Bellingham, Washington, United States – January 2026 — PLACE, a vertically integrated real estate and homeownership platform, announced today that Chris Heller has joined the company as its first Chief Revenue Officer.
PLACE is executing a long-term strategy to consolidate fragmented parts of the homeownership journey—real estate, mortgage, title, insurance, and home services—into a single, consumer-centric platform. By pairing this integrated infrastructure with the industry’s top-performing agents and teams, PLACE is building a repeatable, high-margin model designed to drive durable revenue, higher lifetime value, and increased consumer retention.
“For years, I’ve watched PLACE methodically build the infrastructure required to support scale,” said Heller. “What’s compelling about PLACE is that it’s no longer just enabling transactions—it’s assembling a full homeownership platform with multiple revenue streams, strong unit economics, and long-term consumer relationships. That’s where real value gets created.”
Heller brings more than three decades of experience spanning brokerage, mortgage, and proptech leadership. He has personally sold over 4,000 homes, led Keller Williams Realty International as CEO during a period of global expansion, served as CEO of LoanDepot’s mellohome, and most recently as President of OJO Labs, which was acquired by Lower Mortgage last year. He will stay involved as an advisor for Lower.
According to co-founder Ben Kinney, “Chris’s career uniquely bridges frontline production, enterprise leadership, and consumer technology—experience directly aligned with PLACE’s next phase of growth.”
As Chief Revenue Officer, Heller will oversee revenue strategy across PLACE’s portfolio of technology and services, aligning go-to-market execution, pricing, customer acquisition, retention, and cross-platform monetization. His mandate includes optimizing revenue performance across existing business units while unlocking incremental growth through tighter integration of consumer touchpoints across the homeownership lifecycle.
“PLACE was built with scale in mind from day one,” said Ben Kinney, Co-Founder of PLACE. “Chris understands how to connect platform strategy, revenue architecture, and consumer experience. As we continue expanding PLACE into a comprehensive homeownership ecosystem, his leadership is a force multiplier.”
PLACE’s model centers on leveraging trusted agent relationships to anchor long-term consumer engagement, while delivering centralized infrastructure that lowers operating costs, improves conversion, and expands revenue per household over time. Heller’s role will further institutionalize this model by aligning sales, operations, and product strategy around measurable growth outcomes.
“Chris brings rare perspective—he’s operated at scale, built consumer platforms, and understands how capital, technology, and distribution intersect,” said Chris Suarez, Co-Founder of PLACE. “That perspective is critical as PLACE continues to mature into a platform with both strategic and financial leverage.”
Earlier this month, PLACE announced several additional senior leadership hires to support its next phase of growth, including Vice President of Growth Nikki Miller, General Counsel Jamie Jatzlau, and Senior Vice President of Title Operations and Strategy Claire Dunham.
About PLACE
PLACE is a category-defining real estate and homeownership technology platform that partners with top real estate agents and teams to deliver integrated technology, business services, and an end-to-end consumer experience. PLACE operates across real estate, mortgage, title, insurance, and home services, creating a seamless journey from search to closing and beyond.
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