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August 27, 2019

Contact: Kim McMillan

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association has refreshed its logo and launched a new brand identity package timed with the opening of its new headquarters at 1120 Pearl Park Way.

“Our goal was to select a name that unites all of our entities and promotes the full coverage of services, resources and support we provide our members and the community,” says Brenda Hayden, president of Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association. “The new name ‘Canopy’ was chosen because it signifies the ‘coverage’ we offer our members.”

For nearly 100 years, the Association has covered the needs of its members, including professional training and development, member services, a Realtor® Store, continuing education, leadership development, access to networks, advocacy, community outreach and service.

The Association engaged the Mower agency to assist with the rebranding effort. After an extensive process with input from member surveys, the Association’s Board of Directors made the decision to unify all of the entities under its oversight into a single brand to better help members see the connection between its school, technology and career development. Additionally, the school’s name would change to “real estate institute” to better represent its wide range of educational offerings and business-building programs and events.

The name Canopy is also symbolic to the Charlotte region and its national reputation for having one of the highest-density tree canopies of any major city in the nation. The following is the story behind the new brand:

Throughout the Charlotte region stretches one of the most impressive tree canopies found in an urban area of the United States. It blankets 46% of the land with a goal of 50% by 2050. This natural protection that ascends overhead symbolizes our longstanding legacy we’ve always delivered to our members: an environment where you’re shielded from the harsh elements of the market and can receive professional training, support, resources and access to an extensive business network.
Where all are welcome to come congregate, thrive and succeed under the canopy. Our new state-of-the art headquarters is designed to do just that.

To launch our newly-branded family, the Association refreshed its logo by incorporating a housing icon into its current name and designing a more contemporary logo to complement the design of its new headquarters.

The following logos are part of the Canopy brand:

Canopy Real Estate Institute is the new name for Mingle School of Real Estate. Canopy implies coverage, and today Canopy Real Estate Institute is more than a school, it’s a real estate institute providing all the coverage needed for career development and professional growth. In recognition of the Mingle name, the legacy will live on through the annual presentation of the Vane Mingle Rookie of the Year Award.

Canopy Housing Foundation is the new name for the Housing Opportunity Foundation. Canopy is symbolic of shelter, which the Association is committed to providing through advocacy, education, funding and leadership.

Canopy MLS is the new name for CarolinaMLS. The new logo places emphasis on the coverage an “MLS” provides by serving as the region’s primary source for residential real estate information. It is also the private cooperative Realtors® use to access tens of thousands of listings to market homes and connect buyers. The name Canopy is derived from our natural tree canopy that expands well beyond Charlotte and into the region that we serve.

New tagline

The tagline “opportunity resides here” was selected for these reasons:

• Opportunity represents the Association’s belief in homeownership.
  
  
• Opportunity preserves the Foundation’s legacy of creating a community where all housing needs are met.
  
  
• Opportunity is what the Association provides its members and students to learn and grow in their profession.
  
  
• “Resides” signifies helping people take up residence in a place they call home.

On September 26, 2019, the Association will hold a ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony from noon to 12:30 p.m. to honor those visionary leaders whose foresight, fiscal responsibility and ability to make sound investments resulted in the building of a new headquarters with minimal debt. Open houses and tours for members and the community will be held October 9 and October 10.

The Charlotte Regional Realtor^®Association is a trade association that provides its more than 11,400 Realtor® members with the resources and services they need to conduct ethical, professional, successful and profitable businesses. The Association oversees Canopy Real Estate Institute, Canopy Housing Foundation and Canopy MLS. The Association is dedicated to being the region's primary resource for residential real estate information through Canopy MLS, which has more than 17,200 Subscribers and is the private cooperative Realtors® use for access to tens of thousands of residential listings in a multicounty service area, including Charlotte, the Piedmont and Mountains areas of North Carolina and South Carolina, and beyond.

Original Publish Date: 8/27/2019