INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Association of REALTORS® (IAR) named Louis E. Zickler, CRE, as the 2002 Indiana REALTOR® of the Year during it’s September Business Meetings held in Indianapolis. The statewide REALTOR® of the Year competition recognizes and rewards REALTORS® for outstanding effort and service expended in the interest of the community, the real estate profession, and the REALTOR® organization. Zickler was chosen from among 30 nominees representing local REALTOR® boards from across the state.

"Lou Zickler has been long recognized by his peers in real estate as a practitioner of high ethical standards and principles. His outstanding work for his local board, and his state and national REALTOR® associations is remarkable. He is certainly deserving of this reward," said Mark Bock, 2002 President of the Indiana Association of Realtors®.

Lou has been very active on the local level having served as President of the Metropolitan Indianapolis Board of REALTORS® in 1988, and was the recipient of the William A. Krout Service Award from the Commercial/Industrial Marketing Division in 1993 and named MIBOR REALTOR® of the Year in 1994. He is a founding member of the Indiana Commercial Board of REALTORS® (ICBR) and was named ICBR REALTOR® of the Year in 2001.

Lou served on the Board of Directors for the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis (BAGI) for 9 years and was named Associate of the Year in 1980. He is an Associate Member of the Appraisal Institute, being licensed as a certified general appraiser in Indiana.

In 1991 he was awarded the coveted CRE (Counselor of Real Estate) professional designation by the Chicago-based Counselors of Real Estate, being one of only eight Indiana REALTORS® currently holding the designation.

As a member of the Indiana Association of REALTORS® Zickler has served on numerous committees and was awarded the Dick Snyder Award (in recognition for committee work) in 1988. Lou was instrumental in the development of IndianaEconomicDigest.Net, an on-line economic development news website created by the Indiana Association of REALTORS® in partnership with the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University and the Hoosier State Press Association. He has been a member of the IAR Board of Directors since 1988 and has been a Regional Vice President on the Directors Council since 1999. Beginning in 2003 he will assume the IAR Treasurer position. In addition Lou is currently a member of the Land Use and Property Rights Committee, 2001-2002 for the National Association of REALTORS®.

Believing that healthy real estate market conditions can be influenced by REALTORS®, Lou has committed a great deal of his time and energy to helping communities develop and execute quality growth strategies. He is active in Central Indiana community development in numerous capacities. He has chaired the Johnson County Economic Development Commission and has served two terms as president of the Greater Greenwood (Indiana) Chamber of Commerce. He is currently Steering Committee Chair for the Central Indiana Strategy Project and a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the Indy Partnership.

Lou and his wife Linda own Horizon Group, Inc., a commercial real estate appraisal and consulting services firm. Along with one of their two sons, Ryan Zickler, they are also co-owners of Zickler Associates, LLC, a real estate brokerage firm specializing in retail property sales and leasing as well as the marketing and/or acquisition of development land for new housing communities and mixed-use real estate projects.

All real estate agents are not REALTORS®. The Indiana Association of REALTORS® represents over 15,000 members who subscribe to a strict Code of Ethics that mandates fair business practices. "REALTOR®" is a registered trademark of the National Association of REALTORS®.