#12 - Expanding the Clear Way | People First, Always

In this episode of The Clear Voice, James Groom talks with Clear President Michael Boese and Mark Shrives, Clear Vice President and Northwest Regional Director, about Clear Career Professionals expanding The Clear Way into the Northwest and western United States.

The conversation highlights Clear’s growing ability to serve local governments in Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Idaho, California, and surrounding states through municipal executive search, city manager recruitment, strategic planning, emergency preparedness, organizational reviews, and leadership consulting.

Mark shares his journey from military service to city management, including his work in Montana and Oregon, and explains how leadership, planning, budgeting, infrastructure, and personnel management experience can translate into local government. The episode also explores how military veterans can better communicate their experience when pursuing city management and other municipal leadership roles.

Michael and Mark also discuss the Columbia Falls City Manager recruitment, Clear’s people first recruiting process, the importance of live candidate engagement, and why cities benefit from a process that respects both the client and the candidate.

The episode also looks beyond recruiting. Mark’s background with FEMA and emergency management adds depth to Clear’s ability to help cities review preparedness plans, assess risk, test emergency response readiness, and think strategically about mitigation, response, and recovery.

At its core, this episode is about the continued expansion of Clear Career Professionals while staying grounded in the same mission, helping local governments hire better, lead better, plan better, and serve better.

00:00 Introduction to Clear and Its Unique Recruitment Model 05:53 The Importance of Candidate Communication 10:23 Innovative Recruitment Processes at Clear 15:39 Learning from Mistakes in Recruitment 19:55 The Role of Co-founders and Unique Projects 24:09 Leadership Journeys and Team Dynamics 28:19 The Clear Model: Communication and Engagement 29:36 Organizational Reviews and Community Impact 31:35 Diverse Services Offered by Clear 33:19 Podcasting for Community Engagement 35:03 Successful Placements and Community Impact 38:35 Future Directions and Upcoming Projects

Purchase 540 Leadership by Michael Boese: https://amzn.to/4h43L3U The views and opinions expressed on The Clear Voice do not necessarily reflect those of Clear Career Professionals. The discussion of any company, product, or service is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an endorsement. Connect With Clear Career Professionals

Clear Career Professionals is a Texas based municipal executive search firm specializing in City Manager search services, municipal executive search, and local government leadership consulting for cities and counties across Texas and the United States.

Clear works with communities to recruit City Managers, City Administrators, Assistant City Managers, Police Chiefs, Fire Chiefs, Finance Directors, HR Directors, and other senior municipal leaders. In addition to executive search services, Clear provides local government leadership training, organizational assessments, executive coaching, interim leadership placements, and strategic consulting designed to strengthen city organizations and support effective public service leadership.

Clear partners with city councils, county commissioners, and public sector leadership teams seeking experienced municipal professionals who can guide growing communities, manage complex organizations, and deliver strong public service outcomes.

Career Opportunities https://clearcareerpro.com/career-opportunities

LinkedIn https://linkedin.com/company/clear-career-pro Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.