Robert Burns will take over as president of West Des Moines-based Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group on Sept. 1, leading a family-owned operation that was launched in 1961 by the late Marvin Pomerantz. Burns succeeds Randall Clarkson, who announced in July that he was leaving the position after 25 years with the company. Burns is currently vice president of field programs at NRT LLC in New Jersey, the nation’s largest owner and operator of residential real estate brokerages and an affiliated brand of Coldwell Banker, according to the release. In West Des Moines, he will lead operations and assume responsibility for sales, marketing, education and relocation functions. He is a native of Minnesota. His spouse, Crystal, is a native of Iowa. Carolyn Helmlinger, a previous president and CEO with Coldwell Banker Mid-America Group, assisted with the search for Clarkson’s replacement.