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EXECUTIVE SNAPSHOT

Mary Connelly PRESIDENT, NEVADA REGION OF WILLIAM LYON HOMES

BY TIM O'REILEY

As a University of California, Los Angeles undergraduate unhappily majoring in English, Mary Connelly embarked on the rite of passage of taking a year off and trekking through Europe with a Eurail pass in hand. "I learned to make do with a little bit of money," she said. "I also learned the value of trusting people, whether on the road of travel or the road of life, the people packing your parachute every day. To this day, I am very, very aware of the people around me that are my support structure and really appreciate that."

When she returned, she switched to finance and accounting and moved into a career in homebuilding that eventually led her, via Southern California and one short, frigid stint in Boston, to being president of William Lyon Homes' Nevada division.

Although the market is weak now, she recalled a similarly rough economy in the early 1990s when she and her husband, Terry Connelly, were independent developers and had personally guaranteed several loans. "When you survive adversity, it teaches you more than all the years of college and grad school," she said. "It made us stronger as individuals and as a team."

PHOTO BY MIKE STOTTS | BUSINESS PRESS
Mary Connelly, a devout Iyengar yoga practitioner, performs a Utthita Parsvakonasana move in her Summerlin home Nov. 6.

You work with your husband, who is senior vice president of operations. What would you advise other husband-and-wife teams on how to make it work?

Respect and appreciation. I have total respect and appreciation for all he does and he has the same regard for what I do.

Where do you like to take business partners to celebrate a major deal?

My favorite restaurant is Terry cooking on the barbecue. He does fabulous tritips and salmon on the plank. The last time we closed on a big land acquisition, we had all the bankers over to the house. And we live in a William Lyon house.

Where's your next vacation?

In January, we are going to Patagonia in Argentina where they have some great hiking, fly fishing and kayaking. While we are still young enough to walk, we want to take all the adventure trips we can. We are going to be staying at a sheep ranch, but I'm not sure I've told him (Terry) yet.

Are you one of those that packs the office and takes it with you?

When we travel, I won't let my husband take his BlackBerry. We might check e-mail once in a while, but unless it's an emergency, we don't respond.

What do you like to do outside the office?

Twice a week, typically four hours, we do Iyengar yoga. It seems to be the purest form of yoga for helping the mind, body and spirit. And I highly recommend it for getting a good shoulder turn on your golf swing. It has really helped me.

What led you to yoga?

Because we work together, we are sometimes guilty of not getting home until late. Then the tendency is to sit on the couch and watch TV. I said we were too young for this lifestyle and we had to find something else to do.

What other hobbies do you have?

Jewelry making and oil painting. I like activities that require a lot of concentration.

What do you like to read besides plat maps?

I definitely go for inspirational books. My all-time favorite is "A Man's Search for Meaning" by Victor Frankl. He survived the concentration camps and when you see what he went through, it gives you a different perspective on adversity.

Contact Tim O'Reiley at toreiley@lvbusinesspress.com; 702-387-5290.

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