William Lyons’ entire professional career has been dedicated to mortgage, real estate and U.S. veterans. 

Lyons started out as a loan officer, and then in 2013 he decided to start his own company, becoming the founder, president and CEO of Griffin Funding. 

To differentiate the company, Lyons decided that the team would become experts in VA loans so they could help veterans finance and refinance their homes. 

In 2015, he led the company to move from brokering loans to other lenders to becoming a direct lender. Under Lyons’ leadership, Griffin Funding has been recognized in the Inc 500 and the Fastest 100 in San Diego County. 

For the third consecutive year, Lyons is serving on the board of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization – San Diego Chapter. He has appeared on Shark Tank and is on the Forbes Real Estate Council. But most importantly, Lyons stands out as a leader for the industry, within his company and with his employees. 

He continuously shows that he cares about his people, clients, veterans and community. One such example is by ensuring that his team gives back to the community by donating a portion of all its VA loan revenue to Shelter to Soldier. 

This organization rescues dogs from shelters and then trains them to be service dogs for combat veterans with PTSD. Through its contributions to Shelter to Soldier, Griffin Funding has supported the adoption and training of two separate service dogs in the last 12 months who have been handed off to combat veterans who need them to live a healthy and productive life. 

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
“Send good out into the world.” I am a firm believer in sending out good into the world. I believe if you support your team, support your community and strive to be kind every day, the world will send good back to you.