Jerod Hagen, owner and president of Sunrooms and More in Lexington, KY, graduated from the University of Kentucky in the 1990s with a degree in finance – and the inner drive to achieve success. He was recruited into a sales position right out of college, then spent five years gaining real-world experience in the ups and downs of the business world in general, and sales in particular.

He found he had a knack for real estate as well as finance and sales, and began to pursue the various designations that mark him now as one of Kentucky’s foremost authorities on commercial and residential property sales and investment. These prestigious designations required years of training, as well as an annual commitment to continuing education to stay on top of the ever-shifting landscape of real estate law. Each one is a symbol of achievement in the real estate world, but taken together they illustrate Jerod’s commitment to educating himself as much as possible about his chosen field in order to provide unparalleled knowledge and expertise to his clients. His designations include:

• Accredited Buyer’s Representative – Training for an ABR designation provides expertise and authority for real estate buyer agents who focus on working directly with buyer-clients.
• Certified Residential Specialist – training provides an agent with in-depth knowledge about business planning, producing listing presentations, negotiating, and other vital skills.
• Graduate, REALTOR® Institute – A GRI designation signifies that the agent has pursued an intensive and ongoing course of study that allows him to navigate even the most challenging real estate climate. It is a nationally recognized mark of sophistication and professionalism among members of the REALTOR® community.

Jerod Hagen is a member of the Lexington-Bluegrass Association of REALTORS® and continues to put his vast knowledge of real estate into practice through his positions as an agent with Lykins Realty in Paris, KY, as a loan originator for American Founders Bank, and as a managing member of Hagen Properties LLC, 163 Todds LLC, Rosebud Properties LLC, and JJH Properties LLC.

In addition to his achievements in the real estate field, Hagen finds time to own and operate Sunrooms and More, a remodeling contractor located at 163 Old Todds Road in Lexington. Hagen was named TEMO Sunrooms’ National Dealer of the Year in 2010 during the annual TEMO convention in Detroit and is a strong candidate again for 2011. His company has earned mention in Qualified Remodeler Magazine as one of the nation’s top 200 exterior contractors, and placed No. 87 in Remodeling Magazine’s 2010 Top 550 list of replacement contractors.

Jerod and his wife, Lori, also co-own a pair of popular restaurants in Lexington and Louisville. Through their association with the restaurant’s parent company, Jerod Hagen and Lori became involved with the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Their initial interest in helping to find a cure for childhood cancer evolved into a committed passion after a visit to the hospital’s campus in Memphis, Tenn., where they walked the halls and spoke with doctors and researchers. “No child should have to go through that,” says Jerod. “If you spend time with these doctors and researchers, they tell you that it’s not a matter of if, but when they’re going to find a cure.”

Through fundraising efforts centered around their two restaurants, the Hagens helped raise about $135,000  over a three-year period for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The Hagens’ philanthropic activity extends beyond their important work in support of cancer research. In June 2010, shortly after the grand opening of the 25,000-square-foot Sunrooms and More showroom in Lexington, Jerod announced that the space would be made available to non-profit fundraising organizations that wanted to use it for charitable events. The most recent such event benefited visually impaired preschoolers. Also in 2009, 2010, and 2011, Sunrooms and More donated a $15,000 TEMO sunroom for a silent auction to benefit the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau of Central and Eastern Kentucky.