Wess Galyon remembered as ‘one of the very top’ in his industry nationally

For decades, Wess Galyon was a constant on the Wichita business and political scene and was well known nationally, too, as president and CEO of the Wichita Area Builders Association.

“He knew everybody,” said retired contractor Steve Robl.

“He probably got a lot more done than anybody could imagine because he could walk in the office of virtually anybody in the political realm. A lot of times they’d ask him what he thought of a particular situation.”

Galyon, 78, who retired in February, died Saturday after a brief illness.

“It’s kind of taken all of us by shock,” said Tyler York, WABA’s current president and CEO.

He joined WABA as interim executive officer while Galyon was still in his role. Then York transitioned to the top spot, and Galyon stayed as director of government affairs, which York said may have been “so there would be a smooth handling of the baton.”

York didn’t feel that was the right title for Galyon, though, and named him president emeritus.

Galyon was “just that resource that I had right down the hall,” York said.

In addition to his historical knowledge, York said Galyon “just had a genuine care about him.”

With his retirement, the downtown WABA headquarters that he helped build was renamed the Wesley E. Galyon Building.

Retired contractor John McKay was on the three-person committee that hired Galyon four decades ago.

“He had a canny way of putting things together,” McKay said.

He said Galyon also had a tenacity about him, which helped WABA grow in significant ways.

“He took it from a social-like organization to the working business that it is today.”

Contractor Jay Russell said that’s in part because Galyon “was very, very good at his politics” in Wichita and Sedgwick County.

“That was all very instrumental in us getting things accomplished with the two governments.”

Under Galyon’s direction in 1994, McKay said, WABA sued the city and won in a dispute over what it called an illegal tax disguised as a building permit fee.

‘’This fund is simply not being administered in the way it was intended,” Galyon said at the time. “And the result is certain to increase the price of new housing.”

Russell said Galyon had the respect of politicians and “was just very influential on getting the right people elected.”

In addition, Russell especially was impressed with how he’d be sitting in a meeting, and Galyon would bring up an issue Russell had experienced a couple of years earlier.

“He can remember things that I don’t even remember about my own business.”

Galyon was particularly thorough, but he’d start each board meeting with, “Let me be brief.”

“And it was always very, very long,” Robl said. “Everybody would roll their eyes. It was kind of a joke among members.”

Robl served on the WABA board locally and on the National Association of Home Builders board for 17 years.

“We always had the organization that everybody respected and wanted to pattern after us. Wichita was a very big deal.”

So was Galyon, Robl said.

“He was considered one of the very top.”