Interview: Alan Arthur, CEO, Aeon

Alan Arthur, a longtime developer and advocate for affordable housing in the Twin Cities, is moving on after more than three decades as CEO of Minneapolis-based Aeon, a prolific provider of homes for low- and moderate-income households. Aeon recently announced that Arthur is “transitioning out of his role” with the company. He’s expected to stay on the job through the end of the year as he assists with the search for a successor, among other duties. Arthur became president and CEO of Aeon in 1988, two years after the company’s founding. In recent years, Aeon has obtained $100 million in funding to create and save more than 3,000 affordable homes. A national expert on affordable housing finance and development, Arthur has won numerous industry awards and honors. In 2019, the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business inducted him into the Minnesota Real Estate Hall of Fame. In the following interview, Arthur speaks with Reporter Brian Johnson about his career journey, how he got into affordable housing development, and more. He also shares some thoughts on the state of affordable housing from the 1980s to today.