The Scoop Webinar / Expanding Your Practice: Navigating Commercial Real Estate in Virginia / Upcoming May 06, 2026

Heather is a commercial associate broker in Richmond; she holds her CCIM designation.  She also owns Placer Realty Advisors, a commercial appraisal firm and is an MAI designated appraiser. Heather is a 2025 graduate of the NAR Leadership Academy, current chair of the NAR Commercial Leadership Forum and 2024 NAR Commercial Economic and Trends Forum Chair.  She currently serves on the Virginia Association of Realtors Board of Directors and regularly teaches seminars on for residential agents interested in commercial brokerage.  

Outside of NAR, Heather has served on several other national boards including the Appraisal Institute and CCIM Boards of Directors.  She is currently a governor appointed member of the Virginia Real Estate Appraisal Board.

Heather holds two master’s degrees (one in real estate).  In her spare time she volunteers with several animal rescue groups; she has extensive nonprofit experience, having founded a local 501C3.  She resides in Moseley with her husband Ryder, who is also a Realtor.

Tim Churchwell, CCIM.  Currently serves as Chairman for NAR Commercial Economic Trends Committee and member of the Commercial Committee and Research Committee.  Past Global Board of Directors The CCIM Institute and present member of the global marketing committee for The CCIM Institute.  

Nathan Hughes is the Owner and Principal Broker of Sperity Real Estate Ventures, a Richmond-based commercial real estate firm focused exclusively on small business owners. He came to the business through finance and a decade working inside restaurants and small businesses, which shaped how he thinks about every deal. He holds the CCIM designation and has spent years serving the Realtor association at the local, state, and national levels, including his role as 2020 Chair of NAR's Commercial Federal Policy Committee and his current role as 2026 Chair of NAR's Commercial Committee. As Treasurer of Richmond's Economic Development Authority Board, he works alongside the people making financing and incentive decisions that shape the commercial market from the ground up. Every agent on his team came to Sperity with little to no commercial experience, so he has spent his career thinking carefully about what it actually takes to make that transition successfully.