Earlier this month, National Land Realty Brokers and Land Professionals flew in from around the country to sunny San Antonio, TX for the annual National Land Summit! Held over 2 days, attendees were treated to various informational presentations from industry experts to expand their knowledge of the land real estate market, prize raffles, a critter-calling competition, celebrate our 2023 award winners, and more! 

The first day began with a rousing introductory speech from the CEO of National Land Realty, Ronnie Richardson, followed by a presentation from the team at Gallagher Insurance on how agents can use industry best practices to protect themselves and their clients from legal action.

Afterward, the group split for breakout sessions presented by National Land Realty professionals! Land Brokers Clint Flowers, ALC, Pete Mazeine, ALC, CCIM, and Hunter Suggs, CCIM, shared their knowledge of conservation easements and the ways that they can be used to the buyer’s advantage, while Chief Technology Officer Tyler VanMeeteren provided an in-depth look at the mapping and property-identification capabilities of LandGate!

Following a short break for lunch provided by the fantastic hotel staff, Chief Marketing Officer Mac Christian hopped in the hot seat for a presentation on the marketing team’s achievements in 2023, consuming shots of hot sauce for any audience question that left him stumped. 

Another set of breakout sessions consisted of a crowd favorite presentation from Tyler VanMeeteren and Steve Roberson from Land iD on the extensive mapping capabilities of their software, as well as a session with Jeramy Stephens, ALC, Head of National Land Realty’s Auction Division on an overview of land auctions and the ways that they can benefit clients.

The final session of day 1 focused on case studies from our Land 1031 Division. This presentation by National Land Realty’s 1031 exchange service facilitator Olivia Sanders, as well as Jonathan Barge and Brent Abrahms from Accruit provided plenty of information on the financial benefits of 1031 exchanges for landowners! 

Before dismissing for the day, Jason Lupardus and Pete Daugherty from Turkeys for Tomorrow were welcomed to the stage to officiate a National Land Summit first, the Critter-Calling Competition! Although there were strong showings from multiple competitors, three winners were ultimately chosen from the rest. Congratulations to NLR’s Digital Marketing Specialist, Liv Winstead, for her impressive elk call, Billy Parker and Billy Maxfield for their turkey-call duet, and finally Greg Ford for his menagerie of different calls!

Day 2 began early with breakfast roundtable discussions hosted by many members of National Land Realty departments like support, marketing, commercial real estate, and technology! The first session of the day came from Jason Little, Director of Valuation & Analytical Services for Forest Resource Consultants on the ways that timber is valued on a property and the factors that determine value. 

This was followed by a panel discussion between Vice President for Freeland & Kaufman Inc. Todd Burnett, residential developer Rob Tessar, and the managing broker of NLR’s Houston Texas Office, Rick Gaul. This discussion was led by NLR’s Director of Commercial Real Estate Cory Bowes, and covered the process of a commercial real estate deal from start to finish.

After a short break, the current chairman of the John E. Walker Department of Economics at Clemson University, Professor Scott Baier took to the stage to provide an economic outlook for 2024 as well as what we may see in the market. Later, Jeff Danker and Daniel McVay from BuckVentures shared their tips for advertising listings and harnessing the power of television for agents.

Following lunch, Director of Marketing Kelly Balderrama and Digital Marketing Specialist Liv Winstead presented digital ad strategies for agents to employ and provided tips on creating their own advertisements. The group then split for a second round of breakout sessions, with Cole Cannon and Chancey Holdsworth from BuckVentures sharing advice on shooting better videos for listings to stand out from the competition, and Jason Lupardus from Turkeys for Tomorrow sharing their vision and mission to create more habitats for turkeys throughout the country via sustainable land management. Jason ended his session with the announcement of a partnership between Turkeys for Tomorrow and National Land Realty which will benefit landowners and agents on a national level!

Concluding the second day was a panel discussion with some of National Land Realty’s top listing producers. Cailein Campbell, Nick Ardis, and Alec Wardenburg all shared the stage to discuss the ways that they found success over the past year and their advice for agents just getting started. 

Later that evening, attendees gathered in the La Vista ballroom for cocktail hour and a silent auction before the annual awards banquet ceremony, celebrating the phenomenal achievements of our Brokers and Land Professionals in 2023. Hosted by CEO Ronnie Richardson, this year’s awards ceremony recognized Landiversaries, sales achievements, and more! Congratulations to all of our award winners!

5 Year Landiversaries:

Judy Allen

Scott McWilliams

Barkley Gannon

Matt Anderson

Jacob Lyle

Lewis Peters

Ben Rudolph

Caleb Risinger

Alec Wardenburg

Phillip Thomas

Keaton Page

Austin Hill

Korley Sears

David Hansen

Dalton Tillison

Mac Ables

James Reed

John Walter

Rob Clowers

Bobby Spivey

Ashley Eaton

Milton Jefcoat

Dan Latham

Jennifer Woodson

Scott Lawrence

Glenn Dudley

10-Year Landiversaries:

Cailein Campbell

Tommy Stroud Jr.

Ellis Pilgreen

Carrie Biney

Garrett Ingram

Brand Champion: Jimmy Riley | Natchez, MS

Social Media Partner: Chandler Guy | Gulf Coast Office

Best Land Tour 360®: Edward Weathers | Greenville, SC

Best Photography: Gabe Goodson | Birmingham, AL

Idea of the Year: Edward Weathers and Robert Waddell | Greenville, SC and Charleston, SC

Top Blogger: Ashley McCraney | Southeast Alabama Office

Podcaster of the Year: Wayne Dunson | West Texas Office

Group Engagement Award: Beth McLellan | Kosciusko, MS

Stuck in the Mud Award: Drew Arnold | Hattiesburg, MS

Smallest Commission of the Year: Mitchell Jones | Gulf Coast Office

Support Crew Appreciation Award: Meghan Horine | Greenville, SC

Field Team Appreciation Award: Jacob Jenkins | Indiana Office

Referral of the Year: Heath Fant and Mitchell Jones | Birmingham, AL and Gulf Coast Office

Deal of the Year: “Strike Eagle” Edward Weathers | Greenville, SC

The Top 50:

50. Chuck Neely | Western VA Office

49. Will Snider | Southeast Alabama Office

48. Cameron Smith | Middle Georgia Office

47. Jimmy Riley | Natchez, MS

46. Keaton Page | McAlester, OK

45. Paul Goins | Central NC Office

44. Jeramy Stephens, ALC | Little Rock, AR

43. Jeremy Oehlert | Pittsburg, KS

42. Phil Dodd | McAlester, TX

41. Clifton Holloman, ALC, MBA | Kinston, NC

40. Jason Abrams | Gulf Coast Office

39. Billy Parker | North Piedmont Office

38. Parker Breuel | Knoxville, TN

37. Ronald Vaughn | Illinois Office

36. Lee Kegley | Richmond, VA

35. Beth McLellan, ALC | Kosciusko, MS

34. Dale Jeffreys | Tuscaloosa, AL

33. Mark Anderson | Hattiesburg, MS

32. Ryan Schroeter, ALC | Omaha Office

31. John Conger | Central AZ Office

30. Cory Bowes | Raleigh, NC

29. Taylor Baumgarner | Greenville, SC

28. Graham Tayloe | Tuscaloosa, AL

27. Travis Cleveland | Gulf Coast Office

26. Austin Hill | Middle Georgia Office

The Top 25:

25. Robert Waddell | Charleston, SC

24. Valorie Vietti | Chanute, KS

23. Daniel Dukes | Charleston, SC

22. Cailein Campbell, ALC | Wilmington, NC

21. Forrest During | Southeast Alabama Office

20. Tom Leatherbury, Jr. | Gulf Coast Office

19. Peter Mazeine, ALC, CCIM | Central NC Office

18. Brandon Jennings | Central MO Office

17. Mike Helms | Oregon Office

16. Will Hairston | Gulf Coast Office

15. Gregory Greer | Charleston, SC

14. Jay Cassels, ALC | McAlester, OK

13. Jacob Lemons | Oklahoma City, OK

12. Edward Weathers | Greenville, SC

11. Brandon Wilkins | Baton Rouge, LA

The Top 10:

10. Brett Harden | Birmingham, AL

9. Mitchell Jones | Gulf Coast Office

8. Travis Chaffin | LaGrange, GA

7. Lee Skinner | Tuscaloosa, AL

6. Chase Blalock | Mountain View, NC

5. Aaron Sutton | Kinston, NC

4. Tommy Stroud, Jr., ALC | St. Simons Island, GA

3. Hunter Suggs, CCIM | Columbia, SC

2. Greg Clearman | Jackson, MS

1. Clint Flowers, ALC | Gulf Coast Office

Top Producer (Volume): Greg Clearman | Jackson, MS

Top Producer (Acreage): John Boyken, Jr. | Indiana Office

Top Producer (Listings): Travis Chaffin | LaGrange, GA

Top Producing Team: Tim and Valorie Vietti | Chanute, KS

Office of the Year: McAlester, Oklahoma

Impact Award: Wayne Dunson | West Texas Office

Managing Broker of the Year: Rick Gaul | Houston, TX

Rising Star Award: Brandon Wilkins | Baton Rouge, LA

Top Gun Award: Clint Flowers, ALC | Gulf Coast Office

The President’s Award: Hunter Suggs, CCIM | Columbia, SC

We would like to thank everyone who was able to attend this year’s National Land Summit. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments and hard work over the past year, and we’ll see you all again for the 2025 National Land Summit in Chattanooga, TN! 

And a very special thank you to all of our National Land Summit sponsors for their contributions!