December 12, 2019

Contact: Kim McMillan, VP of Communications and Marketing, 704-940-3177

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association received approval from the National Association of Realtors® to start doing business as Canopy Realtor® Association.  The organization will retain Charlotte Regional Realtor® Association as its legal name.  The name Canopy is part of an overall marketing strategy approved by the Association’s Board of Directors to unify all entities under its oversight into a single brand that will better help members and the public see the connections between its school, technology, philanthropic arm, and career development.

The unified brand includes Canopy MLS (formerly CarolinaMLS), Canopy Real Estate Institute (formerly Mingle School of Real Estate), and Canopy Housing Foundation (formerly the Housing Opportunity Foundation), all located in a new 58,697-square-foot headquarters that opened in July. The Canopy building is located at 1120 Pearl Park Way. Learn more about our brand.

The name Canopy pays tribute to our area’s greatest natural asset and celebrates our identity as a top urban forest in the nation. The logo symbolizes a door and rooftop, representing home ownership and the real estate profession.

"Just as a canopy provides coverage and protection, we’re the professional trade association focused on providing the 'coverage and protection' our members need to succeed," says Anne Marie DeCatsye, CEO of Canopy Realtor® Association/Canopy MLS. "That means delivering the optimum services, resources, technology, education, and professional development in addition to advocating on behalf of homeowners and the real estate profession."

Recent acquisitions have also expanded the Association’s footprint, which further supports the new name Canopy to better reflect its broader geographic coverage.  Haywood Realtor® Association, located just west of Asheville, N.C., will become part of Canopy Realtor® Association effective January 1, 2020.

Prior to Canopy Realtor® Association acquiring Haywood’s association, Canopy MLS was already serving as its MLS under a wholesale agreement with North Carolina Mountains MLS (NCMMLS).  Then, in January 2018, Canopy MLS acquired the assets of NCMMLS.  Canopy MLS also provides MLS services for Henderson and Buncombe counties and is the private cooperative agents use for access to tens of thousands of residential listings in a 24-county service area, including Charlotte, the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond.

2019 Haywood Realtor® Association President Tom Mallette said, "Our experience with Canopy MLS led to us exploring a merger with Canopy Realtor® Association.  Additionally, we determined that our members will benefit greatly with access to continuing education from Canopy Real Estate Institute and growing our work in our local community through Canopy Housing Foundation."

The merger is revenue neutral for Canopy Realtor® Association and there will be no dues increase for members.  Canopy Realtor® Association will gain an additional employee to better serve the needs of members and subscribers in the region. Canopy MLS currently has two staff in the Asheville region who are primarily focused on technology training.

Haywood County will be designated as the Western Region and Lisa Brown has been hired as Western Region Manager for Canopy Realtor® Association.

For more information, visit www.CarolinaHome.com. For interviews with Association leadership, please contact Kim McMillan.

Canopy Realtor® Association is a trade association that provides its more than 11,700 Realtor® members with the resources and services they need to conduct ethical, professional, successful and profitable businesses. The Association is dedicated to being the region's primary resource for residential real estate information. The Association operates Canopy MLS, which has more than 17,900 subscribers and is the private cooperative Realtors® use for access to tens of thousands of residential listings in a 24-county service area, including Charlotte, the mountains area of North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond.

Original Publish Date: 12/12/2019