Ebby Halliday names new CEO

Chris Kelly 

The Ebby Halliday Companies announced Oct. 25 that Chris Kelly has been named chief executive officer.

Mary Frances Burleson, longtime president and CEO, will now focus on the Ebby Halliday Foundation, a nonprofit organization created to honor the legacy and philanthropic commitment of the company’s namesake, Ebby Halliday, the company said in a news release.

Ebby Halliday Companies is owned by HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate and the nation’s second-largest residential real estate brokerage company.

Fort Worth’s Williams Trew, founded in 2000 by Martha Williams, Joan Trew and Marshall Boyd, was acquired by Ebby Halliday in 2014.

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“Mary Frances and her exceptional leadership team set an incredible level of excellence for the company,” Kelly said in the announcement. “I am thrilled to join this team of immensely talented agents, sales managers, employees and lending and title professionals. The opportunity to help lead this iconic company to its next level of growth and performance is both humbling and exciting.”

Kelly joined ReeceNichols Real Estate, HomeServices’ wholly-owned company based in Kansas City, in 2007 and served as corporate legal counsel before being promoted to chief administrative officer of ReeceNichols Real Estate, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Kansas City Realty, Kansas City Title and its other affiliated businesses and services in 2013.

Burleson joined the Ebby Halliday Companies in 1958 and held numerous leadership positions before being named president and CEO in 1989.

and technology initiatives.

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“I am pleased to welcome Chris as CEO of the Ebby Halliday Companies,” Ron Peltier, chairman and CEO of HomeServices, said in the release. “Chris understands the real estate business from all perspectives and is keenly aware of the opportunities and challenges faced every day in brokerage offices.”

“I am proud of everyone at Ebby Halliday and what we have achieved,” said Burleson. “Honoring Ebby’s legacy of service to the client, service to the industry and service to the community has always been a top priority for me. Chris has shown himself to be a leader with impeccable business ethics, personal sincerity and a deep understanding of the real estate business — all values that align with our heritage while pointing to an exciting future. I believe that Ebby would agree that with Chris at the helm, the future of Ebby Halliday couldn’t be brighter.”

Dallas-based Ebby Halliday, REALTORS® (ebby.com) is the largest residential real estate company in Texas by sales volume and ranked 12th in the United States, according to the 2017 REAL Trends 500 report.

Founded in 1945, the company has almost 2,000 agents and staff in 35 offices spanning 12,000 square miles of North Texas. In 2017, the company participated in more than 18,800 transactions with a sales volume of more than $8 billion.

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HomeServices of America is the country’s second-largest residential real estate brokerage company and through its operating companies is one of the country’s premier providers of homeownership services, including brokerage, mortgage, franchising, title, escrow, insurance, and relocation services.

HomeServices of America is the owner of the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices and Real Living Real Estate franchise networks. HomeServices is owned by Berkshire Hathaway Energy, a consolidated subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.

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