MRED CEO Russ Bergeron on Supporting the MLS Domains Association

June 14, 2012 - PRLog -- Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED), the Chicagoland MLS, announced that its Chief Executive Officer Russ Bergeron has been named to the board of directors of the MLS Domains Association (MDA).  In 2010, the MDA was formed to obtain, manage and promote the use of the .MLS top–level domain on the Internet.

The use of domains such as .COM and .ORG has become commonplace.  When the opportunity arose through ICANN, the organization that manages Internet domains, to create new top-level domains several multiple listing services (MLSs) seized upon this opportunity through the MDA to acquire and control the .MLS top-level domain.  MRED was a charter member that funded the creation of the MDA.

Recently, Bergeron was asked to fill a vacancy on the MDA Board of Directors, an invitation that he readily accepted.  Bergeron is known throughout the country for his leadership in bringing technological advances to the MLS industry.  In recognition of his leadership and innovation, he has been named one of the nation’s 100 Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate for 2009, 2010 and 2011 by Inman News.  He currently sits on advisory boards for Realtor.com, Trulia.com, Supra and CoreLogic/Realist® and is a member of the Illinois Association of Realtors® Strategic Planning Committee and the Realtors® Property Resource User Advisory Council.

“I am thrilled to have the opportunity to directly impact the efforts the MLS Domains Association is making on behalf of the MLS industry,” said Bergeron.  “The effort to obtain, manage and promote the use of the .MLS top-level domain is critical to the future of our industry.  There is much misinformation regarding listing data and the accuracy, timeliness and validity of the content being exposed to the public.  It is the highest priority of MRED leadership and me to fully participate and support the efforts of the MLS Domains Association with the ultimate goal of raising the data and delivery standards of the entire industry.”

With the release of ICANN’s gTLD “applied-for” list, MDA’s recent .MLS joint venture with The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), and the election of Merri Jo Cowen to the MDA presidency, MLSs now feel that they are in the driver’s seat when it comes to acquiring .MLS.

About MRED

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) is the real estate data aggregator and distributor providing the Chicagoland multiple listing service (MLS) to nearly 40,000 brokers, agents and appraisers and almost 8,000 offices.  MRED serves Chicago and the surrounding “collar” counties and provides property information encompassing northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and northwest Indiana.  www.mredllc.com.

About MLS Domains Association

MLS Domains Association is a non-profit association of real estate multiple listing services, the sole purpose of which is to obtain, manage, and promote the use of the .MLS top-level domain on the Internet.