’d spent a decade consulting on how others should grow and operate their businesses, I figured I’d throw my hat in the ring as the third-generation Light family owner of Ceramica. My wife (Shana Light) and two daughters (Winnie & Reece), moved from Brooklyn to Indy in the fall of 2021 to take the business over. Shana is the Co-Owner and Co-President of Ceramica. At Ceramica, we handcraft engraved masonry materials, including but not limited to fundraising brick, limestone address markers, large-scale limestone signage, and memorials. We’ve been proudly engraving pavers for Washington Township for decades.

How did North Central impact and shape who you are today?

North Central exposes you to all walks of life, including, but not limited to, cultural, racial and socio-economic diversity. In the 10+ years I spent living in NYC, people with preconceived notions about what it means to be from Indiana (i.e. the movie Hoosiers) often made assumptions about my experiences, beliefs and upbringing. Thanks to NC and Washington Township in general, I have been proud to know that those people were usually wrong.

Tell us more about Coach A and how he influenced your role as a business owner.

Coach A is the legendary Coach Marc Anderson. He ran the weight training program when I was at NC. I didn’t have a particularly close relationship with him, but his teachings that were based around sport and performance have been more applicable to adult life than other motivations that were more immediately focused. It’s basically that if you are not striving to be the best, then you are being lazy and cheating yourself. It’s applicable to my role as a business owner, knowing that some employees and customers count on me. What would Coach A think if I told him my sales were down but I’d made no sales efforts that week? Not acceptable!

WHAT IS your favorite memory from North Central?

At NC I played rugby for three years and football for four. Rugby was my absolute favorite. I loved the rugby club and the camaraderie I had with my teammates. Dr. Kelty coached the team and I think he’s still at NC. I’d be very glad to see him again. Looking back, I regret not being more involved in more non-athletic extracurriculars. The exception is participating in Model UN my senior year. Dr. Broderick, a great teacher that I’d also be very glad to see again, encouraged me to participate. The other delegates and I traveled to Chicago with Dr. Broderick and stayed a couple nights at the Palmer House Hotel. It was an awesome experience that I would not have thought to pursue if it weren’t for him.

To learn more about Zack, visit his LinkedIn profile here. For more information about Ceramica, Inc., click here.

Want to get your very own Ceramica-engraved brick at the North Central football stadium? Click here to learn more!

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