Building the Communications Function Columbus REALTORS® Needed
The Company
Columbus REALTORS® is the professional trade association for Realtors in greater Central Ohio, serving 9,500 members. With a mission centered on educating members, advocating on their behalf, and keeping pace with a changing industry, strong leadership at every level carries real weight.
Context and Opportunity
When the senior communications role became vacant, Brent Swander, CEO of Columbus REALTORS®, was not looking for a simple replacement. The industry was in a period of change, with class action lawsuits being filed across the sector. Even though those did not directly involve Columbus REALTORS®, the environment raised the stakes for getting this hire right.
More importantly, Brent already had a clear sense of what had not worked. Previous senior hires that came through job postings looked strong on paper and interviewed well. But once in the role, the fit was not there. There was no reliable way to understand how those individuals would actually operate inside the team.
This search was different. It was the first time Columbus REALTORS® partnered with Paramount, and it would set the tone for every leadership hire that followed.
Key Challenges
- Replacement hire in a role with direct impact on member communication
- Increasing Industry uncertainty was raising the stakes forgetting this hire right.
- Previous hiring approach had not produced the right long term fit
- Needed a leader who could combine member engagement with strong storytelling
- High cost of a mis-hire: The wrong hire at this level would mean significant cost in time, money, and reputational risk.
How We Approached the Association Executive Search
- Understood the team before defining the role
Before the role was taken to market, Paramount had already profiled the existing senior team using personality assessments. At that point, there had been no in person interaction with the team.
Even so, the assessment data made it possible to identify how individuals were likely to operate, including their strengths, limitations, and how they would interact with one another. That created an objectives tarting point and gave Brent a clearer picture of the team he was building around.
Every step that followed was built on that understanding.
- Defined the role with clarity
We worked directly with Brent to define what success in this role actually required. That went beyond responsibilities and experience.
The focus was on how the individual needed to operate, how they would lead, and how they would fit into the broader leadership team. That clarity shaped the search from the beginning rather than being adjusted along the way.
- Applied assessment data throughout the process
Each candidate completed a personality assessment. That data was not treated as a standalone tool, but as part of a broader evaluation.
It was used alongside interviews and experience to understand how each person would show up in the role, how they would communicate, and how they would integrate with the existing team.
- Stayed close and stayed honest
Paramount managed and led the entire search process from initial job posting through to final committee-candidate interviews. That ensured consistency in how candidates were evaluated and how decisions were made. It also kept the work load and pressure off the staff of Columbus REALTORS®
At times, candidates attempted to contact Columbus REALTORS® directly to work around the process. When that happened, Columbus REALTORS® was direct about it and redirected those candidates back through Paramount. The integrity of the process was maintained throughout.
Although the search was led and managed by the team at PCG, the hiring decision remained entirely with Brent and his team.
What Happened Next
The right person was hired, and the impact continued to show up over time.
At the point of hire, the Senior Director had one direct report. From there, the function was built deliberately. The team expanded to seven people, covering communications, marketing, events, and community engagement.
That growth followed the leadership. With the right person in place, the structure underneath became clearer. Communication improved across departments. The function became more integrated with the rest of the organization. A PR campaign was launched to support both members and the broader public.
What had previously been a fragmented area became a reliable part of how the organization operated.
Results
- First senior hire made through a structured, assessment driven process
- Communications team grew from 1 employee to 7 employees
- Events, marketing, and community engagement aligned under one function
- Stronger collaboration across departments
- PR campaign launched for members and consumers
- Zero staff turnover in 2025
"Hiring the right candidate in that spot helped me hire the right candidates under him to build that team." -Brent Swander, CEO, Columbus REALTORS®
Why This One Stuck With Us
This was the first hire we made for Columbus REALTORS®. The stakes were high because it was our first chance to demonstrate the process we rely on, and set the bar for everything that followed.
What stood out was how much the right hire created space for everything that followed. One clear appointment at the right level became the foundation for an entire function. That's not always visible at the start of a search. But it's what careful hiring at senior level makes possible
About Paramount Consulting Group
We partner with associations, professional societies, and member driven organizations to place CEOs and Executive Directors, as well as senior functional leaders across communications, membership, marketing, advocacy, operations, and finance. Our process combines retained search with job benchmarking and behavioral assessments to help boards and CEOs make confident, long term hires.
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