Christa Tyson, President of Sales at Ty-Par Realty, learned her work ethic from her dad. When the police showed up back in 1985 with news that her father’s business had burned to the ground, she witnessed her dad and his employees work to sift through what was salvageable and get the business right back up and running. Sitting at picnic tables in the backyard, he showed her and her brother, Mark Tyson, through his actions what it means to run a company. Luke “Carlton” Tyson, her dad, also showed her how to prepare for the future. He has bought land and held on to it through the years, so that when the right development opportunity presents itself, they are ready to hit the ground running to help lead the South Charlotte area into the future.

Christa Tyson started right out of college in the early 90’s with Mecca Properties. Even though her dad had the company back then, he encouraged her to work somewhere else to get her feet wet. After she developed Atherton Mill, she joined Ty-Par and was in General Brokerage. Now the President of Sales, her brother is also with Ty-Par as Chief Financial Officer.

The Tyson Group is an umbrella with many spokes: Ty-Par Realty, LC Tyson Construction Company, and their Rental Management and Maintenance Co. (RMMC). This “one stop shop” can do it all including the estimate, plans, building, and maintenance. Near the TriW Area, they are getting ready to develop a new project, Terra Novus. This project will be very different from the rest in the area. Starting with an oval surrounded by trees and sidewalks, there will be a pool, cabana, club house, and apartments with attached garages in a rustic lodge-like architectural style. They are also working to develop the Indian Trail Town Center that will cover 50 acres near the Indian Trail Town Hall and will include 250 upscale apartments, an outdoor amphitheater, and will be very walkable and “downtown”-like.

In addition to their development projects, Christa Tyson is also very involved with the Union County Chamber (UCC). She currently sits on their Board of Directors, is on the Facilities Committee, and acts as a go-between for businesses and the government. An advocate for businesses of all sizes, Tyson loves attending local ribbon cutting ceremonies for new businesses. Her dad, Carleton Tyson, has won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the UCC for his contributions to the area.

Tyson has also been active with assisting “The Bridge to Recovery”, a faith based 12-Step program that provides residential and out-patient assistance to men, and out-patient assistance women, dealing with addiction. Thanks to Tyson, The Bridge to Recovery will soon be able to provide in-patient assistance to women through development of a residential property. Her company has also helped the community through assistance with the South Piedmont Community College Technology Center and donating parks. Currently, the Tyson Group owns a large piece of property on Waxhaw Parkway behind Mavis Discount Tire. Named “Olivia” after Carleton Tyson’s mother, it is a long term project that he considers to be his legacy to the town.

What Christa Tyson does has traditionally been considered a “man’s” profession but she has been fortunate to have the support of her community and family to rise through the ranks to President of Sales. She firmly believes in giving back as is evidenced by her support of The Bridge to Recovery, the Alliance for Children, Turning Point, and many more. And while Christa and her brother are preparing for the day when their father does retire, for now she loves walking into the office and seeing her dad and her brother there. While she can’t stand to think about the day her dad will step down, she knows that with the ethics he has taught her and her brother, they will be ready.