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Steve Simon’s love of nature draws him to CILTI
Written By: Shawndra Miller
Date Published: August 10, 2020
Shawndra Miller
Before he owns the Pacers, Steve Simon’s love of nature draws him to another organization
From the IndyStar front page, August 10, 2020
by Dana Hunsinger Benbow
Brought up in a family of commercial real estate gurus who built massive malls and shopping centers, Steve Simon never fell for the glitzy hype of steel and concrete.
Instead, he was the Simon who’d sling on a backpack, take a jaunt to New Zealand and hike for weeks at a time.
Simon is a self-dubbed “tree hugger” who fell in love with nature in the 1970s when, as a teen, his family visited friends in Aspen, Colorado.
The mountains. The views. The trees. The water. The beauty of that raw untouched land.
“What’s not to love?” said Simon, the eldest son of Indiana Pacers owner Herb Simon who, along with brother Mel, founded the real estate investment trust giant Simon Property Group. Land is “precious,” he said.
And after years of giving generously to the Central Indiana Land Trust, Simon is putting his mouth where his money is. He recently agreed to serve on the board of directors of the trust, which is dedicated to preserving the state’s land.
“Steve is deeply passionate about making the world a better place and tackling big problems like climate change in a pragmatic, results-oriented way,” said Cliff Chapman, executive director of the trust. “Preserving and restoring land in Indiana gets him excited as it’s great bang for the buck; we can support hundreds of species in relatively small areas and land prices are a fraction of what they are on the coasts.”
Simon, who lives in California, runs a successful private equity firm in Silicon Valley. He comes back often to Indiana and will one day take over as owner of the Pacers.
Despite the hectic pace of his life or, more likely because of it, Simon finds respite in nature. This week, he is taking his four kids camping. Many days, he can be found mountain biking or looking out at the ocean, which he calls an “amazing beauty.”
“Spending time where there is less people and less distraction is really important to me,” he said. “It’s definitely a big part of my spiritual practice overall.”
‘Comfort’ in the undeveloped
Central Indiana Land Trust is a non-profit devoted to preserving land. It really is that simple. And Simon loves that
“Indiana’s got a lot of beauty,” he said. “It may not be oceans or mountains, but it’s got beauty that’s not always apparent.”
Since 1990, Central Indiana Land Trust has protected more than 5,500 acres of Indiana’s natural heritage. It goes about doing so in various ways.
In some cases after receiving donations of land or buying land, the trust then manages them as preserves for the benefit of the public. It also forges legal agreements with willing landowners to protect their land by restricting certain activities and locking in conservation values. In other instances, it forms management agreements, helping landowners develop and implement stewardship plans that protect their properties.
“We’ve been giving for years as a (Pacers) foundation and me personally,” said Simon. “There is that comfort (in knowing) this land is not going to be developed.”
Simon remembers playing in the woods as a kid. The family would go camping with just a map and compass in those days before smart phones.
“There was something about getting in the backwoods setting in nature,” he said.
Steve Simon
And that didn’t translate to wearing a suit to work for a big real estate business. Simon went to Indiana University to study public environmental affairs. But he was sidetracked by a semester with a buddy on a boat trip around the world and graduated with a general studies degree.
After college, Simon agreed to work for the family — with an ulterior motive. The Simons had major interest in an Indianapolis company then-named Logo 7, a licensed sports apparel manufacturer.
“I was a tree hugger at the time, so I was trying to get them to clean up their environmental (footprint),” he said.
Along the way, Simon learned a lot about business, about marketing, about company financials.
“And then at some point, I said, ‘Wow, you know they’ve had such an interesting ride in business,’” Simon said. “It was almost reluctantly in my mid 20s, I thought, ‘It’s probably worth learning the business and seeing what the whole Simon thing is all about.”
He joined Simon Property Group doing leasing and development, the foundation of the business at the time. He worked in big box leasing, the strip center division and marketing. He soon made his way to other parts of the company.
But he never became that brash businessman.
“Very simply, he has the Simon heart,” Rick Fuson, president of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, who has known Simon since he was 17, told IndyStar in 2018. “He’s a caring man. He’s smart. He’s a challenger…He is a wide thinker. He doesn’t just accept things as normal because there could always be a better way to do it.”
Right now, better for Simon means introducing more people to nature. In modern society, raising kids in the digital age, Simon fears few are getting to enjoy nature without distractions.
“How do we get other people to be exposed to the outdoors, particularly people from urban environments?” he said.
He hopes as a board member of the land trust he can help educate and, ultimately, lead more people “to pause and see the beauty of the outdoors.”
As for when he might take over the Pacers from his father, the succession plan isn’t set in stone. Until then, they work together with Steve Simon focusing on the budget and day-to-day matters for a team in the state he still adores.
“We love that Steve is making a case for the importance of investing in Indiana’s natural heritage,” Chapman said. “His involvement and generosity with the Central Indiana Land Trust is yet another example of the Simon family’s deep affection for Indiana.”
Read the IndyStar article here.
Find bios of Steve and our entire board by clicking the Board of Directors tab on this page.
Ben Valentine
Guest Blogger
Ben Valentine is a founding member of the Friends of Marott Woods Nature Preserve and is active in several other conservation organizations. He leads a series of NUVO interviews with Indiana's environmental leaders, and he cherishes showing his son all the wonders of nature he grew up loving.
DJ Connors
Guest Blogger
DJ Connors, a Central Indiana native and late-to-life hunter, combines a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and the outdoors with a deep passion for exploring the natural beauty of the area he has called home for most of his life. As a husband and father of three, he is committed to ensuring his children have the same opportunities to connect with nature and appreciate the outdoors in their community. DJ’s unique journey into hunting emphasizes sustainability, responsible stewardship, and the importance of preserving these experiences for future generations.
Bridget Walls
Guest Blogger
Bridget is our first ever Communications and Outreach Intern. She is a graduate of Marian University, where she combined English, studio art, and environmental sciences in her degree studies. As treasurer for Just Earth, the university's environmental club, she helped plan events encouraging a responsible relationship between people, nature, and animals.
Jordan England
Guest Blogger
Jordan England is a lifelong Shelby County resident who graduated from Waldron Jr. Sr. High School (just a few miles from Meltzer Woods!). After earning her B.S. degree in Retail Management from Purdue University, she returned to Waldron to start a family with her husband, Brian. Together they have 3 young children and enjoy sharing with them their love of the community. Jordan is the Grants and Nonprofit Relations Director at Blue River Community Foundation, managing BRCF’s grant program, providing support to local nonprofits, and promoting catalytic philanthropy in Shelby County.
Cliff Chapman
President and CEO
As CILTI’s President and CEO, Cliff keeps CILTI’s focus on good science and stewardship. He’s mindful that the natural places you love took thousands of years to evolve and could be destroyed in a single day, and that knowledge drives his dedication to their protection.
Stacy Cachules
Chief Operating Officer
Among her many key duties as Assistant Director, Stacy has the critical task of tracking our budget, making sure we channel donations for maximum efficiency. When her workday’s done, Stacy loves to spend time with her two young boys—and when not traveling, she’s likely planning the next travel adventure.
Ryan Fuhrmann
Vice Chair
Ryan C. Fuhrmann, CFA, is President and founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, an Indiana-based investment management firm focused on portfolio management. Ryan’s interest in land conservation centers around a desire to help preserve natural habitats for wildlife and the subsequent benefits it brings to people and the environment.
Joanna Nixon
Board Member
Joanna Nixon is the owner of Nixon Consulting, an Indianapolis-based strategy and project management firm focused on the nonprofit sector. She currently serves as the Philanthropic Advisor for the Efroymson Family Fund. Prior to opening her consulting practice in 2000, Joanna was vice-president for grantmaking at Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF). Joanna has more than 25 years of experience in the nonprofit and arts and culture sector. She is passionate about the environment and loves bringing big ideas to life and creating high-quality arts and culture programs and experiences. Joanna enjoys outdoor adventures, including competing in fitness obstacle course races and hiking with her high energy Australian Cattle Dog, Jackson.
Karen Wade
Board Member
Before retiring, CILTI board member Karen Wade worked for Eli Lilly & Co. In retirement she volunteers for a number of organizations, including the Indiana Master Naturalist program, Johnson County Native Plant Partnership CISMA, Meadowstone Therapeutic Riding Center, and Leadership Johnson County.
David Barickman
Development Systems Manager
Born and raised in Central Illinois, David spent many days as a child wandering around the river, forest and lakes there. He works behind the scenes as a key member of our fundraising team. When not working, David loves to be outdoors hiking, fly fishing, kayaking or woodworking.
Jamison Hutchins
Stewardship Director
Jamison leads our stewardship team in caring for the land that is so important to you. He comes to our team after eight years as Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the city of Indianapolis, where his work had a positive impact from both health and environmental perspectives.
Jen Schmits Thomas
Media Relations
An award-winning communicator and recognized leader in Central Indiana’s public relations community, Jen helps us tell our story in the media. She is the founder of JTPR, which she and her husband John Thomas own together. She is accredited in public relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America, and loves to camp and hike in perfect weather conditions.
Shawndra Miller
Communications Director
Shawndra’s earliest writing projects centered around the natural world, starting when a bird inspired her to write her first “book” in elementary school. Now she is in charge of sharing our story and connecting you to our work. Through our print and online materials, she hopes to inspire your participation in protecting special places for future generations.
Phillip Weldy
Stewardship Specialist
Phillip enjoys nature’s wonders from an up-close-and-personal perspective as he works to restore the natural places you love. As an AmeriCorps member in Asheville, NC, he had his first full immersion in relatively undisturbed land while reconstructing wilderness trails in National Parks and National Forests.
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