Member Spotlight: December 2014

Each month, ICBR honors one of its members in a special Member Spotlight. This month, we recognize Stan Evans. Stan is a broker with RSE Realty, Inc., in Indianapolis.

 

ICBR: Why are you an ICBR member? What do you look to gain out of your membership?

Evans: I have been a Realtor since I started in the real estate business in 1984.  After I transitioned to commercial real estate in Indianapolis, the only “data exchange” was through MIBOR’s commercial and industrial marketing group.  New listings were distributed monthly in hard copy and being a member was the only way to get that information. Once ICBR was created, ICBR was the logical board of choice for me, as I think it is for most commercial practitioners.

I have never looked at my membership from a perspective of “what do I get?”  I came to my ICBR involvement asking “what can I give back to the industry that I have really enjoyed being a part of?”  That said, the best benefit I have received from membership and involvement in ICBR and other Realtor leadership positions is the number of great relationships with interesting people across the state, most of whom I would have never even met without this involvement.

ICBR: What designations/awards/recognition have you received?

Evans: ICBR President and Realtor of the Year in 2007 – it was a big year. CCIM

ICBR: How did you start your career in commercial real estate/development?

Evans: I started in residential real estate in Pittsburgh, PA and couldn’t stand it.  When I moved back to Indianapolis in 1986, I wanted to get into the commercial real estate development business, but got steered to the commercial real estate brokerage business as a way to get into the industry.  With a few years of brokerage under my belt, I started working the development and investment property acquisition side of the business, too.

ICBR: Do you have any mentors? If so, who? How has he/she inspired you?

Evans:My principal broker when I started in the commercial real estate business was Philo Lange.  He had a small commercial brokerage firm that practiced across all segments of the industry.  I was never pigeonholed into working a certain product type or geography.  For better or worse, I have continued that multi-disciplinary path and have had an interesting career as a result.

ICBR: What is the most important thing you have learned by working in commercial real estate?

Evans:I may have learned most of the same career lessons in other industries, but most important – communicate.  My most difficult situations arose from my failure to communicate well.  I have also concluded that I have to take responsibility for my client’s communication failures.  Usually, there is a question I didn’t ask or something I could have told them that would have gotten me the proper information/communication from them.

ICBR: Can you tell us a time when you used an ICBR member benefit, and how it helped you or your business?

Evans: I subscribe to and use ICREX and have gotten leads through use of the email distribution function of the system that I doubt I would have gotten by passively listing the property in ICREX.  I have just started using RPR commercial to help me focus my tenant prospecting for a couple of retail properties we lease and manage.  Too early to know if that will pay dividends.

ICBR: What is your current professional goal(s)?

Evans: Growing our owned and managed property portfolio.

ICBR: What is your most recent accomplishment?

Evans: This isn’t particularly recent, but probably my last noteworthy accomplishment – ran a full marathon in Dublin, Ireland a couple years ago, raising five figures for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the process.  I have successfully transitioned back to a relative couch potato since.

ICBR: Do you have any special skills, interests or hobbies?

Evans: I’m jack of all trades and a master of none.  Love being on or around the water, golf and snow skiing.