C-Suite Conversation feat. Ashley Peace

President, Sauer Properties, Inc.

Ashley Peace serves as President of Sauer Properties, Inc., a private company based in Richmond, Virginia specializing in commercial real estate development and investment. Peace is responsible for strategic leadership and operations of the company. Peace also oversees the company's development, construction, leasing, acquisitions, and sales activities. Peace’s team recently completed the development of approximately 330,000 square feet of Class A retail and office at The Sauer Center, an award-winning, mixed-use center anchored by a Whole Foods Market in Richmond’s midtown.

Peace has extensive real estate experience in residential and commercial real estate, land use planning, and valuation. As former Director of Real Estate Development for HHHunt Corporation, Peace executed a broad range of corporate real estate strategies and transactions. Peace managed the land use, entitlements, and design process to develop new construction apartment and senior living communities throughout the East Coast; $230 million+ in development.

Peace previously served as the Director of Real Estate and Construction for Lidl US. Peace was instrumental in the international retailer's entry into the US market overseeing real estate acquisitions, land use development, and construction throughout the Southeast. Peace's regional real estate team constructed eight of Lidl's first ten stores which opened in June 2017. Her team went on to construct and open twenty-four (24) stores in eighteen (18) months.

As a land use planner, Peace worked on large-scale economic development projects in the Richmond, VA region and provided planning and real estate consulting services to Bon Secours Richmond Health System. Peace also worked for Colliers International (formerly MGMiller Valuations) as a Commercial Real Estate Analyst. Peace has valuation experience in all commercial real estate property types.

Peace is a parent volunteer for St. Catherine’s and St. Christopher’s Schools and serves on the Board of Trustees for Capital Trees and LISC Virginia Local Advisory Committee. She enjoyed serving as an appointed Planning Commissioner for Hanover County. Peace is active in the Richmond Real Estate Group, GRACRE, CREW, and is a member of VCU’s Real Estate Circle of Excellence and Virginia Tech Blackwood Program in Real Estate Industry Advisory Board. Peace was honored as a finalist in 2022 and winner of the 2023 Richmond BizSense RVA Power Women Awards. She was recognized for her impact in the real estate development and construction industry.

Peace holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.S. from Virginia Tech.