Russ Bergeron

CEO

SoCalMLS

Chief Executive Officer, Russ Bergeron, has been at the helm of Southern California Multiple Listing Service since its formation in 1993. As head of the largest MLS in the state of California and second largest in the nation, he is known throughout the world for his leadership in bringing technological advances to the multiple listing industry. In recognition of his leadership and innovation, he was named one of the 100 Most Influential Leaders in Real Estate for 2009 by Inman News.

Russ brings to SoCalMLS over forty years experience in technical management and leadership in high growth, high technology, computer-based services. He is recognized as a pioneer in the movement to place real estate listings on the Internet for which he won the Inman Innovator Award in 1998.

In what has become his most far reaching contribution to the MLS industry, Bergeron began many years ago to promote his concept of one large property database for all to access, thereby eliminating the need for members to join multiple MLSs. Russ jokingly dubbed his concept “MOAD” or “Mother Of All Databases.”

After working many years with others to overcome what he considers the four Ps of the industry - Paranoia, Politics, Personalities and Protectionism, his vision became the groundwork for CARETS, the largest data aggregation of its kind in the country. Currently CARETS is made up of seven MLSs in Southern California providing real time access to nearly 4 million listings for over 100,000 real estate practitioners, and CARETS shows no signs of slowing down.

Members of SoCalMLS and the other participating CARETS MLSs now need only join one MLS and use one system in order to gain access to the complete CARETS database. Brokers have been more than pleased because they can now receive a complete IDX and back office feed from CARETS and eliminate the need to aggregate from disparate systems. It is anticipated that the power of CARETS will now take it throughout the state of California and beyond. CARETS has been a win-win-win situation in Southern California for agents, brokers and consumers.

Russ sits on the board of directors of CARETS.

Prior to joining SoCalMLS, Russ was Director of Data Services at TRW-REDI Property Data. There he oversaw the nationwide acquisition of tax data and plat maps from over 1000 jurisdictions which were used to provide public records access in bulk throughout the real estate industry and to Federal, state and local government agencies.

For more than ten years, he was a member of the management team at Planning Research Corporation (now First American/MarketLinx). There he held several key positions including Product Manager, Manager of Systems Design and Development and National Installations Manager for a wide range of MLS-related products.

Russ is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Marywood College where he holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He proudly served his country for four years as a member of the United States Air Force stationed both at home and in Pakistan.

He lives with his wife of 30 years in South Orange County. They have one daughter who, upon completion of graduate school at UC Irvine, joined the MLS services industry.