May 18, 2021

Contact: Kim Walker, 704-940-3149

Commemorative magazine and website profiles history of real estate and development in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, Canopy Realtor® Association celebrates 100 years of leading, educating and equipping the Charlotte region’s Realtors® in the business of residential real estate. Original board notes show May 18, 1921 as the day the Charlotte Board of Real Estate launched and the National Association of Realtors® made it official on July 11, 1921, when the Board received its charter.

Founding Association members read like a Who’s Who of local real estate in the early 1900s. Most were involved in real estate development and some were bankers as well. Among the best-known founders were F.C. Abbott, F.E. Harlan, O.J. Thies, E.C. Griffith, W.S. Alexander, J.B. Alexander and Lee Kinney, all of whom played a vital role in nurturing and growing the Association through challenging times.

It was not until the 1950s that the organization gained steam, starting the for-profit MLS, which was known at the time as the Charlotte Multiple Listing Bureau or “The Multiple” by most members, while really charting its course in the 1960s and 1970s. Since that time the Association has grown steadily, launching the Mingle School of Real Estate in 1972, now known as Canopy Real Estate Institute and a Charitable Foundation, the predecessor of today’s Canopy Housing Foundation in 1985. Today, Canopy Realtor® Association is a large professional trade group serving more than 12,000 Realtors® through the Association and more than 20,000 Realtor® -subscribers through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Canopy MLS.

2021 Canopy Realtor® Association/Canopy MLS President David Kennedy said, “Our organization enjoys a long-lasting legacy where Realtors® have played an important role in the development of the Charlotte region and continue to demonstrate our deep commitment to the dream of homeownership and envisioning a community where all housing needs are met. Now more than ever, we are still dedicated to that cause.”

To help Realtor® members and the public appreciate the rich history surrounding the organization, the industry and the impact made in the Charlotte community, a special commemorative digital magazine, Canopy Through the Decades: Discover 100 Years of History and a website has been developed to chronical the events and people who have built Canopy Realtor® Association, Canopy MLS, Canopy Real Estate Institute and Canopy Housing Foundation.

For more information about Canopy Realtor® Association, Canopy Housing Foundation or Canopy MLS, visit www.CarolinaHome.com.

Original Publish Date: 5/18/2021