Ron Craigís motto for life and business is to get involved and serve people. ìIf you were to hang around here very long, youíd hear me say ñ get in the game,î Craig said. ìWhatever it is, if you donít get into the game, you donít have a lot of room to sit around and gripe.ìYou have to get involved ñ there is a ton of opportunities. There is an even greater need, but there are plenty of opportunities.îCraig said he has organized Special Olympic events, is active in building a strong business community in Falcon and just started volunteering at Meridian Ranch Elementary, where his grandchildren attend school.The number of nonprofit and service organizations in Falcon amazes him, he said. ìThere are 70 nonprofits in the 80831 ZIP code,î Craig said. A charter member of the Falcon Area Business Alliance, he said FABA is co-hosting a nonprofit symposium with Falcon School District 49 scheduled for Feb. 19.ìThis will provide an opportunity to bring together the nonprofits to share what they do,î Craig said. ìWe know there are some common goals and missions in those groups.îHe said he hopes the symposium will provide opportunities for the nonprofits to form partnerships.Craig said FABA worked with the Falcon Exchange Club in the fall for a chili cook-off and craft fair. Proceeds were donated to the High Plains Helping Hands food pantry. ìWe partnered up, and it was a win, win, win deal,î he said.After living in Colorado Springs and Black Forest, Craig said Falcon is ìthe place to be.îìIf you look ahead 10, 15 years, Falcon is the best buy in real estate. Itís a great opportunity.îHe said the new incorporation effort is a good thing. Falconís population is comparable to Monument and Fountain, both of which have their own self-government, he said.ìItís coming down the road ñ either we incorporate or we become part of Colorado Springs,î Craig said. He wants to see Falcon maintain its small town feel. ìIncorporating is a win-win for everybody,î he said.Craig, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force, currently works in real estate as a partner in Avalar Realty Solutions.When Craig, his wife and partners opened the brokerage in 2008, he said they set out to be the Falcon experts on real estate.ìThirty percent of our business is done right here in Falcon,î he said. ìWe live out here, go to church out here; eight of our 10 agents live in the Falcon area, and weíre involved in the community.îThrough hard work and dedication to excellent customer service, Craig said he and his team have expanded to 10 agents, doubled their sales volume and become a top-performing realty company in the Pikes Peak region ñ 12th out of 463 brokerages.When Craig is not working, he enjoys playing golf and touring the country with his wife and grandkids. He said they have an RV they take to Oklahoma, Santa Fe, N.M., Estes Park, Colo., to name a few of their destinations. ìWe take about six trips a year to visit friends and relatives,î Craig said.The RV also makes appearances at Air Force football tailgate parties. ìWeíre season ticket holders for Air Force football,î he said. ìIím the organizer of the group.îThey deep fry turkeys and smoke chicken, Craig said. Theyíve even cooked up lobster before a game.ìWe bought 28 tickets last year,î he said. ìWeíre all retired Air Force, and the other thing we have in common is Iíve sold almost all of them their houses.îCraig said looking forward he plans to always stay involved in real estate but hopes to cut back as he nears retirement age.ìI love real estate, but Iím passionate about traveling and church involvement,î he said. ìOur ultimate goal to still be involved is to be more involved in community activities and go on a mission trip with our church.î
