One of Us

Mark Ryan

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Mark Ryan has worked for several businesses over the years, and he began his latest venture earlier this year as director of sales and marketing with America’s Choice Title Company. In his free time, he loves to run, surf and golf, which is what brought him back to the area in 2005 after a short stint in the 1980s.

Tell us a little about yourself and your background.

 

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1974.

After college, I began a career in the broadcast advertising sales business, which also happened to be in 1974, and I currently reside as a member of the Sawgrass Country Club community.

How did you get involved with your current business?

I was transferred to the Jacksonville office of a national media sales company in 1984 and was here for two years before then being transferred to New York City in 1986.

After more than two decades, I made the move back to Ponte Vedra in 2005, and this time that was not the only move I made, as I also started a second career in the real estate business just a year after moving back in 2006.

I followed it up by starting my own real estate brokerage in 2007 and wound up merging with Watson Realty in 2009.

I then went to Re/Max in 2014 as managing broker of their Ponte Vedra office and then went to Coldwell Banker in 2015, where I went onto manage three of their local offices for six years.

My latest venture was starting up America’s Choice Title Company in March of 2022 as director of sales and marketing with the company.

What are the primary goals/services provided by your current business?

America’s Choice Title Company closes real estate transactions, and my main responsibility is gaining exposure for the company at the various real estate offices in the area.

This exposure in turn helps to increase the number of monthly transactions we handle.

America’s Choice Title Company has an unbelievable great reputation in the real estate industry, which is one of the main reasons why I chose to join them.

In what other ways do you try to stay involved in the community?

I have served on the board of the GTM (Guana Tolomato Matanzas) Estuarine Research Reserve.

I got involved with the board because I was race director of a 50k trail race on their trail system, so the connection was there and developed because of that.

I also spent time on the board of The Wolfson Children’s Challenge committee, which raises money for Wolfson Children’s Hospital by hosting charity runs of various distances.

It is a great way for the community to get involved and give back at the same time, especially for those who love to run.

I am also a member of the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Ponte Vedra Division.

 

What do you enjoy most about living in the North Florida area?

 

When I moved here in the mid-80s, I took up surfing, which I still do today.

As a golfer, I was attracted to the Sawgrass area and have been a member of Sawgrass Country Club ever since I first came down in 1984.

Surfing and golf were two of the biggest reasons I moved back here in 2005 after years in New York City.

I am an avid ultra-runner, which means running in any race longer than a marathon (26.2 miles).

I have competed in six 100-mile races and numerous 50-mile and 50k (31-mile) races over the years.