Founded in 2007 by Brad DeHays, Connect Real Estate specializes in real estate portfolio management. Connect provides development, management and brokerage services for residential and commercial real estate while partnering with Connect Construction to stabilize and maintain real estate assets. The firm’s vertically integrated platform includes transaction services, asset management and property management.

ADAPTIVE REUSE AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION

Connect Real Estate has made its name in Columbus as an urban-infill developer and the foremost authority in the region on the adaptive reuse and preservation of historic properties. Connect has demonstrated time and again its commitment to restoring buildings of historical value to Central Ohio neighborhoods and has been lauded by community leaders for its removal of urban blight and vision in taking on difficult rehabilitation projects other development companies would deem too challenging to pursue. The development team at Connect Real Estate believes in the importance of honoring history and takes pride in reviving relics of the past and making them operational for the 21st century.

Historic preservation offers tremendous benefits to the public. In addition to revitalizing symbols of our local communities, it is:

  • Friendly to the environment - it is less wasteful to reuse an existing building than to build from the ground up
  • An economic winner - building rehabilitation projects are often eligible for tax credits and financial incentives and typically create higher paying jobs for construction staff due to the complexities of the work.

 

WHO IS CONNECT REAL ESTATE?

BRAD DEHAYS

FOUNDER and PRESIDENT

Brad DeHays, founder and president of Connect Real Estate and Connect Construction, is an accomplished real estate developer, investor and property manager. An expert in the adaptive re-use of historic commercial buildings, his achievements are visible throughout downtown Columbus and surrounding markets. DeHays is personally involved in every stage of the development process, from initial site selection to concept design, construction management and ongoing operations.

Robert Lamb

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT - DEVELOPMENT

 

JUSTIN SULSBERGER, CPA, MBA

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Justin Sulsberger brings nearly 20 years of experience in the accounting and finance industry to the team at Connect Real Estate. Sulsberger oversees all financial and accounting services and provides operational and programmatic support, including budget management, cost benefit analysis, economic forecasting and the procurement of new funding.

JOLENE SPECTOR

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Jolene Spector directs day-to-day operations for all Connect Real Estate business lines. Since joining Connect in 2011 she has managed teams of bookkeepers, AP and AR associates, property managers and maintenance staff for the company while maximizing efficiencies, managing finances of projects and handling customer concerns. She is involved in all phases of the development process, from acquisition to stabilization.

TODD DEHAYS

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

Todd DeHays has over 20 years of marketing and design experience. Since 2007, DeHays executes the transactional side for Connect Real Estate's personal and managed investment portfolios while also directing communication materials for development projects and hospitality assets. Previously, as an interactive director in Cincinnati he designed and managed multi-tier marketing projects including growth strategies for multiple Fortune 100 & 500 companies including Proctor & Gamble and Newell Brands.

ERIN PRICE

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY MANAGER

 

CHRISTY O'LEARY

PROPERTY MANAGER