Listing Bits Episode 87: Ben Graboske's Big Bet

In 2020 Ben knew they needed to make a change.  So he went to the Black Knight board and made a pitch, "give me the resources to build a modern MLS system".  To his surprise, they said yes. Now, 3 years later, that dream has been realized. His dream was a mobile-first MLS platform that understands the history of how MLS platforms operate but offers a modern user experience. That's exactly what Ben Graboske and Lucie Fortier are working on, and their new product, Paragon Connect, is ready for its close up. Ben is President of Data & Analytics and Lucie is Executive Vice President of MLS Solutions at Intercontinental Exchange or ICE, the financial services firm that bought Black Knight in September 2023. On this episode of Listing Bits, Ben and Lucie join Greg to discuss ICE's history of digitizing complex transactions and explain why its acquisition of Black Knight makes sense. Lucie shares her motivation for joining the team at Intercontinental Exchange, and Ben describes how ICE's resources benefit his department in the development of Paragon Connect. Listen in to understand what differentiates Paragon Connect from other MLS vendors and learn how it simplifies the agent experience by providing an entire MLS platform on both a responsive and native app.   What's Discussed:     ICE's history of digitizing complicated transactions and why its acquisition of Black Knight makes sense How being an MLS vendor supports ICE's vision for making mortgages easier Lucie's journey to joining the ICE team and how technology drives her career decisions What features differentiate Paragon Connect from other MLS vendors Why Ben's team decided not to change Paragon's name (despite offering an entirely new experience) How Paragon Connect provides an entire MLS platform in a native app experience The talented team of designers behind Paragon Connect How Ben's team benefits from ICE's data assets and information security Lucie's approach to transitioning existing users to Paragon Connect How Paragon is introducing a consumer app in Q1 of 2024 Why the rules around marketing to members need to change in an MLS system-of-choice model What makes Paragon Connect 'the MLS platform of the future'   Connect with Ben Graboske & Lucie Fortier: Intercontinental Exchange Ben on LinkedIn Lucie on LinkedIn Email [email protected]    Resources: ICE Acquisition of Black Knight Paragon Connect Demo Damien Huze on Listing Bits EP85 Paragon Connect on Vendor Alley   Our Sponsors: Trackxi