Molpus Enhances and Diversifies Its Management Team

The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC (MWG) and Molpus Timberlands Management, LLC (MTM) are pleased to announce the recent hire of new employees as well as the promotion of existing Molpus employees. This expansion is a direct reflection of the company’s desire to strengthen and expand the in-house team of professionals and cutting edge technology. The strengthening in personnel will support the company’s growth into new investment regions and better serve clients to enhance already impressive rates of return on managed properties.

A Forest Biometrician was hired to expand Molpus Timberlands Management, LLC’s existing team and will be based out of the operational headquarters in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Shane Lee formerly managed all of the activities on a more than 117,000-acre land base and was responsible for all of the silvicultural activities on the land base including site preparation, planting and thinning. His graduate work in tree volume and weight prediction has been featured on the Mississippi State University Extension and Outreach web site.

In the position of Inventory Manager, Molpus hired Jerry Mahon to replace Chad McElvany who was recently promoted to Property Manager for the Oklahoma properties. In his new position, Jerry will be responsible for all aspects of MTM’s inventory process which includes budgeting, design, coordination within MTM area offices and the company’s GIS Department, contracting and supervision. He will also guide and maintain the inventory quality program support to acquisition-related inventory needs and assist in the design and development for a new inventory strategy for Molpus’ Northern properties and new acquisitions. Jerry’s graduate work was recently accepted for publication in the Southern Journal of Applied Forestry.

In his new role as Director of Inventory Management and Planning for MTM, Keith Hilpp will work with the ever-changing character of timberland investment demands and how strategic-planning forecasting helps to enhance the numerous biological and financial factors that impact our clients’ investments.

Ruth Cook has assumed the position of Director of Client Information and Reports. As client reporting requirements have become more time consuming and demanding, a person with a keen understanding of not only the subject matter involved, but the intended audience, becomes necessary. In this role, Ruth will coordinate MTM’s efforts relating to client reporting, operational budgeting, and property valuations. Ruth is well-positioned, skills wise, to serve as a “liaison” between our forestry offices and our clients in developing these key reports and budgets.

Keith Williams has been transitioned from Oklahoma Property Manager to his new role as Director of Value Added. Our value added team works to enhance the return of Molpus’ clients in all non-timber revenue streams and works hand-in-hand with every facet of our timber management to create additional cash flow for client investments. They pursue new opportunities in the market place (i.e., carbon sequestration, alternative energy, conservation easements and mitigation banks) along with the growing opportunities of higher-and-better use land sales and recreational opportunities.

With these new strong additions and restructuring of in-house talent, Molpus is continuing to build upon its rich heritage as it moves forward in the ever-evolving timber industry. Molpus is excited about the investment opportunities which exist in the Eastern U.S. and will continue to expand personnel and technology to support the company’s growth in new geographic areas.

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The Molpus Woodlands Group, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor, was founded in 1996 as a Timber Investment Management Organization (“TIMO”).  With its sister operating companies, Molpus has a history in the timber industry dating back to 1905, Molpus finds itself as one of the oldest timber-related companies in the nation with experience in all facets of timber management, manufacturing and marketing.  MWG is one of the few TIMOs that is vertically-integrated with all core business and forestry functions handled or supervised by in-house experts.

MWG and its sister operating companies employ 63 people in their twelve offices located in Alabama, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Oklahoma.  MWG acquires, manages and sells timberland as an investment vehicle for pension funds, college endowments, foundations, insurance companies and high net-worth individual investors. The company focuses on ensuring long-term optimum cash returns on investments while practicing responsible forest stewardship. In conjunction with the third-party marketing firm, Molpus Woodlands Advisors, with offices located in Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oregon and Tennessee, MWG is able to continue the tradition of servicing the needs of its clients.