Colorado Association of REALTORS® Honors Kit Cowperthwaite as REALTOR® of the Year

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Denver area REALTOR^®Kit Cowperthwaite, a former president of the Colorado Association of REALTORS® (CAR), was named Colorado REALTOR® of the Year at the association’s annual convention.

“While this honor may be well overdue, we are delighted to be able to pay tribute to an individual who so perfectly represents the REALTOR® model.”

Cowperthwaite, a 32-year veteran of the real estate industry, has held numerous leadership positions within the association and throughout the industry. He served as CAR president in 2007 and most recently completed a four-year term as chair of the association’s Political Survival Committee.

“For three decades, Kit Cowperthwaite has been giving his time, expertise and thoughtful direction to Colorado’s real estate community,” said CAR CEO/CFO Don Flynn. “While this honor may be well overdue, we are delighted to be able to pay tribute to an individual who so perfectly represents the REALTOR^®model.”

A senior broker associate with Distinctive Properties Ltd, he has training and experience in many aspects of real estate including brokerage, financing, management, construction and real estate law.

Prior to obtaining his real estate license, Cowperthwaite served as a military lawyer with the Army Judge Advocate General Corps, achieving the rank of Captain, as an Assistant Colorado Attorney General and subsequently as a partner and special counsel for two prominent Denver law firms. Still an actively licensed lawyer, he is a member of and former officer of the Colorado Bar Association’s Real Estate Section and holds the highest designation bestowed on members of the legal profession by Martindale-Hubbell.

In addition to an active real estate practice, Cowperthwaite is a trained mediator specializing in the resolution of disputes involving real estate issues. A member of numerous professional, civic, educational and community organizations, he has served as a director, trustee and officer on the boards of many of those organizations. Cowperthwaite is currently Director Emeritus of Metro Denver Partners and is a past President of Partners Mentoring Association, a national organization whose affiliates promote one-on-one mentoring partnerships for at-risk children.

In addition, outgoing CAR President Scott Matthias presented the President’s Distinguished Service Award to seven of association members. The award honors outstanding contributions to the real estate industry and the association. Honorees were:

Betty Armbrust (Armbrust Real Estate Institute)
Julie Bramer (CARHOF)
Eric Thompson (The Group Inc.)
Modene Gaulke (Montrose Association of REALTORS^®)
Janene Bettin (Ouray Realty & Investment)
Chris McElroy (The Group Inc.)
Bonnie Smith (Exclusive Mountain Retreats Real Estate Inc.)

Additional awards presented during the convention included:

Colorado Young Professional REALTOR® of the Year- Justin Knoll (KM Realty Group/Coldwell Banker)
Political Survival Committee Award- Kurt Albers (Century 21)
Bill Good Award- Bob LeGare (LeGare Real Estate Services LLC)
RPAC Ambassador of the Year Award – Bonnie Smith (Exclusive Mountain Retreats Real Estate Inc.)
The Purple Cow Award – Wally Armistead (Wildcat Realty)

CAR also recognized two members with the Omega Tau Rho Award – the REALTOR^® Society which pays tribute to the service of professionals throughout the United States. Award winners were:

David Anderson (Dave Anderson Realty)
Debra Brynoff (Grand County Board of REALTORS^®)

These additional association members were recognized for their years of service to the industry and the association with Outstanding Service Awards.

Russ Wehner (Russ Wehner Realty) – 30 years
Wally Armistead (Wildcat Realty) – 30 years
Patrick Armbrust (Armbrust Real Estate Institute) – 20 years
Susan Plage (RE/MAX of Boulder, Inc.) – 10 years
Susan Canny (Keller Williams Action Realty LLC) – 10 years
Kirk Goble (The Bell 5 Land Company) – 5 years
Ed Fronheiser (Investors Realty) – 5 years

FirstBank; REMAX Alliance; and Land Title were singled out as the largest corporate contributors to the Colorado Association of REALTORS^® Housing Opportunity Foundation (CARHOF).

The Colorado Association of REALTORS® is the state's largest real estate trade association that represents more than 19,000 members statewide. The association supports private property rights, equal housing opportunities and is the "Voice of Real Estate" in Colorado. For more information, visit www.ColoradoREALTORS.com.