Joining her in leadership roles are Michael Johnson and George Tsakanias, both longtime VHT and Matterport team members. VHT Studios and its parent company Matterhorn were acquired earlier this year by CoStar Group.
A notification on VHT’s website as of Monday states the company will cease all business activities as of Aug. 31 — and will no longer accept orders with shoot dates after Aug. 15.
Baird & Warner said it acted quickly to avoid service disruptions for its agents.
“With the sudden closure of VHT Studios, we saw an opportunity to do what we do best: innovate and build an in-house capability that not only maintains, but enhances the marketing tools available to our agents and customers,” said Laura Ellis, chief strategy officer and president of residential sales at Baird & Warner. “Within less than 48 hours, we had conceived a new unit and hired top talent to run it, representing a substantial investment in avoiding disruption for our agents and ensuring the continued success of our business.”
The new Image Services division will provide professional photography, 3D virtual tours, floor plans, videography and drone footage.
Services will be accessible through a centralized booking platform and delivered by a vetted network of visual content professionals.
“As an independent family-owned business, we’re able to quickly pivot to overcome obstacles and meet the evolving needs of the market,” said Steve Baird, president and CEO of Baird & Warner. “We’re excited to welcome Shannon to the Baird & Warner family as vice president of Image Services. Her expertise, leadership and deep industry connections will be the driving force behind creating a best-in-class visual marketing platform for our agents and their clients.”
The launch adds to a series of recent initiatives by Baird & Warner.
That includes the rollout of the MAXA digital marketing platform, a November 2024 brand refresh and the acquisition of Dream Town Real Estate — which made Baird & Warner the largest independent real estate firm in the Chicago area and second-largest brokerage by transaction volume in 2024. The company announced today that Chicago-based top luxury group Team Fallico was joining the brokerage.