Trident Realtors announces new CEO

A familiar face in the Lowcountry real estate industry has been named top executive of its primary trade organization

Wil Riley, vice president of operations at the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, will take over as the group’s chief executive officer on April 1, it was announced Monday.

Riley will replace Terry Hyde Ketchem, who announced late last year she was retiring as CEO on March 31.

“The absence of a significant learning curve will be a great benefit to our membership as I transition out of my role and Wil steps into his,” Ketchem said.

She added, “it should be a seamless transition.”

Riley’s promotion follows a nationwide search to fill the post, officials said.

The CEO post manages a staff of 13 and oversees a $4 million annual budget for the North Charleston-based group, which has 3,600 members who work in various aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Riley, a Summerville native, has been in his current job since in 2011. Previously, he was director of finance and administration at the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors in Myrtle Beach.

He has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Clemson University.

His background in the Lowcountry’s real estate market includes working at Prudential Carolina Real Estate and being broker-in-charge at Century 21 Properties Plus in Summerville.

The association is largely known for its Multiple Listing Service sales database and its monthly housing reports for Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. It also serves as an advocate for the industry in legislative and other governmental matters.

Reach Tyrone Richardson at 843-937-5550 and follow him on Twitter @tyrichardsonPC.