Real Estate Circle of Excellence members get a quarry-side lesson in leadership
A professional development session challenges industry veterans and students alike to lead with change when the ground shifts beneath them.
By Megan Nash
The heads-up came early: at some point, a controlled explosion might send a tremor through the ground. Just another day at Luck Stone, the site of the VCU Kornblau Real Estate Circle of Excellence’s latest professional development workshop.
Seventeen real estate professionals and VCU School of Business students gathered at the quarry last week for “Leading Through Change,” a session on managing change effectively, led by Dr. Tom Epperson (B.A. ’97), president of Innerwill Leadership Institute. The nonprofit, founded by Luck Companies, works with businesses and family-run organizations to develop leaders and build stronger teams through values-based leadership.
Vik Murthy (B.S. ’96, M.B.A. ’04), a land use development manager at Luck Real Estate Ventures, a division of Luck Companies specializing in land use and development, organized the event as part of his role in the Circle of Excellence. Members of the Circle can host professional development sessions, and Murthy saw leadership as a conversation worth having.
“It was a great opportunity to think about real estate differently,” said Murthy. “Not just about transactions, but about the lasting impact we have on communities.”
For the professionals in attendance–representing banks, law firms and development firms–it was a departure from the usual discussions of deals and market conditions.
Epperson introduced “VUCA”–a military acronym for volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. The term framed the conversation: Why does change unsettle people? What does it take to lead with both courage and compassion?
The answers weren’t theoretical. A few participants spoke about career shifts, the uncertainty of stepping into new roles or the adjustments that come with retirement. Others described the push and pull of workplace changes–how even small shifts in process or leadership can ripple outward. Throughout the conversation, one idea took hold: change is rarely a solo experience.
“It’s easy to get stuck reacting to change,” Epperson told the group. “Good leaders anticipate it. Great leaders make people feel confident even when the outcome isn’t clear.”
Jessica Penzer (B.S. ‘25), a real estate major and vice president of events for the Real Estate Club at VCU, found herself thinking about leadership in a new way.
“I’ve never worked in a corporate setting,” she said. “But I’ve worked in restaurants, and I saw how leadership played a role there. Today made me think differently about what it means to guide a team.”
Murthy, who joined the Circle of Excellence last year, hoped the session gave members something to take with them.
“We all experience change,” Murthy said. “Having a way to approach it makes all the difference.”
For more information about the Kornblau Real Estate Program at VCU and the Real Estate Circle of Excellence, visit the program website.
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