Mr. and Mrs. Incredible

Harley and Kaira Rouda combine forces to create a superhero brand at Real Living
by Rebecca Landwehr // photographs by George C. Anderson

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There is a scene in the hit animated movie The Incredibles where the undercover superhero dad, struggling with his own strength, accidentally shatters a plate at the dinner table while trying to cut his son's food. When the Rouda family saw the film, the kids all recognized Mr. Incredible as their own formidable, 6-foot-4-inch dad. Soon Harley Rouda Jr., CEO and managing partner of Real Living, Inc., had a new nickname: “Mr. Incredible.”

“I don't think they see me as a superhero,” he laughs. “I think I got the nickname because I break stuff.”

Of course, what would a Mr. Incredible be without a Mrs. Incredible? In this case, Kaira Sturdivant Rouda fills the role with ease. Although both have dynamic personalities that can ignite any room, the two play off each other's strengths at home and in the Real Living offices. Harley is the outgoing one and Kaira claims she is shyer. Harley is the risk taker, while Kaira provides a sense of balance to his adventurous side.

“If we're on vacation, I'm the one on the beach with a book, and he's the one parasailing off the back of a boat,” she says.

The pair recently took their partnership to the next level with Kaira's new role as president. Although Kaira downplays the promotion as a means to elevate a key team member to COO, Harley beams with pride when discussing Real Living's president.

“It's a natural move,” he says.

In fact, the Rouda partnership – at home and at the office – is so natural that it appears effortless, says Kathleen Murphy, president of Murphy Epson, Real Living's agency of record. “It's unusual to see a husband-and-wife team at a company that has reached the stature of Real Living,” says Murphy. “But their relationship is unique and it works really well. They support each other, and that's the advantage to their partnership.”

Indeed this is a team where the partners finish each other's sentences and keep in touch through dozens of daily cell phone calls. Because of their tight bond and ease of communication, it is like the Roudas can be in two places at once. The pair even staggers arrival times at the office to cover all the parenting – and office – duties. Harley arrives at the office first, while Kaira generally stays later.

But by dinnertime, Real Living's executive team can be found at the dinner table – together. “It's a priority for us,” says Kaira. “That doesn't mean it's a gourmet meal cooked by mom, but 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. is family time.”

It was at a family dinner in the fall of 2001 that Harley had anything but superhero status on his mind. Surrounded by his wife and their four children, Harley wrestled internally while the kids chattered away. He was in the midst of launching his father's established real estate company, HER Realtors, into a major acquisition mode. His original financing had fallen through post-9/11, and to proceed with the roll-up plans, Harley would have to put up his family's home and practically mortgage his entire life's savings for the deal. His CFO told him the bank was asking too much and advised him to back out.

“I thought to myself, ‘This isn't just my career I'm messing with. This affects everyone at the table. Three months from now, am I going to have to tell my kids I lost the house because I made a boneheaded decision?'” he recalls.

Today, Columbus, Ohio-based Real Living, the result of that deal, is one of the country's fastest-growing real estate companies with $7.2 billion in volume. “I'm fortunate it worked out,” Harley says.

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