John Lynch honored with profession's 'Lifetime Achievement Award'
REALTOR John Lynch of Cleveland was honored as the 2015 recipient of the Ohio Association of REALTORS' Vincent T. Aveni Lifetime Achievement Award.
The presentation of the award was made at the Association's Board of Directors meeting during the OAR 105th Annual Convention, Sept. 20-22, in Columbus. Lynch is associated with Keller Williams Realty Greater Cleveland West.
The Vincent T. Aveni Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes OAR past presidents that provide exemplary service to the organization. Aveni served as president of the Association in 1980 and the award was created in his memory following his passing in 2006.
Lynch, who served as OAR President in 1999, remains actively involved in the organization, serving as a member and chair of numerous OAR and Local Board committees. During the recently concluded OAR Annual Convention the organization's Board of Directors elected Lynch to serve as the 2018 Region #6 Vice President, representing Ohio and Michigan, for the National Association of REALTORS.
Lynch, who joined OAR in 1972, has served the Association as a Director since 1988. Additionally he has been a member of a variety of committees, including: Executive, REALTORS Political Action Committee, Legislative, Issues Mobilization, Commercial-Industrial, Appraisal, and Strategic Planning, among others.
Lynch served as a member of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency from August 2007 to January 2015, acting as single family chairman.
Lynch serves as the organization's Federal Political Coordinator for Sen. Sherrod Brown, helping to advance the industry's support of private property rights issues and the free enterprise system. He previously served in that capacity with former members of Congress, Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich and Rep. Mary Rose Oakar. He has testified on behalf of REALTORS before Congress for reform of brownfield legislation.
Nationally, Lynch has been a NAR director (1994-2008 and 2011-2013) and served on a number of committees, including: Appraisal, Public Policy Coordinating, Business Issues, and the Land Use, Property Rights & Environment, among others.
At the local level, Lynch was a Cleveland City Councilman from 1974 to 1986. He was also chairman of the the Property Valuation Subcommittee for Cuyahoga Transition Team, responsible for reviewing the roles, functions and structure of the Auditor and appraisal department with the new county government beginning in 2011. Other civic involvement includes: Leadership Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Real Estate Organization, A.F.F.O.R.D. Inc. (a non-profit developer of affordable housing), and the Cleveland Green Building Coalition, among others.
"John is a most deserving honoree of this prestigious award," said OAR President Greg Hrabcak. "Throughout his career, John has provided unparalleled leadership and vision to the advancement of Ohio's real estate profession, as well as finding time to improve his community."
Past recipients of the Vincent T. Aveni Lifetime Achievement Award are: Vincent Aveni (2007 -- posthumously), Paul Everson (2008), Harley E. Rouda (2009), Owen Hall (2010), George Smith (2011), Steve Brown (2012), Barbara Lach (2013), and Terry Hankner (2014).
The Ohio Association of REALTORS, with more than 28,000 members, is the largest professional trade association in Ohio.
