Conference Presentation Materials (including presentations & final conference attendee list)

Note: These materials are password protected and for those who attended the conference online. Contact Bob Izlar at bizlar@uga.edu to receive a password.

Conference Registration

Conference registration is now live. If you would like to register, click “register now” to be redirected to our vendor site, the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. The registration website also lists additional information about the conference.

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Preliminary Agenda

Speaker Bios

Sponsor Info

Hotel Reservations

Eversheds Sutherland Women In Timber Luncheon Registration

The 2019 Timberland Investment Conference will take place at the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, FL. This beach resort features several restaurants, a spa, tennis facilities, a fitness center, an 18-hole golf course, and of course, easy access to a beautiful ocean beach. The dates for March 19th are currently booked up already at the Ritz-Carlton, but there are still room reservations remaining for March 20th-22nd, 2019. The rooms are going fast, so make reservations ASAP if you plan on staying at the resort.

Click here to book a room. For guests who prefer to call in to make their reservation, the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island has a dedicated group desk available to accommodate you. Please call 866-763-2960 and reference the group name UGA-Timberland Investment Conference when making reservations.

The Ritz also has a variety of rooms at a non-conference rate including suites of several configurations.  These type rooms may be reserved by calling the Amelia Ritz directly at 904-277-1100

Alternative Lodging

Google Map: Hotels of Amelia Island

View Larger Map

Residence Inn Marriot – 904-277-2440, 866-245-6099
Rates: Approximately $150 and up/night
A sister property of the Ritz-Carlton. This hotel is located 3 miles north and provides a complimentary shuttle to the Ritz-Carlton.

Summer Beach Resort Condos & Homes– 904-261-9129, 877-276-0522
Rates: Vary
Located around the island

The Omni – 904-261-6161
Rates: $250 and up/night
Located 3 miles south of the Ritz-Carlton

Amelia Hotel at the Beach/Amelia Hotel & Suites– 904-261-5735, 904-206-5600, 877-263-5428
Rates: Approximately $90 and up/night
Located 3 miles north of the Ritz-Carlton

Days Inn & Suites – 904-277-2300
Rates: Approximatley $ 80 and up/night
Located 3 miles away from the Ritz-Carlton

Hampton Inn at Fernandina Beach – 904-321-1111
Rates: Approximately $150 and up/night
Located 3 miles north of the Ritz-Carlton

Elizabeth Point Lodge – 904-277-4851
Rates: Approximately $320 and up/night
Located 5 miles north of the Ritz-Carlton

Amelia Oceanfront B & B – 904-430-0026
Rates: Approximately $140 and up/night
Located 5 miles north of the Ritz-Carlton

Seaside Amelia Inn – 904-206-5300, 866-866-4535
Rates: Approximately $120 and up/night
Located 5 miles north of the Ritz-Carlton

Comfort Suites Oceanview – 904-261-0193
Rates: Approximately $140 and up/night
Located 5 miles north of the Ritz-Carlton

Hampton Inn & Suites Historic Harbor Front -904-491-4911
Rates: Approximately $195 and up/night
Located 7 miles northwest of the Ritz-Carlton

The Amelia Island Williams House B & B – 904-277-2328, 800-414-9258
Rates: Approximately $200 and up/night
Located 7 miles northwest of the Ritz-Carlton

The Hoyt House B & B – 904-277-4300, 800-432-2085
Rates: Approximately $2o5 and up/night
Located 7 miles northwest of the Ritz-Carlton

The Florida House Inn – 904-491-3322
Rates: Approximately $150 and up/night
Located 7 miles northwest of the Ritz-Carlton

The Addison – 904-277-1604
Rates: Approximately $205 and up/night
Located 7 miles northwest of the Ritz-Carlton

Map & Directions

Directions:
Jacksonville International Airport – 30 minutes

1. I-95 North, travel approximately 7 miles to exit 373, Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach/Callahan Exit.
2. Right onto A1A (SR 200) East
3. Travel east on A1A … 9.6 miles to the Thomas J. Shave Bridge
4. Cross Intercoastal Waterway and travel 3/4 of a mile to first traffic light
5. Turn right at light onto Amelia Island Parkway
6. Travel 2.5 miles to fork in road
7. Veer left at fork and travel 1.5 miles to traffic light
8. Cross through intersection traveling 3/10 of a mile
9. Resort is on the left

For directions from other locations and further information see: Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, Map & Directions.

2019 Conference Speakers

Mary Ellen Aronow

Associate Director, Forest Economics

Hancock Natural Resource Group

Mary Ellen Aronow is responsible for performing economic research to support the business and forestry investment decisions of the Hancock Natural Resource Group (HNRG). Mary Ellen has experience in industrial forest management, timberland investment and forest products markets, with special interest in global markets and international trade.  Before joining HNRG, she was an analyst with Timber-Mart South where she wrote quarterly timber market newsletters and reported on structural changes within the timberland industry; prior to this, she was a forester with the USDA Forest Service in Idaho. Mary Ellen received a B.S. in Forest Management from the University of Montana, and her M.S. in Forest Economics from the University of Georgia. Mary Ellen has authored numerous publications on timberland and real asset investment economics during her twenty –five years in the industry.

Kermit Baker

Senior Research Fellow

Joint Center for Housing Studies

Kermit Baker is a Senior Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, and is the Project Director of the Remodeling Futures Program. This research effort, which began in 1995, is the first comprehensive analysis of U.S. remodeling activity ever undertaken by the Joint Center.  Its goal is to develop an improved understanding of the dynamics of the U.S. repair and renovation industry so that businesses can better take advantage of the opportunities that this market offers.

Kermit also is the Chief Economist for the American Institute of Architects in Washington, D.C.   In this capacity he analyzes business and construction trends for the U.S. economy, and examines their impact on AIA members and the architectural profession.

Prior to joining the Joint Center, Kermit was vice-president and director of the economics department at Reed Business Information where he was responsible for industry forecasting.  During his ten years at Reed Business Information he developed the Top U.S. Construction Market Report and served as editor of the Building and Construction Market Forecast newsletter.

Kermit received his master’s degree in urban planning from Harvard University, and holds a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the same field. In 2006, Kermit was inducted into the National Remodeling Hall of Fame by the National Association of Home Builders.

Jerry Barag

President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director

CatchMark Timber Trust, Inc.

Mr. Jerry Barag serves as President/Chief Executive Officer of CatchMark Timber Trust and is a Director on the firm’s Board of Directors.  He joined the firm in 2013 and brings over 30 years of real estate, timberland and investment experience. Mr. Baragpreviously served as a Principal at TimberStar Advisors where he specialized in acquiring and managing timberlands in the United States. From 2004 through 2011, he served as Managing Director of TimberStar, a timberland investment joint venture. While at TimberStar, he oversaw the acquisition of over $1.4 billion of timberlands. His two prior experiences were with an Atlanta-based investment manager specializing in timberland investment planning and Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, where he served as chief investment officer and chairman of the investment committee.

Mr. Barag earned a Bachelor of Science degree from The University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School.

Michael L. Clutter, Ph.D.

Vice President, Director of U.S. Investments and Operations

Forest Investment Associates

Dr. Clutter is responsible for operations and investment strategy supporting Forest Investment Associates’ (FIA) interests in timberland investment and management in North America. He serves on FIA’s Executive and Investment Committees. Before returning to the private sector with FIA, Mike was the Dean and Hargreaves Distinguished Professor of Forest Finance at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. During his time in academia, Mike was responsible for teaching graduate courses in forest finance in the Warnell School and undergraduate and MBA corporate finance courses in the Terry College of Business.

Previously, Mike spent over 20 years in the forest products industry working with Union Camp Corporation, Georgia-Pacific, and The Timber Company where he was the Director of Decision Support and Information Resources. His primary research interests include the use of financial analysis techniques in the timber and timberland industry, changes in timberland ownership and the factors that impact those changes, and the use of forest information technology in asset valuation.

Mike received a Bachelor of Forest Resources degree from Mississippi State University (1981), and a Master of Forest Resources degree (1983) and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (1993) from the University of Georgia in biometrics and corporate finance. Dr. Clutter is a member of the Society of American Foresters, the Financial Management Association, an inductee of the Georgia Foresters Hall of Fame and past associate editor of Forest Science.

Carter Coe

Chief Financial Officer

Chinook Forest Partners

Carter has been working in the timberland investment asset class since 2010, preceded by early career positions in corporate finance.  Before joining Chinook in 2019, Carter held the position of Principal at Stafford Capital Partners, a private markets investment group with half of its $5.4 billion in Assets Under Management represented in timberland investments. Responsibilities at Stafford included deal sourcing and due diligence, existing portfolio management, client relations and business development. Carter’s deal sourcing and due diligence work supported deployment of client capital across timberland destinations in North America, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Carter joined Stafford from MetLife’s Timberland Finance Group where he underwrote and managed institutional timberland debt and equity holdings.  Prior to his entry into timberland investment, Carter held positions in corporate finance where he gained experience in retail revenue and global payment processing.

Carter holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from The Georgia Institute of Technology, and holds a Master of Forest Resources in Forest Business from The University of Georgia.  Carter is a member of the Young Alumni Committee at The University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and is a Level III CFA examination grader.

Frederick W. Cubbage

Professor

North Carolina State University

Fred Cubbage is Professor, Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University.  He has co-authored more than 1000 research papers (~450) and professional speeches (~550) on analysis of global timber investments, natural resource policy, market based conservation programs, sustainability certification, and agroforestry.  He teaches natural resource policy and forest economics, an is the Co-Director of the Southern Forest Assessment Consortium (SOFAC), which he founded in 1992.  Fred was a Service Forester in Kentucky for 2 years; a professor at Georgia for 10 years; an economist and Research Work Unit Project Leader with the Forest Service for 5 years; Department Head at NC State for 10 years; and now is a professor at NC State, for 15 more years.

Charl De Villiers

Director

Margules Groome Consulting 

Charl De Villiers is a forestry professional with close to 20 years’ experience advising both investment and industry clients. This includes investment/divestment support, appraisals, asset performance assessments, wood market studies and resource utilisation strategies mainly in Africa, Europe, Oceania and Latin America.

During his career he lived in South Africa, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and currently in the Netherlands. His work has taken him to many countries across Africa, Europe, Latin America and Oceania. His experience covers temperate and tropical short and long rotation tree crops in these countries.

Charl joined Margules Groome in 2018 to lead its business development into Europe, Middle East and Africa. His previous positions included Principal and Head of the Forestry Team at Pöyry Management Consulting London (2013-2017), Senior Consultant at Pöyry New Zealand (2008-2012), Planning Manager for Ernslaw One, New Zealand (2007-2008) and Technical Manager for Masonite Africa Limited, South Africa (1998-2006).

Reginald Fay

Principal

Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc

Reginald joined Mason, Bruce & Girard (MB&G) in 2004 and is currently a Principal with the firm. He is responsible for managing the Inventory & Biometrics and Land Management divisions. His work includes forest inventory data management for both industrial and non-industrial landowners and investment companies, as well as forest inventory analysis in support of forest land appraisals and due diligence. Additionally, he develops forest inventory sampling methodology for yearly inventory maintenance and inventory verification projects, and assists clients in preparation of third party forest certification audits under the FSC, SFI and PEFC standards. Reginald works with clients in the Pacific Northwest, the Lake States, the Southeastern United States, and South America.

Prior to joining MB&G Reginald worked for Boise Cascade as a Planning Analyst and spent two years with the Timber Company in their Greensboro, GA office as a Forest Technician/Forest Intern.

Reginal received his Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources Management and his Master of Science in Quantitative Forest Management and Silviculture from the University of Georgia.

Dr. Dale Greene

Dean

Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, University of Georgia

Dale Greene joined the faculty of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources in 1986 and has served the school as Dean since 2015. His research and teaching focused on improving the economic and environmental performance of the wood supply chain. He served two terms on the Georgia State Board of Registration for Foresters and has been active throughout his career with the Georgia Forestry Association and the Georgia Forestry Foundation. His recognitions include all three teaching awards given by the Warnell School, the Outstanding Research Award from the Southeastern Society of American Foresters, and the Wise Owl Award from the Georgia Forestry Association. The Society of American Foresters named him to the Georgia Forester’s Hall of Fame in 2007.  Greene earned a Ph.D. from Auburn University, a MS from Virginia Tech, and a BSF from LSU.

Rainer Häggblom

Chairman and CEO

Häggblom & Partners

Rainer is one of Finland’s most experienced forestry advisors and corporate finance experts. Häggblom is a member of the board of directors in several listed and unlisted companies globally. In assignments related to forestry investments, he has been involved in organizing the UPM forest ownership strategy and has acted as an advisor when Tornator and Bergvik Skog have been established. He is the chairman of the board at “UB Nordic Forest” fund and forest investment company “The Forest Company”.  Häggblom is a M.Sc. (For.) from the University of Helsinki and M.Sc. (Econ.) from the Helsinki School of Economics. Häggblom has served as Chairman and CEO of Jaakko Pöyry Consulting Oy in 1984-2008. He has been the Chairman and CEO of Häggblom & Partners Ltd since 2008. In addition, Mr. Häggblom holds several other board positions in stock-listed and non-listed companies globally.

Robert W. Hagler

Principal

ForestEdge LLC

Robert currently serves as Principal of ForestEdge, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor, and timber investment manager and consultancy serving family offices and direct timberland investors. Previously, Mr. Hagler served as Head of Investment Strategy and an International Portfolio Manager at the BTG Pactual Timberland Investment Group, positions he held after the acquisition by BTG Pactual of the Regions Timberland Group (RTG) in 2013. While at RTG, Mr. Hagler served as International Portfolio Manager, responsible for five globally oriented portfolios with assets in 6 countries on 3 continents outside of North America. Before joining RTG, Mr. Hagler held the position of Director for International Investment Strategies and Economic Research at Hancock Timber Resource Group, and International Portfolio Manager for Prudential Timber Investments.

Victor P. Haley

Partner

Global Executive Chair, Timber and Forest Products

Co-Head of Global Real Estate and Planning

Eversheds Sutherland

Victor Haley is Co-Head of Global Real Estate and Planning, a member of the Global Executive and the Chair of the Timber and Forest Products Group at Eversheds Sutherland.  He has extensive experience across the full range of timberland transactions, including representation of buyers and sellers, timberland financings, joint ventures, timber supply agreements, conservation easements, mitigation banks and carbon sequestration projects. He represented a consortium of buyers in the acquisition of approximately five million acres of timberland from International Paper, which was the largest ever private land transaction.

Victor also regularly represents buyers and sellers of timberlands outside of the United States, most recently in Brazil, Belize, Costa Rica, China, Suriname and Panama. Victor speaks frequently at legal education and business forums on such topics as timberland acquisitions and joint ventures and carbon projects.

Victor graduated from Harvard College and received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.

Bob Izlar

Director

UGA Harley Langdale, Jr. Center for Forest Business

Bob Izlar has been founding director of the UGA Harley Langdale, Jr. Center for Forest Business since 1998. He has 24 years of operational forestry experience in successive positions of responsibility in forest industry. His interests are in forest finance, forest operations, forest business management, and forest policy. He has traveled extensively in Canada, Mexico, Central America, Central Asia, Eastern Asia, Europe, South America and the South Pacific.  He received his BSFR and MFR from the University of Georgia and a MBA from Georgia Southern University. He is a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters, a Fellow of the Swedish Royal Academy of Agriculture and Forestry and SAF Sir William Schlich Memorial medalist.  Izlar is a retired Colonel in the United States Army Reserve with 36 years’ service.

Scott P. Jones—Atlanta, GA

Forest Landowners Association

Chief Executive Officer

Scott Jones joined the Forest Landowners Association in 2003 and has a Bachelor of Science degree in forest resources from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia and is an SAF Certified Forester as well as a Georgia Registered Forester.  Scott was recognized as a Distinguished Young Alumni of the Warnell School and was the first graduate of the program to receive the 40 under 40 award from the UGA Alumni Association.  Scott brings a diverse background of forest land management, procurement, land ownership and advocacy at the state and national level to FLA.  With over 20 years of experience, and 15 years as the CEO of the Forest Landowners Association, Scott is well versed in advocating on issues of importance to private forest landowners that help them access markets and preserve property rights that will sustain the next generation of forest landowners.

Onnie Kiland

Business Development Manager

Orbis, Inc

Onnie Kiland is a business development manager for Orbis, Inc, a GIS and technology solutions provider based out of Charlotte, North Carolina. She has many years of experience in the timber holding sector. This includes supporting the success of multi-layered partnerships to create holistic environments by integrating forestry data, GIS and technology. In her role, Onnie leverages her marketing and commercial acumen to enhance the client experience and identify new opportunities for advancement in technology for the timberland investment lifecycle.

Soile Kilpi

Director

Pöyry Management Consulting

Soile leads the North America Consulting business and she has over 25 years of experience in advising clients related to strategic planning, growth, operations and technology. She works with the industry, private equity, government and OEM clients and supervises projects related to wide variety of products from raw materials to converted end products.  She helps executives and boards to define sustainable futures for their businesses. Soile has worked on engagements in the US, Canada, China, Europe, and Latin America. She is a sought after speaker at pulp and paper industry conferences and she posts blogs related to impact of digitalization on demand, new technologies and industry and retail transformations.

Education:  MSc Business Economics (Aalto University, School of Economics)

Steven King

Director of Global Business Strategy

Campbell Global

As Director of Global Business Strategy, Mr. King develops and supports the firm’s international initiatives. With more than a decade of international experience – including three years based in London and two in Australia – Mr. King has broad experience with large, complex timberland investments in the Americas, Africa, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Mr. King serves on the ESG and Price Forecast Committees.

Prior to joining Campbell Global, Mr. King played a key role in the successful launch of Resource Management Service’s first non-U.S. timberland fund, including acquisitions and portfolio management. Prior to that he held positions with Rayonier and two internationally recognized consulting firms, Jaakko Pöyry Consulting and James W. Sewall Company.

At James W. Sewall Company, Mr. King served as lead appraiser for international projects, including those in Australia, Brazil, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. He also appraised investment-grade timberland properties across the U.S. South.

As a consultant for Jaakko Pöyry Consulting, Mr. King appraised large timberland properties across Australia and New Zealand and performed wood supply and market analyses in Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Korea. He also conducted feasibilities studies for various processing facilities in Europe and Mozambique.

Mr. King received his M.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia and a B.S. in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida.

Hugh Lentile

Director

MetLife Agriculture

As a Director within Metlife Agriculture, Hugh is focused on the execution and delivery of simple, tailored financing solutions to timberland investors.   Prior experience within the industry includes various roles with a TIMO and family office.  He graduated with a B.S. from Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business and an M.F.R. from the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry. He is a Registered Forester in Georgia.

Roger Lord, ACF

President

Mason, Bruce & Girard

Roger is a President of Mason, Bruce & Girard and, in addition, leads the company’s timberland and natural resources valuation services. He has more than 30 years of experience in the areas of timberland appraisal, acquisition and divestiture due diligence, forest economics, and planning.

Roger is a state certified appraiser in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana and specializes in the appraisal of investment grade timberlands and conservation properties throughout the West. In addition, he manages a variety of other projects at MB&G including acquisition & divestiture due diligence, stumpage valuations, forest planning, timber market studies, and biomass and timber supply analyses.

Roger received a B.S. in Forest Science and M.S. in Forest Resources and Operations Research from The Pennsylvania State University. He is a Member of the Association of Consulting Foresters, member of the Society of American Foresters, and a Practicing Affiliate of the Appraisal Institute.

Jack Lutz, PhD

Forest Economist

Forest Research Group

Dr. Jack Lutz is Principal and Forest Economist of the Forest Research Group (founded in 2004) and has over 35 years of experience in timberland investments in academic, industry, research and consulting positions. He is editor of Forest Research Notes, a quarterly newsletter on timberland investments and market dynamics and is adjunct faculty at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources at the University of Georgia and the School of Forest Resources at the University of Maine.

Dr. Lutz received his PhD in Natural Resources and his BS in Forestry from the University of New Hampshire. He has a BS in Business Administration from UNH and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Pete Madden

Chair

Langdale Center for Forest Business Advisory Board

Pete Madden is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Drax Biomass, Inc. headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In this role, he oversaw the company’s global supply chain operations that included several manufacturing facilities and an export terminal in the
Southeastern United States to meet the European market demand for wood pellets. Drax Biomass is a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Drax Group plc, a major electricity generator in the United Kingdom.

Madden graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marlboro College in Vermont. He also earned a Master of Science in Forestry and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of New Hampshire.

Madden began his career in forestry in 1988 with the Westvaco Corporation in South Carolina. In 1992, he joined Georgia-Pacific Corporation where he held various positions including operations manager, procurement manager and senior financial analyst.
In 2001, Madden joined Plum Creek Timber Company as a senior financial analyst. He has held several key positions with Plum Creek including director of financial planning, manager of construction materials, senior resource manager in Michigan, director of regional marketing for the Southern region, vice president of operations support, and most recently as vice president, renewable energy and supply chain.

He has recently been appointed by the Trump administration to serve on the Biomass Technical Advisory Committee for the DOE & USDA. He is currently the chair of the Advisory Board for the University of Georgia’s Center for Forest Business where he is also a guest lecturer. He has previously served on the board of directors for the Southeastern Wood Producers Association, Michigan Forest Products Council and the Michigan Renewable Fuels Commission.

Michael Mancini

Vice President, Executive Account Manager – Capital Markets

AgFirst Farm Credit Bank

Michael is currently Vice-President, Executive Account Manager-Capital Markets at AgFirst Farm Credit Bank based in Columbia, SC. He is responsible for managing a portfolio of loans concentrated in forest products and acting as the primary resource for the banks forest products growth efforts.  Michael has 15 years of lending experience to food and fiber related industries and has worked with a major TIMO helping manage timberland disposition efforts in the southeast.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Forest Resource Management from Clemson University, a Masters in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina and is a graduate of the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.

Dr. Brooks Mendell

President & CEO

Forisk Consulting

Dr. Brooks Mendell is President and CEO at Forisk, which provides analysis and education to help senior managers and investors in the forest industry make better decisions. Founded by Brooks in 2004, Forisk publishes the Forisk Research Quarterly, which includes market analysis, operations research and timber forecasts for North America’s forest products and timberland investing sectors. 

Dr. Mendell is an internationally recognized business advisor, researcher, and speaker in the fields of forest business, timberland investing, wood bioenergy and business communications.  He has broad domestic and international experience supporting small businesses, Fortune 500 corporations and public organizations. His industry experience includes roles in harvest operations, wood procurement, management consulting, and academia. A Fulbright Scholar, his forestry-related books include “Loving Trees is Not Enough”, “Forest Finance Simplified”, and “Aunt Fanny Learns Forestry: Managing Timberland as an Investment.”

Dr. Mendell earned BS and MS degrees at M.I.T., an MBA at the University of California at Berkeley, and a PhD in Forest Finance at UGA

Jefferson Mendes

Director

BM2C Business Management Consulting

Acting as a senior consultant, Jefferson has a wealth of experience within the forest management sector, advising national and international companies on strategy, market positioning, business planning and development, M&A, timberland appraisals and operational excellence.

Jefferson started his career in 1982 working for Brazilian forest-based companies. In 1989, he founded Silviconsult, responding for its management until 2010. From 2010 to 2013 was partner and director of Pöyry Silviconsult. From 2014 to March 2017, Jefferson was Head of Pöyry Management Consulting in Latin America. He also worked as a University professor at PUC (Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná) and UP (University Positivo).

Jefferson holds a BSc. in forestry (UFPR), an MSc. in forest management (UFPR), a post-graduate degree in economics and agricultural politics (SEAB), an MBA in business management (FGV), and executive education in leadership (INSEAD).

Shelda Owens

Senior Vice President

Investment Solutions Group, Bank of America

Greshelda (Shelda) Owens is a senior vice president within Timberland Services of the Specialty Asset Management Group at U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management. In this role, she is responsible for managing a national team of Timberland asset managers and assisting clients in establishing their Timberlands goals and objectives adhering to the fiduciary standard. The relationship team works towards developing a strategy to preserve and enhance the asset value, provide guidance with harvest scheduling and silvicultural activities, assessing asset performance and oversight including asset valuation, asset reviews, and thorough field inspections. The team also supports the acquisition team in the execution of Timberland assets into a broader asset allocation and investment strategy for individuals, families and institutions.

Prior to joining Bank of America, she worked as a regional forest analyst with Timberland Investments Resources, LLC (TIR), a timberland investment management organization (TIMO), where her primary responsibilities included reviewing potential land swaps, analyzing and reporting value added timberland management activities and ad hoc investment analysis. Previously, Shelda worked as a consultant with F&W Forestry Services, Inc. devising management plans for institutional investors and individual timberland owners.

Shelda earned her B.S. degree in Forestry and a M.S. degree in Forest Economics from the University of Georgia, and also has a M.B.A. from Kennesaw State University. She is a member of the Society of American Foresters (SAF) and the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forest Resources Langdale Center for Forest Business Advisory committee.

Alvaro Perez del Castillo

Director

Pike Consultora Forestal (Pike&Co) 

Alvaro is a Director of the Uruguayan based forest consulting company Pike Consultora Forestal (Pike&Co.) (www.pike.com.uy) and the climate change consulting company Carbosur (www.carbosur.com.uy). Alvaro has had previous experience working for the Technological Laboratory of Uruguay, in the Forest Products division as an expert in wood drying and other areas. He spent three months working in Japan as a JICA expert.

For several years, Alvaro has been undertaking and supervising consulting assignments with forest companies in Uruguay and aborad for Pike&Co. During the last six years, he has supervised the assessment of potential land purchases for various clients for a total of 80,000 ha. He has also supervised the inventory of more than 70,000 ha of forests during the last three years. He is in charge of compiling and maintaining Pike Consultora Forestal’s Forest Information System, the most complete set of geographic and database information about forests in Uruguay and East/Northeast Argentina.

As Carbosur’s Executive Director, Alvaro helped in the development of the first approved consolidated methodology for AR (Afforestation/Reforestation) projects worldwide, and has prepared eight projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and six AR-projects in Uruguay (one registered under the CDM and five in the VCS [Voluntary Carbon Standard]).

Jonathan Prather

Partner, Advisory

Perella Weinberg Partners

Mr. Prather is a Partner in Perella Weinberg Partners’ Advisory business.  He focuses on advising clients in the Industrials sector.

Mr. Prather has 18 years of investment banking experience assisting companies on a wide range of financial and strategic matters.  During his tenure at Perella Weinberg Partners (“PWP”), he has advised on multiple transactions for clients including Campbell Global on the sale of Crown Pine Timber (1.1 million acres) to CatchMark Timber Trust for $1.39 billion; Pittsburgh Corning on the sale of the company for $0.6 billion to Owens Corning; Hancock Natural Resource Group on multiple transactions including its Texarkana and Alexandria timberland sales; Millar Western on its restructuring and majority stake sale to Atlas Holdings LLC; RMS on the sale of timberland assets to Potlatch Corporation, and International Paper on the spin off and merger of its Xpedx division with Unisource.

Prior to joining PWP in November of 2013, Mr. Prather worked at Goldman Sachs from 2006 to 2013 where he most recently served as a Managing Director responsible for paper, packaging and forest products industry client coverage.  He was previously a Director of UBS Investment Bank.  Mr. Prather began his career at Simpson Investment Company, a privately-held timberland owner based in Seattle, WA.

At Goldman Sachs and UBS, he actively worked with multiple clients including advising International Paper on its $6.6 billion timberlands sale; Temple-Inland on its strategic transformation and $2.4 billion timberlands sale; Bowater on its $6.0 billion merger of equals with Abitibi-Consolidated; and MeadWestvaco on multiple transactions including the spin-off and merger of its Office Products division with Acco Brands, the $2.4 billion sale of its Coated Paper division to Cerberus, and the $1.1 billion sale of its Community Development and Land Management division to Plum Creek Timber.

Over his career, Mr. Prather has advised on the sale of approximately $20 billion of timberland assets totaling over 17 million acres.

Mr. Prather earned a Bachelor of Arts with honors in history and international affairs from the University of Colorado, Boulder and a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.  He serves on the Board of the Forest History Society.

Jonathan Smith

Assistant Executive Director

TimberMart-South

Jonathan Smith is Assistant Executive Director with TimberMart-South.  Jonathan assists with the management of Timber

Mart-South’s operations and strategic planning.  He is also responsible for the quarterly publication of TimberMart-South’s The Journal of Southern Timber Prices and regularly delivers presentations on timber market topics such as prices and industry capacity changes.  Prior to joining TimberMart-South, Jonathan worked as a procurement forester with Cooper Marine and Timberlands.  He is a Georgia Registered forester with experience managing timber sales and land management activities.  Mr. Smith earned an undergraduate degree in Biology from Georgia College and State University and a Master of Forest Resources degree from the University of Georgia.

Joshua Strauss, BA, MF, MEM

Vice President

Bluesource

Joshua Strauss is a forest carbon specialist whose primary responsibilities consist of the sourcing, analysis, and development of Improved Forest Management, Afforestation, and Avoided Forest Conversion carbon offset projects. Joshua focuses on evaluating properties’ carbon development potential and coordinating the execution of project activities in accordance with a variety of respected forest offset protocols. Joshua is experienced in forest mensuration and geospatial analysis, has a degree accredited by the Society of American Foresters, and has passed the CA Air Resources Board’s Forest Verifier examination. A Doris Duke Conservation Fellow and Tinker Foundation Grant recipient, Joshua holds a BA from the University of California Santa Barbara and Master’s degrees in Forestry and Environmental Management from Duke University. Joshua currently sits on the board of the Forest Foundation, a California nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about sustainable forestry.

Jody Strickland

Executive Vice-President, Forest Operations and Real Estate

F&W Forestry Services, Inc.

Mrs. Strickland has more than 30 years of experience in the forest industry sector.  She serves on the executive team at F&W where she is responsible for setting business strategy, developing talent and overseeing forest operations, business development and real estate services.  Previously, Strickland spent 22 years working with Weyerhaeuser and Proctor & Gamble in leadership positions in timberland acquisitions and sales, forest operations, land management, wood procurement, harvesting, engineering and manufacturing.

Strickland is a member of the Board of Directors for Superior Pine Products, Superior Berries  and Jones Creek Honey.  Strickland is a member of the Georgia Forestry Association and past-chair of the Georgia Forestry Foundation Board of Trustees. She is also a member of the UGA Warnell School of Forest Resources Harvey Langdale Center for Forest Business Advisory Council.  She serves on the Board of Directors for the Advancing Georgia’s Leaders through Ag. And Forestry leadership training program and is an alumni of the program.  She has also served on the UGA College of Agriculture Dean’s Advisory Council and is a past President of the UGA College of Ag. And Environmental Sciences Alumni Association.  Strickland also serves on the Ga. FFA Foundation Sponsor Board where she is a past Chair.

Strickland earned a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Florida.  While in college, she was named Most Outstanding Ag. Engineering Student in the Nation.

Michael Swanson Ph.D.

Senior Vice President

Agricultural Economist and Consultant

Wells Fargo & Company

Michael Swanson is an agricultural economist and consultant for Wells Fargo, the largest commercial agricultural lender in the United States since 1997. Based in Minneapolis, his responsibilities include analyzing the impact of energy on agriculture and strategic analysis for key agricultural commodities and livestock sectors.  His focus includes the systems analysis of consumer food demand and its linkage to agribusiness.  Additionally, he helps develop credit and risk strategies for Wells Fargo’s customers, and performs macroeconomic and international analysis on agricultural production and agribusiness.

Michael joined Wells Fargo in 2000 as a senior economist.

Prior to working at Wells Fargo, he worked for four years at Land O’ Lakes, a large national dairy cooperative based in Minnesota.  Before working in the dairy processing business, Michael lived in South America for four years working for Cargill.  His first position was with the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad as transportation systems analyst.

Jack Tribble

Vice President – Institutional Timber Division

Outdoor Underwriters, Inc.

Jack Tribble serves as Vice President of the Outdoor Underwriters Institutional Timber Program.  Jack graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Risk Management & Insurance. Jack began his insurance career in 1974 with the international insurance brokerage firm of Johnson & Higgins. After serving in various brokerage and management roles in the Atlanta office of J&H, Jack was transferred to Birmingham where he served as Branch Manager and Principal of the firm. He remained in that role after the 1997 acquisition of J&H by Marsh & McLennan and became a Managing Director of Marsh. In 2003, Jack became the Southeastern Regional Compliance Officer overseeing regulatory & compliance activities of 23 Marsh offices and remained with Marsh until 2007.

In 2007, Jack began development of an institutional timber insurance program and successfully rolled out a program in 2011; currently the program has approximately 10 million acres of institutional timber insured in the U.S. and five foreign countries.  His program focuses on large timber portfolio managers and owners.

Jack and his wife Kathy reside in Birmingham, AL and have two grown children. Jack works in our Outdoor Underwriters Alabama office.