Welcome to the Arena from ICR – Conversations with Today's Innovators & Business Leaders Larry Connor, Managing Partner, The Connor Group (Part 1 of 2) – Daring to Be Different: Disrupting industries through radical strategies
Hiring top talent is a proven game plan for any business, but there’s untapped power in taking risks—especially on professionals with unconventional, strategic backgrounds that keep your company fresh and forward-thinking. Today’s guest is no stranger to risks of any kind. He took that leap with his company, and it's been thriving for over 30 years. And he continues to take extraordinary leaps today — both inside and outside of the business world.
Today we're sitting down with Larry Connor, an entrepreneur, nonprofit activist investor, and adventurist. In business, he's best known for founding the Connor Group, a real estate investment firm that has grown its assets from zero to $5 billion over a 30-plus-year period.
The company operates luxury apartment communities in 18 markets and has earned national accolades as a top workplace. Connor has been featured in Forbes and USA Today, among other national publications.
During the stress and uncertainty of COVID-19, Larry made $1.6 million on stock market investments, but instead of building his own wealth, he distributed all the money to his frontline associates in the form of bonuses. He also organized a small business loan program that helped Ohio-based entrepreneurs survive the economic downturn.
Larry is also a philanthropist. And the Connor Group's success has been critical to those efforts. It helped fund Connor Group Kids and Community Partners, which has devoted $175 million to nonprofit causes, including the Greater Dayton School, Ohio's first private non-religious school for under-resourced students, which Larry founded in 2022. Kids and Community Partners will devote over $800 million to nonprofit initiatives over the next decade.
In 2022, Connor piloted AX 1, the first private mission to the International Space Station. That mission came on the heels of his research work 36,000 feet under the ocean in the Mariana Trench, making him the first human being to reach the deepest part of the ocean and space within a year. Larry followed that feat by leading a team of four U.S.
Air Force pararescue specialists in a 38,139-foot leap from a hot air balloon setting a Guinness World Record for the highest halo formation skydive. Connor has also won multiple titles as a professional racecar driver. He is an accomplished pilot, rated in both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, with extensive hours piloting a fighter jet and competing in national and aerobatic competitions.
As you can tell there's a LOT to cover with someone like Larry, so we're making this interview a two-parter. Be sure to check out next week's episode to get his full, amazing story.
Highlights:
- Larry's background and early entrepreneurial ventures (4:28)
- How Larry decided to get involved in the real estate industry (8:25)
- Larry discusses The Connor Group's impressive industry stats (10:22)
- Why Larry founded The Connor Group without experience, or real estate professionals (12:19)
- Larry's outlook on The Connor Group's culture and mission statement (13:53)
- The origins and evolution of The Connor Group's culture (15:27)
- Why everyone at The Connor Group uses pencils (18:07)
- Larry describes what differentiates The Connor Group's approach from field competition (19:00)
Links:
Larry Connor on LinkedIn
Feedback:
If you have questions about the show, or have a topic in mind you'd like discussed in future episodes, email our producer, marion@lowerstreet.co.