Patrick Ghilani and John Ensign

Data collection and organization present one of commercial real estate’s greatest challenges — but, for MRI Software, data also presents a launchpad for AI solutions. 

“What we found and what our clients have found is that to fully leverage AI, you’ve got to have all your data in one place,” said Ohio-based MRI’s John Ensign.

Real estate clients tend to juggle multiple systems and their respective data on a daily basis. Data-tailored products from MRI Software — which has pivoted to become what Ensign calls “an AI-first company” — are addressing the associated difficulties. One example is MRI Agora, which helps clients collect data in one location, whether that information comes from an MRI Software system or another platform. 

Then there’s MRI Agora Insights, “which allows [clients] to actually start looking at their business across different software systems and bring all that data together into one story,” said Ensign. “For a lot of our clients, that’s the first time that they’ve been able to see different data points together.”

MRI Software serves three real estate demographics: traditional multifamily; office, industrial and retail; and occupier. Across each of these, the need for AI and data solutions is uniform, said Ensign, who is prioritizing further expansion and innovation in the year ahead.

Yet, if the company’s current trajectory offers a peek into its future, it’s a safe bet to assume there will be growth. MRI Software has increased its employee count by 118 percent in the past year, and established 100 new partners. This August, Inc. ranked MRI as one of America’s fastest-growing private companies for the fourth time.

Ensign attributes these successes to something that sounds simple but may very well be responsible for the company’s 53 years of business. “We really work hard to listen to clients and build them things that … in the end make their life easier and make their teams more efficient,” he said.