AE SPOTLIGHT KEVAN LYONS

AE for REALTORS® of Central Colorado

How long have you been an AE? According to some folks, too long. In dog years, 189 years in June of this year (for nonmath experts, that’s 27 human years).

How did you get your start as an AE? It is rare to find a REALTOR® association executive that plans to do this job. Being an AE wasn’t on my radar either. I had a career in banking that had transitioned into management consulting services that included financial, tax, technology, and start-ups. One of my clients was the Town of Poncha Springs, which had a woefully inadequate manual accounting system at the time.

Tom Massey, a REALTOR® was a Poncha Springs town trustee at the time, came to me to see if I would be the AE for the local board of REALTORS®. So I added the association to my client list, went full-time a couple of years later, and I built it into the behemoth it is today. Okay, I did have lots of help along the way. Tom served at CAR as the Government Affairs VP, our state representative for eight years, and is still a good friend.

What do you love most about the job? The entrepreneurial aspect of it. We approach our organization with as much flexibility as possible. We look to the future and keep the past at bay (except as a historical reference, of course). We don’t battle a lot of egos and personal notions because all voices are heard and respected. Two decades ago, we eliminated all barriers to service on the board of directors, committees, and workgroups. As a result, we adapt quickly when we need to and take our time when prudent.

What is your biggest success as an AE? How we operate. We cover the largest geographical area in Colorado; we have meaningful presence and service at NAR and CAR and think of ourselves as a significant association in a small association’s body. I’m particularly proud of my workgroup and committee service at NAR/CAR, notably serving as the NAR 2012 RCE Certification Advisory Board chairperson.

What would your members be most surprised by about your job? It’s how much an AE/CEO has to know and do each day, month, and year. More personally, many of our members are surprised to learn I’m older than they thought. That’s good news, I guess. On that note, I’m no longer in the parking lot of the retirement stadium; I am inside the building, choosing my season ticket seating! A writing and speaking “career” is in my retirement future.

CAR benefits you and or your members use most: Hands down, the Legal Hotline. It allows me to provide direct and tangible benefits to our members. In addition, I can confer with the legal staff on broader member issues as needed.

Which talent would you most like to have? To be able to dance. It is a social interaction that you can’t enjoy in any other way. It makes a person feel sophisticated, liberated, creative, and trendy. Sadly, on the other hand, I dance as if one leg is a pogo stick and the other a wooden spoon, and that’s when I’m in a groove.

What is your most treasured possession? An American Flag. My dad was in the US army in World War II. So, when he died from cancer a week after my twin sister and I graduated high school, the honor guard presented that flag to me. I should unfold it and fly it sometime; however, I can’t bring myself to do so.

Which historical figure or literary hero do you most identify with and why? I have chosen two, Yoda and Kermit.

Yoda “Do or do not, there is no try.”

Kermit the Frog: "Always be yourself. Never take yourself too seriously. And beware of advice from experts, pigs, and members of Parliament,” and "It isn't easy being green."

Motto or piece of advice you live by: Never leave a mess for someone else to clean up.