About Us
Nevada County’s Premier Commercial Real Estate Agent Team
Lock Richards
Lock Richards serves as a President and Broker for Highland Commercial, Inc. specializing in the sale and leasing of office, industrial, retail, land & multi-family properties in the Sierra Foothills and Greater Sacramento regions of Northern California. As an active licensed real estate broker since 1990, he has over 25 years of invaluable knowledge and experience and has grown his firm into the region’s most respected commercial real estate company.
Prior to joining with Sperry Commercial Global Affiliates, Richards’ firm was affiliated with Sperry Van Ness/SVN for 15 years, and Richards consistently earned annual recognition in the top echelon of producers nationally for the company. In his backyard of Nevada County, he has brokered the majority of all commercial land deals and has successfully closed many of the area’s highest-profile commercial property transactions. He has completed deals with such prominent companies as Tractor Supply, Dollar General, National Semiconductor, 2Wire, Tektronix and Linear Technology Corporation.
Prior to moving to Nevada County, Richards spent several years in corporate real estate in the Bay Area. At Beazer Developments West and Hanson Properties West in SanFrancisco, he managed several large-scale, formerly industrial properties, transitioning them into successful developments, including a half-million square foot office park in the heart of Silicon Valley (now home to Microsoft Corp.) and a Home Depot/Food for Less shopping center in Hayward, California. Richards was also responsible for the project management and disposition of a multi-million dollar portfolio of the operating company’s properties throughout the Western United States.
Richards began his career in Sacramento working in office leasing for Buzz Oates Enterprises / Sylva-Kirk & Company. He also spent several years in office leasing and sales in the East Bay Area at Norris, Beggs & Simpson. Richards graduated from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982.
Susie Richards
Susie serves as Office Manager/Leasing Assistant for Highland Commercial and has over 10 years experience with office, industrial and retail property leasing in Nevada County. She is a state of California licensed real estate agent.
Prior to joining Highland Commercial, Susie enjoyed a 22-year career in sales in the hospitality industry working for such companies as the Four Seasons Hotels, Pan Pacific Hotels & Resorts and Campton Place Hotel in San Francisco. Her hospitality experience culminated in the position of director of destination services for the Resort at Squaw Creek, where in less than three years she grew her division into a multi-million dollar revenue center.
A native of England, Richards graduated from London University and moved to the United States in 1981. susie@highlandcre.com.
Nancy Leslie
Nancy serves as Transaction Coordinator and Marketing Assistant for Highland Commercial. She is a licensed California real estate agent and has been with the company since 2007. Nancy is integral to keeping the firm firing on all cylinders. She handles marketing, escrow coordination, data base research and client services in assistance to Lock and Susie.
Prior to joining Highland Commercial, Nancy worked in real estate finance as a loan officer for Stanford Mortgage in Grass Valley, and held several marketing positions in Silicon Valley’s high-tech industry.
Nancy resides in Grass Valley with her wonderful husband Mike and her German Shepherd named Moses.
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