Auction.com is proud to announce that Connor Atherton, Vice President of Engineering, has won a 2025 HousingWire Rising Stars Award. This prestigious recognition honors housing economy professionals who have become leaders in their respective fields.
“I’m truly honored to receive this recognition from HousingWire,” said Atherton. “This award belongs to our entire engineering team, whose talent, innovation, and dedication have brought us this far—and yet, we’re just scratching the surface. Together, we’ll continue building technology that opens new doors for homeownership and drives greater transparency and efficiency in real estate transactions nationwide.”
Over the past year, Atherton has spearheaded several transformative initiatives that have significantly enhanced Auction.com’s technological capabilities. His leadership in expanding Remote Bid technology into complex regulatory environments like New York and Arizona has substantially increased nationwide participation in foreclosure auctions.
Atherton also pioneered the development of a proprietary financial management system that oversees $1.7 billion in escrow accounts with unprecedented transparency. This system allows users to track their funds with granular visibility throughout the transaction process, building essential trust in high-value real estate transactions.
“Connor’s leadership has driven real impact—expanding Remote Bid, advancing contract generation, and strengthening our mission,” said Auction.com President Ali Haralson. “He sees beyond transactions to the people and communities they affect. His commitment to transparency and innovation is helping us create better outcomes for homeowners and neighborhoods.”
Atherton also led the complete overhaul of Auction.com’s contract generation system, internalizing a process previously outsourced to vendors. This proprietary system now handles the complexity of state, county, and city-specific legal requirements for foreclosure and REO transactions. Changes that once took weeks now take minutes, enabling faster closings.
“Connor distinguishes himself through his vast impact and scope across our organization,” said Mirza Baig, Auction.com Chief Technology Officer. “His ability to understand the business, build customer-focused solutions, and be a true partner in the development process exemplifies what we want from our engineering leaders. His leadership has changed how we design, build, and deploy technology, significantly accelerating our ability to respond to market needs.”
When not working, Connor enjoys seeing his son learning to walk under the shadows of snow-capped mountains in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and building timber-framed structures using traditional Japanese carpentry techniques.