Rocket has hired former Inman Editorial Director Jim Dalrymple II as principal of industry relations, putting the longtime real estate journalist in a role focused on building ties with MLSs, brokerages, trade groups and technology companies.
Dalrymple spent nearly eight years at Inman, joining the publication as a reporter in 2018 before becoming special projects editor, interim editorial director and, most recently, editorial director. During his tenure, he published approximately 2,000 bylined stories. Before Inman, Dalrymple was a reporter at BuzzFeed News.
Dalrymple said his new role will center on building relationships with MLSs, brokerages and other organizations across the housing industry.
“I think the gist is that it’s a pivotal time for the industry,” Dalrymple told Inman. “There’s all this consolidation, there’s all this change, all this tech, and what I’ll be focusing on is building bridges between organizations.”
That work will include developing relationships with MLSs, brokerages and other housing organizations and identifying areas where Rocket can collaborate or form partnerships, he said.
Rocket said the position is intended to deepen relationships with industry stakeholders and help the people shaping housing policy better understand the company’s strategy and its potential impact on consumers.
Dalrymple said Rocket’s recent expansion stood out to him because the company has pursued vertical integration rather than simply expanding within a single segment of the housing market. Rocket’s acquisition of Redfin added a national brokerage and home-search portal to its mortgage business, while its purchase of Mr. Cooper expanded the company’s mortgage servicing operations.
“They’re building this vertical integration that I thought was a very interesting, different approach than what you see from a lot of companies,” Dalrymple said. “I think that’s a smart move, given all the market pressures we’re seeing.”
Dalrymple also described the career change as bittersweet after spending much of his professional life in journalism. But he said the relationship-building skills he developed as a reporter and editor should translate naturally to his new position.
“At the end of the day, a lot of the job is calling people up and shooting the breeze with them, finding information and packaging that information in ways that make sense to whatever audience you’re trying to reach,” he said.
“Even though it’s not a media role, the fundamentals of relationship building and talking to people still apply.”
Joe Rath, Rocket’s head of industry relations, said Dalrymple brings credibility and trusted relationships developed through years of reporting.
“He understands the complexity of the issues we’re all navigating right now, and he brings trusted relationships that will be important as Rocket propels this industry forward,” Rath said in the announcement.
Author’s note: Dalrymple previously served as the story author’s direct supervisor at Inman.
