Chris Kyler, in plain words

What this is

Chris Kyler runs the Utah Association of Realtors, called UAR. It is the statewide group for Utah's real estate industry. Nobody votes for this job.

He is also a partner in a lobbying firm that carries his name: Kyler Kohler Ostermiller & Sorensen, called KKOS. A lobbyist is paid to talk to lawmakers for a client. Through that firm, Kyler is UAR's own registered lobbyist. So the group he runs is also one of his clients.

He has been a registered Utah lobbyist since December 2012. His lobbyist filing lists his business address as the same Sandy office suite as UAR's.

What the records show

His pay. UAR's 2024 tax form for nonprofits, the Form 990, reports $834,163 in pay plus $74,344 in other compensation. Together that is $908,507.

His other clients. His current lobbyist filing lists 30 active clients. Some are housing and property groups. Others are far outside real estate: Airbnb, Uber, Comcast, Western Governors University, Enbridge, CommonSpirit Health and TMX Finance. One is a state agency, SITLA, which manages state trust land. It has been his client since Jan. 2025.

The same words for everyone. For every client, the filing gives nearly the same reason: "legislative advocacy and consulting; monitor relevant legislation and influence public policy." That says very little about what each client pays him to do.

His partner. Mike Ostermiller is also a KKOS partner. He runs the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors and has sat on the MIDA board since 2008. The lobbyist records show the two men adding and dropping several of the same clients on matching dates. These include Blue Castle Holdings (2014-2016), the Sutherland Institute (2020-), the Critical Infrastructure Materials Coalition (2019-), the Utah Inland Port Authority (2022) and the Libertas Institute.

Not new. A Feb. 12, 2012 Deseret News column already named the pair: "Under the leadership of Chris Kyler and Michael Ostermiller, the Realtors often prevail."

A court case. Both men, and the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors, were named in a 2013 Utah Court of Appeals case, Bates v. Utah Association of Realtors MLS. It was dismissed because it was filed too late. The court never ruled on the claims themselves.

What isn't known yet

One client is listed only as "APS," in Draper, for "education management services." That fits American Preparatory Schools/Academy, but no company by the exact name "APS" shows up in the state business records. It is not confirmed.

UAR's state business filing and other sources list different titles for some of its officers. That has not been sorted out yet.

Why it matters to you

When one person runs a group and is also paid to lobby for it, and for many other clients, it can be hard for the public to tell who he is speaking for at any moment. The filings are public, so anyone can look.