Scott Gies – President
Gies Timber & Land, Inc.
Fernandina Beach, Florida
Phone: (912) 552-5831
Email: swgies@comcast.net
Scott first joined the SWPA after leaving the consuming side of the industry to establish a logging business in early 2007. He was elected to serve as a Board member in 2010. Scott’s harvesting operations are primarily in northeast Florida and southeast Georgia. He is married to Sheila Gies and has a daughter, Jennifer Hale (husband Clint Hale), granddaughters Ella and Anna, grandson Blake Hale, son Douglas and daughter in law Lindsey Gies and granddaughter Charlee Gies and a daughter Kelli.
Scott was also a Florida Logger’s Council member of the Florida Forestry Association. When asked why he serves loggers as an SWPA Board Officer he said: “I feel that it important for those of us in the timber harvesting profession to have a unified voice. We are the ultimate stewards of the forest, and unless we as group make this known there is an assumption that we are not. By serving the members of the SWPA it is my hope to help get this message out to the public at large.”
Russell Fowler – vice president
Flint River Timber of GA Inc.
Cairo, GA
Phone: (229) 224-0015
Email: rfowler@flintrivertimber.com
Russell received a BS in Forest Resources in 1988 before starting his career in the industry working for G.P. and the former Stone Container in the Big Bend of Florida and southwest Georgia. His exposure to the industry in the early 90s, along with its changes, led to the founding of a private wood dealership, Flint River Timber, in Cairo, Georgia.
The buying and selling of wood developed into an investment in the logging business. The support of sub-contractors and company owned logging crews is vital to the success of a modern day timber dealership. Russell has always supported loggers and feels communication between forestry associations, the public, and the industry is essential. Involvement with the Southeastern Wood Producers Association is the most important link in accomplishing this task.
Jerry Gray – Secretary / Treasurer
Gray Logging, LLC.
Madison, Florida
Phone: (850) 673-1718
Email: graylogging@yahoo.com
“Logging seems to be something you are born into. You never hear about someone quitting a stockholder gig to ‘live the life of a logger.'" That’s a quote from Jerry Gray in an article for The Forestry Review, and it certainly holds true for him. Jerry Gray was born in 1961 into a logging family. His dad, W.C. Gray, worked in the log woods, even logging out west for a time, and started his own logging company in 1971 when Jerry was just 10 years old.
Since that age, Jerry has “lived" in the woods. At 13, he was using a chainsaw. At 15, he was driving a cable skidder. At 18, upon graduation, he was full-time in the woods. At age 40, he became the manager of Gray Logging, LLC. That was nearly 16 years ago. During those 16 years, Jerry has been proud of the many achievements he and Gray Logging, LLC have accomplished. Under his leadership, the company has grown from one to two logging crews. He also co-owns Genesis Timber, LLC with his son-in-law, Matt Webb.
Today, Jerry still loves the woods as he did as a little boy. Today, combined with that love, Jerry has a passion, a knowledge, and the experience to handle various timber needs. He is excited about the future, helping land owners with their needs and being a part of the timber industry.
John Lane – immediate past President/chairman
Coastal Logging, Co.
Brunswick, Georgia
Phone: (912) 269-2772
Email: jhlane50@yahoo.com
John Lane’s childhood memories stem from working in the woods on his father’s logging crew. Growing up in the industry made it easy for him to begin his own business in 1981. He and his wife Donna started Coastal Logging Co from humble beginnings, and today it has grown to a three-crew operation. John’s son, Johnny, and his wife Sarah are active in the business; they represent the fifth generation of the Lane family in the timber industry.
John is also a representative with the National Logging Association, the American Logger’s Council, and the Georgia Forestry Association, as well as the Glynn County Forestry Commission. In John’s own words, he got involved because “I felt it was my responsibility to become more active in issues that affect loggers and the future of the logging industry.”
