The Business Journal went big last week in telling the story of Gen. William Lyon, one of the founding fathers and most prominent leaders in OC’s business community.
The nearly 6,000-word, four-page overview in the June 1 print edition just scratches the surface of the life of Lyon; the homebuilding, business, military and philanthropic icon in Orange County died last month at his Coto de Caza estate at age 97.
Lyon had an as-of-yet unpublished autobiography in the works; the 140-page manuscript was shared with the Business Journal by his son Bill H. Lyon late last month as we worked on our feature.
The working draft’s title is a self-depreciating nod to Tom Wolff’s famed book, while noting Lyon’s own love of flying: “The Wrong Stuff.”
“It wasn’t that I was a bad kid; I just didn’t make a good first impression,” the memoir starts. “As a young boy, it seemed that everything I did was a tad off the mark.”
Here are a few selections from the book:
On Early Success:
I was in competition with many big companies, but we were usually able to get the better properties because I spent more time on them. I knew the people who were selling the land and the people who were buying my houses. I made it my business to meet with them and talk with them. It took a lot of conversation, but I enjoyed that too. I listened, and I made a point of doing what I said I would do.
Some builders will tie up a piece of property and then try to renegotiate the purchase agreement. People learned that I would never do that. The farmers, many of whom were smart businessmen, knew that my word was my bond and my handshake meant something.
On 1990s Downturn:
The bankers weren’t quite ready to believe the bubble was going to burst because sales had been so good for so long. After the market collapsed, I told them that I would stay with the company and keep working until we recaptured as much as possible. They agreed to work with me, and that’s what I did. We restructured the company. I liquidated some of my personal assets, and we downsized. But we paid off every debt. Everybody that was owed five cents got the full five cents.
The banks had their own problems. Many builders simply disappeared. But that’s not how I did business. In the end, with the banks’ help, we started over and formed a new company. I knew that real estate, given time, would eventually recover. And I was right.
On Bill H. Joining Builder:
Toward the end of the recession, I received a call from my son, Billy. It was 1997, and he was in his final quarter at Stanford. He said, “Dad, I want you to know that I really want to come and work for the company.”
I never wanted to pressure him, but secretly hoped he’d follow in my footsteps. I was thrilled with his decision.
He’d been working with me from the time he was 11. Different guys in the company would take him out and teach him about their jobs. But this would be different.
“What you need to do is start in construction out in the field, and then move through every department. You won’t be wearing a coat and tie. You’ll be wearing jeans.”
And that’s what he did.
He started at ground zero and worked his way through the company. It’s important to do that. He never squawked, never complained. He worked on every level he could in the field.
He finally got to a point where we gave him a tract. He was working in the office as a project manager, and he had to build his own models, work with the architects and manage the construction—the whole thing. His mother and I went out to the development the day it opened and toured the model homes. They were perfect.
