Join 691 other subscribers
MRED Blog
REinventing MLS
Category Archives: Board of Managers
Announcing MRED’s 2020 Board of Managers
January 8, 2020
Posted by on MRED is proud to attract many of the best and brightest real estate professionals to its Board of Managers. This collaboration of experience and thought leadership allows MRED to pave the way forward as a cutting-edge MLS.
MRED’s Broker Preferred Unit Owners (PUOs) have the unique opportunity to nominate any candidate to represent their company on MRED’s Board. The members of one of three categories (based on annual transaction count) may vote on the nominees in their respective category. The following individuals were recently elected to the MRED Board of Managers to fill five open seats through election by their peers:
Sue Miller – Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group
Miller is the Designated Managing Broker of Coldwell Banker The Real Estate Group in McHenry, Illinois and has been licensed in real estate for 32 years. During that time, Miller has previously been active on MRED’s Board in addition to serving on MRED’s Compliance User Team (CUT) group. Miller is the current Illinois REALTOR® President-Elect and is also an active member of the National Association of REALTORS®. She has served as President of Heartland REALTOR® Organization twice.
Molly Ryan – Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago
Ryan has worked as General Counsel at HomeServices of Illinois for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff Realty Group and Fort Dearborn Land Title Company. Ryan was also recently named a “Most Notable General Counsel” by Crain’s Chicago Business and has served several terms as a River Forest Public Library Trustee as well as President of the Library Board. This election marks Ryan’s fourth term on MRED’s Board of Managers, having served as Board Secretary for three previous terms.
Lynn Madison – Lynn Madison REALTOR®
Madison owns Lynn Madison Seminars, a full-service real estate training and development company. Madison often speaks at national real estate events and has led classes in more than 30 states. Madison was the President of the Mainstreet Organization of REALTORS® in 2016, currently sits on two National Association of REALTORS® committees, and has previously served on MRED’s Board.
Sue Wiskowski-Fair – Realty Executives Premiere
Wiskowski-Fair has been in the real estate business for more than 40 years, having been President of the Realty Executives Franchise system in the Chicago area. She was President of the Wisconsin Association of REALTORS® prior to moving to Illinois 30 years ago. Wiskowski-Fair is the current Treasurer of the Board and is Vice-President of Career Development for Realty Executives Premiere. She has served in numerous leadership positions of the Realtor Association at the State and National levels. She is an active agent and Managing Broker.
Jeff Gregory – Realty Executives Success
Gregory is the Owner and Managing Broker of Realty Executives Success. He has 7 years of experience on MRED’s Board of Managers, including 4 years as Board Chair and 1 year as Treasurer. Gregory also served as MRED’s Acting CEO for eight months and chaired the search committee that found MRED’s current CEO, Rebecca Jensen. Additionally, Gregory has served on numerous committees for Illinois REALTORS® as well as the National Association of REALTORS® and is an RPAC Hall of Fame Member.
Other 2020 MRED Board Members include: Fran Broude, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage; Chad Gilbert, RE/MAX Suburban; Dave Naso, Keller Williams; Drussy Hernandez, Fulton Grace Realty; Paul Wells, RE/MAX of Barrington; Michael Emery, Urban Real Estate; Royal Hartwig, The Royal Family Real Estate; Al Rossell, Jack Carpenter Organization; Chris Studebaker, CEO of the REALTOR® Association of the Fox Valley; Jim Haisler, Heartland Realtor® Organization; Art Carter, California Regional MLS.
MRED’s Board also appointed Jeremy Crawford to serve in 2020 as a Strategic Manager. He will join returning Strategic Manager Art Carter on the Board.
Jeremy Crawford – President/CEO, First Multiple Listing Service
Crawford is the President/CEO of First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS), a broker-owned MLS which serves more than 42,000 real estate professionals in Georgia across 2,100 broker member offices. Crawford’s experience includes 7 years with the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO), 4 years of which he served as its CEO and 3 years he served on its Board. Crawford also previously served as an executive for a well-known MLS and MLS vendor.
Art Carter – CEO, California Regional Multiple Listing Service
Carter oversees the strategic direction of the largest MLS in the country at more than 86,000 real estate professionals and 34 associations across California. Carter was named one of Inman News’ 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in 2016 as well as one of the Top 20 Association/MLS Executives in the Swanepoel Power 200.
MRED would like to extend a special thank-you to outgoing Board Members Luigui Corral, Broker Owner of RE/MAX American Dream, and John Matthews, Senior Vice President of Residential Sales of Baird & Warner, for their dedication and service to MRED. A special thank you to John Matthews for his 9 consecutive years on MRED’s Board and serving as Board Chair in 2019.
Click here to learn more about MRED Preferred Unit Ownership.
MRED would also like to thank North Shore–Barrington Association of REALTORS® CEO Steve Volkodav for his years of service to the local real estate marketplace and on MRED’s Board of Managers. Steve was recently named the new CEO of the Pike’s Peak Association of REALTORS® in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Steve began his time with NSBAR in 2000 and became its CEO in 2013. He is a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago and was named as one of three national honorees in June of 2018 to be inducted into NAR’s Almon R. (Bud) Smith Leadership Society.
Chris Studebaker, CEO of the REALTOR® Association of the Fox Valley, will be filling the vacated Association Executive seat on MRED’s Board. Chris began as RAFV CEO in 2014 and previously served as the Executive Director of the REALTOR® Association of Southwestern Illinois.
Meet MRED’s newest Board members
December 19, 2018
Posted by on We’re excited to announce five new members on our Board of Managers. Chad Gilbert, Ruth “Drussy” Hernandez, David Naso, and Royal Hartwig were each individually selected for Board seats through election by their peers. The existing Board also added Luigui Corral by unanimous vote to fill a vacated seat during its most recent meeting.
The election took place as part of our unique initiative that allows brokerages to own their MLS. MRED brokerages that become a Preferred Unit Owner have the opportunity to run for and elect 13 of the 15 voting seats on the MRED Board of Managers, attend and vote at PUO meetings, and co-create MRED’s annual Strategic Plan.
MRED PUOs are broken down into three categories based on brokerages’ number of transactions in a year. Category 1 consists of the top 10 brokerages in MRED’s coverage area based on that transaction data, with Category 2 being brokerages ranked 11-160, and Category 3 covering the remaining firms. This allows every MRED firm to be represented on the Board, no matter its size or location.
Gilbert was elected as a Category 1 representative, Hernandez and Naso are from Category 2, and Hartwig will represent Category 3.
We’d also like to thank the outgoing members of the Board: Jeff Gregory, John Murray, Tom Poulos, and Molly Ryan for their years of dedicated service.
The following new Board Members will take their seats at the start of 2019:
Chad Gilbert – Co-Owner of REMAX Suburban and Precision Title Company
Chad has successfully led RE/MAX Suburban for more than 3 years after a successful sales leadership career in the public and private sector for over 15 years. RE/MAX Suburban is the largest RE/MAX company in Illinois and one of the largest in the United States. His focus continues to be on the strategic growth of the company and support for the Realtors. He received the prestigious Broker Owner of the Year award in 2017 from RE/MAX, LLC. In 2017, Chad purchased Precision Title Company to continue to expand its service offerings.
Ruth “Drussy” Hernandez – Managing Broker, Compass
Hernandez has been a participating representative at MRED as a Preferred Unit Owner since 2010 and a past member of the Board of Managers. She is also a current Board of Director member of the Chicago Association of Realtors as well as a participant in other committees within the association. Hernandez has more than 30 combined years of real estate experience.
David Naso – Managing Broker, Keller Williams Lincoln Park
Naso has served the membership of the Chicago Association of Realtors in various roles during the last 6 years, having served on Professional Standards and Forms and Contracts committees, and has been a Director for the Association since 2015. He manages an office of 190 agents, overseeing compliance of MLS data and acting as the liaison for his agents’ MRED matters. Naso has been selling real estate for nearly a decade.
Royal Hartwig – Managing Broker / Owner, The Royal Family Real Estate
Royal has 14 years of real estate experience, starting his career with Coldwell Banker, where he was named rookie of the year and soon became his office’s top agent. In 2015, Royal opened up his own real estate brokerage called The Royal Family Real Estate. Royal and many agents in his office rank in the top 1% of Realtors in terms of number of home sales per year. He is also a member of The Schaumburg / Hoffman Estates Rotary Club and serves on the club’s Foundation Board.
Luigui Corral – Managing Broker Owner, RE/MAX American Dream
Corral is a real estate industry veteran, serving as a Broker Owner at RE/MAX, Wheeling for nearly 12 years. Currently, Corral is the Managing Broker Owner at RE/MAX American Dream in Round Lake Beach. He’s been named as one of the top 250 Latino Agents in the United States for 6 consecutive years and was President of the Chicago Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals® (NAHREP) for 2 years.
Midwest Real Estate Data Renews Art Carter as Strategic Manager
June 19, 2018
Posted by on Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) announced that Art Carter has been unanimously elected to another one-year term as a Strategic Manager on its Board. Carter, CEO of the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), has served in this position since 2016. During this time, MRED has seen the addition of several new products and services for its customers, enhancements to the MRED Multiple Listing Service (MLS) mobile-friendly platform, and the development of a Broker Outreach department.
MRED created the position of Strategic Manager to be filled by up to two individuals at the discretion of and election by MRED’s Board members. Strategic Managers are invited onto the Board because of their expertise and participate on an advisory basis. Their input is invited to enhance the ability of MRED’s leadership to make the best decisions and serve their real estate professionals in the most effective manner.
Carter brings a wealth of experience to the table. As CEO of CRMLS, Carter oversees the strategic direction of the largest MLS in the country at more than 93,500 real estate professionals and 34 associations across California. Carter has overseen three mergers with other MLSs since taking his role in 2005. He currently serves as Chair of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO). Carter was named one of Inman’s Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in 2016 and 2017. In 2016, 2017, and 2018 he was named one of the Top 20 Association/MLS Executives in the Swanepoel Power 200. Carter served as President of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) in 2014, and in 2017 was honored with CMLS’s Peter Shuttleworth MLS Executive Award of Excellence. In 2012, he was inducted into the Dr. Almon R “Bud” Smith, RCE, AE Leadership Society in recognition of his dedicated service and commitment to advancing the REALTOR® organization and the Association Management profession.
“I’m thrilled at the opportunity to continue a partnership between two of the largest and most forward-thinking MLSs,” Carter said. “Now more than ever, it’s crucial for MLSs to work together to pioneer new ideas and address the needs of real estate brokerages and our industry as a whole.”
“Having Art on the board brings a unique perspective and trustworthy voice to all our strategic discussions,” said MRED President/CEO Rebecca Jensen. “We’re honored to have him continue working with us and we know his valuable insights will go a long way in helping us forge new paths and provide the very best for our customers.”
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) Welcomes Art Carter as its Newest Board Member
June 13, 2016
Posted by on CRMLS Chief Executive Officer Joins Chicagoland MLS Giant as a Strategic Manager
LISLE, ILLINOIS (June 14, 2016) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced that Art Carter, Chief Executive Officer of the California Regional Multiple Listing Service (CRMLS), has been elected to MRED’s Board as its new Strategic Manager.
MRED created the position of Strategic Manager, to be filled by up to two individuals at the discretion of and election by MRED’s Board members. Strategic Managers are invited onto the Board because of their expertise and participate on an advisory basis. Their input is invited to enhance the ability of MRED’s leadership to make the best decisions and serve their real estate professionals in the most effective manner.
As CEO, Mr. Carter oversees the strategic direction of CRMLS. With more than 80,000 agents, it is the MLS serving the largest number of real estate professionals in the country, encompassing thirty-six (36) REALTOR® associations across California. Mr. Carter has been CEO of CRMLS since 2005, and under his leadership it has successfully merged with three other MLSs, obtaining over 40,000 new members. Mr. Carter is one of Inman News’ 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders and one of the Top 20 Association/MLS Executives in the Swanepoel Power 200. In 2012, he was inducted into the Dr. Almon R. (Bud) Smith, RCE, AE Leadership Society in recognition of this dedicated service and commitment to advancing the REALTOR® organization and the Association Management profession. A Past President of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), he is currently serving as the Chair of the Real Estate Standards Organization (RESO).
“MRED is a powerhouse in the MLS industry,” said Mr. Carter. “I look forward to joining the leadership of such a distinguished organization. It is more important than ever for the industry to work together, and my new role will enable two of the largest MLSs in the country to collaborate at the highest level.“
“Art Carter is one of the most respected voices in our industry,” said MRED President and Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Jensen. “I speak for MRED’s Board and myself when I state how fortunate we feel to have Art join our Board. His broad industry experience and noteworthy accomplishments will be invaluable to MRED as we address the many challenges ahead.”
About MRED
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to more than 40,000 brokers and appraisers and nearly 8,000 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country for three years running according to the WAV Group MLS Technology Survey. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association, and for five consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in the United States and Canada by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) Announces 2016 Leadership Team
February 11, 2016
Posted by on Leader of MLS Giant Welcomes Two New Board Members
LISLE, ILLINOIS (February 11, 2016) – Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), Chicagoland’s multiple listing service (MLS), announced that its 2016 Board of Managers has been installed and its officers elected. Serving on MRED’s Board of Managers for 2016 are:
- Michael Emery, Urban Real Estate
- Jeff Gregory, Realty Executives Success
- Chris Haran, Coldwell Banker Residential
- Jim Haisler, Heartland Realtor® Organization (HRO)
- Ruth “Drussy” Hernandez, CONLON: A Real Estate Company
- Pam Krieter, Mainstreet Organization of Realtors® (MORe)
- John Matthews, Baird & Warner
- John Murray, Key Realty
- Jim Nelson, Jr., RE/MAX Suburban
- Thomas Poulos, Gagliardo Realty Associates
- Al Rossell, Jack Carpenter Organization
- Molly Ryan, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff
- Aaron Starck, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Stark Real Estate
- Anthony Trotto, Anthony J. Trotto Real Estate
- Paul Wells, RE/MAX of Barrington
Continuing to serve as MRED’s Strategic Manager is David Charron, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS). The newly elected Board members are John Murray of Key Realty and Thomas Poulos of Gagliardo Realty Associates.
MRED’s Board of Managers annually nominates and elects officers to guide the company through the upcoming year. This year’s officers have performed their duties at such a high level and work so well together that the Board of Managers has reelected all to the same positions they held in 2015.
The 2016 leadership team includes:
- Chairman of the Board – Jeff Gregory, Managing Broker and Owner of Realty Executives Success in Plainfield
- Vice-Chair – John Matthews, Manager of Baird & Warner in Oak Park
- Treasurer – Paul Wells, Managing Broker and Owner of RE/MAX of Barrington
- Secretary – Molly Ryan, Vice President & General Counsel of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff
“I am pleased the Board continues to place its confidence in these four individuals as MRED’s Officers for 2016,” said MRED President and Chief Executive Officer Rebecca Jensen. “What better endorsement of the job they have done than to reelect them? I love working with these very accomplished and experienced individuals and look forward to a fantastic 2016.”
About MRED
Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to more than 40,000 brokers and appraisers and nearly 8,000 offices. MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana. MRED delivers over twenty products and services to its customers, complementing connectMLS™, the top-rated MLS system in the country for two years running according to the WAV Group MLS Technology Survey. MRED is the 2013 Inman News Most Innovative MLS/Real Estate Trade Association, and for five consecutive years the MRED Help Desk has been identified as one of the best small business centers in the United States and Canada by BenchmarkPortal. For more information please visit MREDLLC.com.