Canopy MLS bets on separation, names Steve Byrd its first standalone CEO

While Steve Byrd may be new to the role of CEO of Canopy MLS, he is certainly not new to the organization. 2027 will mark Byrd’s 30th year with Canopy, where he started his career as a database administrator.

“I’ve gone through a wide array of jobs here. First as a database administrator, then a network administrator and then MLS director, and I have been the chief technology officer here for over two decades,” Byrd told HousingWire. “The MLS is our technology company, so I think it seems fitting that they chose me to take over.” 

The great divide 

Byrd is taking the helm from longtime Canopy Realtors and MLS CEO Anne Marie DeCatsye, but instead of leading both the MLS and the Realtor association, Decatsye’s existing role will be filled by two separate people marking the beginning of a true separation in leadership between the association and the MLS. This move by the greater Canopy organization has been in the works for some time now, after organization leaders felt that more separation was needed despite the MLS and association having separate boards of directors since 2003. 

“On the MLS side, it is really more about delivering the products, services, technology and tools your participants need to service their clients,” Byrd said. “The association side is a lot more focused on advocacy and education.” 

In his mind, the separation will provide the MLS and the association with the ability to select board members for each segment that are best suited to help the operations achieve their respective goals. Some of the goals, at least for the MLS operation, Byrd said include things like adding more products to their portfolio in order to meet the evolving needs of their participants. 

“We do everything we can to provide them with what they need,” Byrd said. “AI is definitely going to have a large impact on the future and I feel like it will allow us to provide a greater variety of tools.” 

He said he hopes to see other associations that own MLS operations take a similar path in the future if it makes sense for their members. 

“I feel like it is the way MLSs should operate, but it remains to be seen whether everyone is going to do that,” Byrd said. “It may not be the perfect fit for every market.” 

Staying limber

Byrd acknowledges that he is taking the lead at Canopy MLS at a time when the industry is consumed by debates around listing data ownership, private listings and the future of the MLS. With this in mind, he said he believes the most important thing is for the MLS to “remain flexible to address the items one at a time as they come.”

“Sometimes they come from lawsuits, sometimes they come from broker demand, sometimes they come from the National Association of Realtors,” he said. “I think just remain flexible and address each issue one at a time when you need to — no knee-jerk reactions or surprises.”

Byrd said it can be challenging to balance all of the competing demands placed on an MLS, but he credited Canopy’s long-tenured and very experienced staff with having the knowledge and perspective to be able to prioritize and navigate all of these different forces.

Looking ahead, Byrd said he hopes Canopy and other MLSs can be flexible enough to adjust to the changes requested by brokers or required by association or government rules. 

“I hope we can be flexible enough to work with brokerages to determine what they need and adjust our business model as needed to  stay in the middle of the transaction, to keep relevant and to be where the market lives,” Byrd said.