Igor Kotlyar’s work has been profiled on the Discovery Channel and reported in a number of print publications. Kotlyar entered the real estate industry as co-founder and president of Upward Motion, which provides agent recruitment systems.
Upward Motion’s Real Estate Simulator is a video-based simulation that aims to boost recruiting leads for real estate companies.
Prior to Upward Motion, Kotlyar worked in the consulting industry and taught business courses at York University. He earned his Ph.D. in organizational behavior at the University of Toronto, received his MBA from the University of Ottawa, and studied business at E.S.C., Reims, France, and University of Kent, Canterbury, England.
Kotlyar will speak during Real Estate Connect in San Francisco, July 27-29, 2005.
Here are his answers to a set of questions posed by Inman News:
Panel or session at Connect: Closing Customer Prospects.
What type of home did you grow up in and where?
I was born in a four-room flat in the city of Voronez, Russia, approximately 300 kilometers south of Moscow.
What worries keep you awake at night?
My mind does not find rest at night. I continue thinking of ways to further help our clients perfect their recruitment process. How can the Real Estate Simulator generate more recruiting leads? How can the Real Estate Simulator make recruiting easier? How can it contribute to the bottom line?
Describe your dream home?
My dream home is a happy family place, filled with kids’ laughter (and occasional mischief).
What lesson did you learn in the last year?
I learned to listen more closely to my gut.
What was your first job?
When I was 14 years old, I worked evenings at a self-serve gas station next to the Fiumicino International Airport, in Italy. I earned tips by helping motorists fill up their cars with gas. I will always remember the generosity and kindness that I experienced a quarter-century ago.
What’s the strangest thing you ever packed in a suitcase?
I prefer to travel light and don’t have room for strange things in a suitcase.
What would your second career choice be after real estate?
I enjoy innovation. I am proud that the product I created, the Real Estate Simulator, is changing the way the real estate industry recruits. Had it not been real estate, I would love to be creating something new for another industry that people find valuable.
What kind of music do you listen to?
I listen to whatever plays on the radio. I am very open-minded when it comes to music.
Who is your hero?
I find many heroic characteristics in people all around me. Whether it is a charismatic leader who built a large organization, a quiet man who worked hard all his life to provide for his family, or a loving woman who adopted a child from a third-world country.
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