Congratulations to Julie Dahl on her promotion from Vice President of Industry Relations to Chief Operating Officer! We spoke with Julie about her new role:
What are you looking forward to in your new role as Chief Operating Officer?
In addition to my operational duties which include working closely with legal counsel, insurance partners, public relations, policy and national guilds, I’m looking forward to spending more time in the field again. I truly miss meeting with our clients in person and can’t wait to reconnect.
While the title is new, the work itself reflects what I’ve been doing for the past several years. Becoming COO has been a professional goal throughout my entire career and IRES has been a true training ground, enabling me to add more responsibility and knowledge every year. To see this dream come to fruition is incredibly meaningful and I am both grateful and genuinely excited to serve IRES in this capacity.
What are your goals as COO?
One of my main goals is to connect the dots between what our clients’ needs are, our
services and how we can make the real estate market run more efficiently for both our
clients and, in turn, their clients. This begins with reinforcing our internal systems, so
our teams work more cohesively and fully understand the “why” behind what we do. We
already excel here, but there is always room to refine processes and improve alignment.
Some of that work is straightforward like documenting procedures or building backups,
while other tasks are more outward-facing and fun (for those of us who happen to be
extroverts!), such as expanding training opportunities and enhancing customer
outreach. Outreach lets us hear directly from our customers about what they need and
allows us to show off new features and enhancements. In such a relationship-based
business, it’s important (and frankly a lot more rewarding) to get to know each other
better. Those connections matter.
Beyond our region, I also plan to stay engaged on a national level. Doing so allows us to
uncover the latest technologies (like our recently released program, Rayse) and stay up
to date on changes in policy and litigation to not only enhance our subscribers’ MLS
experience but also keep them safe in a tumultuous environment.
How do you hope to enhance the subscriber experience in your new role?
First, to best serve our brokers means operational excellence. It’s really not that
glamorous sounding but everyone wants their MLS to function in a healthy fashion.
That means supporting our already strong teams, ensuring financially sound systems,
and really freeing up our CEO and Board for big picture strategy. When the ship is
running well, that means we can offer better services, tools and programming to our
subscribers. My goal is to help our subscribers feel supported, heard and satisfied and
when something isn’t working for them, to understand why and make meaningful
improvements.
When did you start at IRES and what roles have you had over the years?
I began my career at IRES in September 2003 as the communications director. Before that, I worked in recruiting, and IRES happened to be one of my clients. Every candidate I placed there raved about the culture—the clients, the vision, the work environment. Eventually, I brazenly walked into IRES’ previous CEO’s office with my resume and asked for a job. She told me to design a role for myself, and she’d consider it. The rest is history.
Since then, I have served as communications and training director, vice president of industry relations, vice president and industry relations, and now I’m honored to step into the role of COO.
What have been some highlights of your career at IRES?
I’ve been incredibly fortunate to contribute to nearly every aspect of the organization.
From day one, I’ve worked in policy, benefits administration, management and HR, and
I’ve provided ongoing input on system enhancements and strategic direction. For most
of my career, I was also subscriber-facing, which allowed me to get to know so many of
our brokers and appraisers. Over the past 22 years, I’ve visited hundreds of offices and
taught thousands of classes, issuing tens of thousands of CE credits along the way.
I’ve also had the privilege of leading major initiatives, including our custom CRM
conversion, and securing strong insurance policies during challenging market
conditions that protect our subscribers, board members, owners and employees. But
above all, I’m most proud of the culture we’ve built. We genuinely care about one
another, our customers, and making IRES the best MLS it can be. Every decision I’ve
made throughout my career has been grounded in what I believe is best for the
organization and for the people we serve.
Last, I get bored easily and I have never once been bored at IRES. While keeping busy,
I’ve also managed to make many dear friends along the way. I remain deeply grateful
not only for the professional opportunities and advancement IRES has provided, but
also for the personal growth and fulfillment this journey has brought me.
What leadership values are most important to you?
Foundationally, I would say integrity, resilience, honesty and simply being kind. When you know who you serve and who you are, the rest falls into place pretty easily. IRES is here to assist our brokers, appraisers and their staff. It’s that simple. When we do that well, we succeed. That also means that I’m here to serve our staff and the leadership team—when they are successful and happy, our customers are as well and then I am too.
I admire leaders who are kind, fair, and who lead with courage, humility, and respect qualities I genuinely strive to model. I believe most challenges can be solved through thoughtful questions, active listening, an open mind, and a willingness to be flexible. Mistakes happen, so it’s essential to be accountable for them and equally compassionate when others make them. Transparency and collaborative problem-solving help ensure we learn and move forward together.
What’s something about you that your coworkers or subscribers might not know?
I have far too many hobbies and delight in every single one. In my spare time, I sculpt,
ski, paddleboard, hike, rock climb, recently started dressage lessons and adore anything
related to dogs. I also value experiences far more than things. I especially love traveling
with my husband, sister, parents, and close friends. In fact, my sister recently convinced
me to fly to New York, ride 40 miles with 30,000 other cyclists through all five boroughs
the next day and then fly home the day after. I’m not entirely sure how it will go, but I do
love a challenge and the chance to figure things out.
Exploring the world, living life fully and meaningfully and connecting with others brings
me tremendous joy. In many ways, that’s also why I’m so happy at IRES. I get to work
creatively alongside people I genuinely enjoy.
IRES MLS: Come Home to Colorado 