The Lane Family
Lane Affiliated Companies began out of Ross Lane’s Colorado Springs house in 1936. Ross was originally selling candy and tobacco products until a Denver-based bottler began producing Pepsi-Cola. He struck a deal with the bottlers, bought 100 cases at a time, and would bring them back home to sell them alongside his other items. Not long after, Pepsi-Cola awarded him the rights to bottle and sell the drink in El Paso and Teller Counties. Later that year, he and his wife, Elise, began bottling the drinks in the house, transforming a small operation into a rapidly growing business.
Ross and Elise gave ownership of the business to their son John in 1979. John, alongside his wife Margot, acquired the Pepsi franchise in Tucson, Arizona, and grew Lane Affiliated into the eighth-largest Pepsi bottler in the United States. Territories included portions of Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, and employed approximately 600 people, roughly 150 of whom worked out of a six-acre plant in Colorado Springs. Under John’s ownership, Margot served as president; sons Phil and David served as executive vice president and CEO, respectively. John passed away in 2005, and three years later, the family sold Lane Affiliated to Pepsi Bottling Group. The financial terms of the deal were not made public, but at the time, it was Pepsi Bottling Group’s largest acquisition of a U.S. bottler since becoming a publicly traded company in 1999.
After Margot passed away in 2017, the family founded the John and Margot Lane Foundation in Colorado Springs in their memory. The Foundation’s mission is to turn strong ideas into action by finding and supporting high-impact projects and leaders who will drive those efforts. With a focus on innovation, education, and leadership, the Foundation has supported Precision Medicine Children’s Hospital Colorado Springs, Careers in Construction Colorado, and Young Life Lost Canyon Camp Arizona, among many other nonprofit and community-centered organizations. David and Phil's wife, Anita, serve as Foundation board directors, and Phil serves as secretary and chairman. The Foundation received the 2025 Pikes Peak Visionary Award from the Pikes Peak Community Foundation and the 2026 Guiding Light Award from Goodwill Industries.
Outside of the Foundation, the Lane Family has been and continues to be very active in their community. John served on many boards and was a member of the Downtown Colorado Springs Rotary. Margot was a founding member of the Colorado Women's Foundation and the youngest (at the time) president of the Junior League of Colorado Springs. Phil and David led such initiatives as Operation 6035, an economic development initiative in Colorado Springs (Phil), and board service on T-Gen, a cancer research facility in Phoenix (David). Anita provides volunteer medical care in Colorado Springs, both through her practice and by devoting time to youth sports physical exams. Phil played an integral role in bringing the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum to completion, including stepping in as interim CEO for a year. Phil, David, and Anita have all served on numerous nonprofit and community boards across Southern Colorado and Arizona.
The Lane Family has received numerous honors over the years. John was inducted into the National Soft Drink Hall of Fame in 2003, while Margot was posthumously honored with the El Pomar Foundation’s first Julie Penrose Award in 2021. Anita was named to the Colorado Springs Business Journal Women of Influence in 2014; she and Phil were Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Grand Honorees in 2015.
Ross and Elise gave ownership of the business to their son John in 1979. John, alongside his wife Margot, acquired the Pepsi franchise in Tucson, Arizona, and grew Lane Affiliated into the eighth-largest Pepsi bottler in the United States. Territories included portions of Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico, and employed approximately 600 people, roughly 150 of whom worked out of a six-acre plant in Colorado Springs. Under John’s ownership, Margot served as president; sons Phil and David served as executive vice president and CEO, respectively. John passed away in 2005, and three years later, the family sold Lane Affiliated to Pepsi Bottling Group. The financial terms of the deal were not made public, but at the time, it was Pepsi Bottling Group’s largest acquisition of a U.S. bottler since becoming a publicly traded company in 1999.
After Margot passed away in 2017, the family founded the John and Margot Lane Foundation in Colorado Springs in their memory. The Foundation’s mission is to turn strong ideas into action by finding and supporting high-impact projects and leaders who will drive those efforts. With a focus on innovation, education, and leadership, the Foundation has supported Precision Medicine Children’s Hospital Colorado Springs, Careers in Construction Colorado, and Young Life Lost Canyon Camp Arizona, among many other nonprofit and community-centered organizations. David and Phil's wife, Anita, serve as Foundation board directors, and Phil serves as secretary and chairman. The Foundation received the 2025 Pikes Peak Visionary Award from the Pikes Peak Community Foundation and the 2026 Guiding Light Award from Goodwill Industries.
Outside of the Foundation, the Lane Family has been and continues to be very active in their community. John served on many boards and was a member of the Downtown Colorado Springs Rotary. Margot was a founding member of the Colorado Women's Foundation and the youngest (at the time) president of the Junior League of Colorado Springs. Phil and David led such initiatives as Operation 6035, an economic development initiative in Colorado Springs (Phil), and board service on T-Gen, a cancer research facility in Phoenix (David). Anita provides volunteer medical care in Colorado Springs, both through her practice and by devoting time to youth sports physical exams. Phil played an integral role in bringing the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum to completion, including stepping in as interim CEO for a year. Phil, David, and Anita have all served on numerous nonprofit and community boards across Southern Colorado and Arizona.
The Lane Family has received numerous honors over the years. John was inducted into the National Soft Drink Hall of Fame in 2003, while Margot was posthumously honored with the El Pomar Foundation’s first Julie Penrose Award in 2021. Anita was named to the Colorado Springs Business Journal Women of Influence in 2014; she and Phil were Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center Grand Honorees in 2015.