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GOLDANDBLACK EXPRESS • VOLUME 25, EXPRESS 17 • 7 BY KYLE CHARTERS KCharters@GoldandBlack.com S tephen Toyra has a good backup plan. The junior guard, knowing that basketball might not be in his profes- sional future, has another endeavor, the type that few other college stu- dents, let alone college athletes, can claim. The Lafayette native is a found- ing partner of Family Realty Groups, a commercial and residential real estate company that's had early success in the community despite being in op- eration since only July. "Obviously, it's every kid's dream to play professionally after they get done (with college), especially when you make it to this level," said Toyra, a former walk-on to the Boilermakers who has played only 16 minutes this season. "The likelihood of that hap- pening isn't too high. When you get older and a little bit more mature, you realize that not everybody who is 6-foot-2 and white is going play in the NBA and make a million dollars. So if you can start planning for the rest of your life and the family that you want to have, all that kind of stuff, then that's wise." Toyra has taken those steps. A student in the Kran- nert School of Manage- ment, the 21-year-old has branched out into the business world. His interest in real estate started years ago, partly due, as it turns out, to a basketball injury. It was then, as an in- jured junior at Faith Christian, that he picked up the book "Rich Dad, Poor Dad," by Robert T. Kiyosaki. It got his attention. Two years later, after his freshman year at Purdue, Toyra spent a summer getting his broker's license, allowing him to do his own investment deals. But the company is relatively new. The idea was hatched with partners Eliseo Medra- no and Michael Thomas during the summer and has since expanded to include other real estate agents; Toyra expects to have a group of nearly 10 by the end of this month. Medrano, a 41-year-old realtor and Lafay- ette firefighter, is impressed with his young partner. L A F A Y E T T E S A V I N G S P R E S E N T S L A F A Y E T T E L E G E N D : S T E P H E N T O Y R A Breaking Into Business Toyra's interests take him on, off court Tom Campbell Stephen Toyra is a founding partner of Family Realty Groups, a com- merical and residential real estate company. EyE i n g a n Ew h o m E? Choose the "Best Bank" to help you move in. Voted the best in the community, Lafayette Savings Bank provides home loans through fast decisions and streamlined paperwork. www.lsbank.com | 765-429-2914 E v E r y A n g l E . E v E r y P o s s i b i l i t y . Corporate HQ | 101 Main | Lafayette