PRIDE Diversity Profile: Owen Tyler
Trailblazing Leadership on Behalf of All
Owen Tyler, ABR®, CIPS, CRS, RSPS, is the Broker-in-Charge and Partner of The Cassina Group, a Past President of both CTAR and SCR and currently serves as the 2023 NAR RPAC Trustees Fundraising Committee Chair and as NAR Director for CTAR.
After growing up in Mt. Pleasant, Owen graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor’s in Science and Accounting. Shortly after graduating he worked with a Hotel Development Team, and helped develop several well-known hotels in the Charleston area. He also worked public accounting before beginning his journey into real estate in 2001 and in 2014 was named Managing Broker of the Cassina Group, where he manages 44 sales agents and has led the brokerage to a number of sales and business accolades, including being named to Inc. Magazine’s 5000 list of the fastest growing privately held companies for the last 9 years.
In 2006, Owen began volunteering with the CTAR’s charitable arm—the Realtors® Housing Opportunity Fund (RHOF) and served as the group’s Committee Chair for several years, during which time he increased awareness of the program, grew the committee and helped to achieve new fundraising goals. Owen siad, “I enjoy serving on committees that give back the most. When you are able to make a difference in someone’s life that is trying to make a difference in their own, it’s very fulfilling”.
Within a year of joining the CTAR Board of Directors, he was elected Vice President of Finance and in 2012, as President-Elect, Owen fought to make sexual orientation a protected class within the Association. The Board of Directors followed his leadership on the issue and voted in favor. This monumental change preceded sexual orientation being recognized as a protected class at SCR, NAR and other housing organizations. At the time, there was only one other Association in the country that recognized LGTBQ as a protected class.
In 2013, he began his term as CTAR Board President and led the organization through the end of the market recovery and into a prosperous time for the industry and the Association. His tireless work on behalf of all Realtor® members at the local level was recognized and made a natural transition into leadership at the South Carolina Association of Realtors® (SCR). His goal while serving in state leadership was to help create value for members in the Charleston area as well as across the state. “The work on any association level should have the ability to impact and improve your business locally and in your state. If you serve at the national level but aren’t working to make a difference for where you call home the point is moot. It is important to be a voice for the region and a voice for the state whenever you are serving” he said.
In 2020, Owen was elected President of SCR and just three months into a term that held big plans and even bigger goals for the Realtors® of South Carolina, the COVID pandemic began. “This was an incredibly challenging time to be in a leadership position, but also probably the largest leadership growth opportunity I’ve ever been given” he said. “With the challenges COVID and the civil unrest brought on with the George Floyd murder, it was non-stop crisis management. We successfully fought for Realtors® in South Carolina to be classified as essential workers, which saved the careers of everyone in our industry, statewide. We stood up against discrimination and racism and we took a strong position” said Owen. “It was so important that as Realtors® and leaders, we had to bridge the gaps in the hopes of not tearing apart the group in one of the largest trade organizations in the state. We took a position and I believe it was the right position. Despite all the challenges, we were able to get through it!” he said.
The initiatives launched during his presidency resulted in the establishment of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Councils or Committees at most associations across the State and SCR’s DE&I Council was recognized on the national level by NAR. SCR was also the recipient of the ARELLO Fair Housing Award, which recognizes impactful efforts to further fair housing and promote anti-discrimination in housing.
Now in his role as a member of NAR’s nationwide travel team and in his work as the NAR RPAC Trustees Fundraising Committee Chair, he travels the country visiting with local and state associations to share the impact and importance of RPAC at all levels of government—local, state and national. It is tireless work but the impact he is making will be seen and recognized for years to come.
Initially in his leadership journey, Owen didn’t take interest in legislative or politically driven committees but says if he could start again, he would have engaged those committees sooner, especially with the current political climate. He believes that we have entered a time where every voice counts and Realtor® involvement has never been more important.
When naming who influenced his leadership journey the most, Owen acknowledged an enormous list of leaders and his Realtor® peers that impacted, guided and supported his constantly evolving leadership journey. When asked for advice he would give new agents, he said “Real estate is a relationship business so maintain a good reputation—that’s key. Be a good person; treat people how you want to be treated. There is enough business in the Charleston market for everyone, so be authentic and know you’ll be successful if you remain true to yourself, your values and live your reputation”.
Regarding leadership, he said “It’s important to recognize that being the leader is not the goal, being involved and having a representative voice in the decision-making process is the goal”. Owen acknowledges the sometimes fleeting nature of leadership roles—“It is important to know when to leave, when to hand the gavel to someone else. Times change, viewpoints change, philosophies change. New people may have different ideas that maybe better and more appropriate for the time and it’s important to support change without your ego getting in the way” he said. Owen hasn’t considered his next step in volunteer leadership, but plans to go wherever he is needed when the time comes.
