Peter C. Mertz
Chief Executive Officer
Partner
Mr. Mertz’s primary responsibilities include setting the strategic direction for the firm and the development and implementation of investment strategies. He is also chairperson of GFP’s Board of Managers, and its Investment and Compensation Committees. Mr. Mertz has over thirty years of forest management, analytical, and investment experience in the timberland business. Prior to co-founding GFP, Mr. Mertz was the Managing Director of UBS Timber Investors, the predecessor business to GFP. Before joining UBS in 1995, Mr. Mertz was Division Manager of Acquisitions, Economics and Planning for International Paper Company. He is a Certified Forester and a member of the Society of American Foresters and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Mr. Mertz holds a BS in Forestry and an MBA from the University of Michigan.
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Kurtis J. Akers, CFA
Deputy Chief Investment Officer
Partner
Mr. Akers is GFP's Deputy Chief Investment Officer. In this role, he is responsible for the oversight of Client Services, Business Development and Research at the firm. Mr. Akers is also Portfolio Manager for GFP's public market strategy, GFP Managed Equities. Prior to this role, he was Director of Research, where he was responsible for leading the firm’s investment research efforts, including the analysis of global forest product markets and studies of the asset class. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Akers worked with International Paper Company performing financial analysis, modeling of prospective investments, and tracking valuation trends. Mr. Akers is a member of the CFA Institute and is a past Chairman of the NCREIF Timberland Committee. Mr. Akers holds a BS in Finance and Accounting from Purdue University and an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
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Harry Ashby
Manager CNI Investments
Mr. Ashby is a native of New Zealand and is based in Rotorua. He is responsible for the management and oversight of several North Island based investments as well as supporting GFP’s acquisition and divestment strategies in the country. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ashby was the Logistics and Value Manager for the Nelson Forest Joint Venture with Weyerhaeuser (1996 – 2003). He has held a range of senior operational and technical management roles throughout New Zealand for Fletcher Challenge (1989 – 1996). Mr. Ashby holds a BS in Forestry from University of Canterbury, New Zealand.
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Joseph F. Bachman
Director of Portfolio Management
Partner
Mr. Bachman heads the global portfolio management team at GFP and has fund management responsibilities for five of the firm's private equity timberfunds. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Bachman served in a variety of forest management positions with Champion International Corporation. He also managed Champion’s Sustainable Forestry Initiative third-party certification program across the company’s domestic forests. Mr. Bachman is both a registered and Certified Forester and is a member of the Society of American Foresters. Mr. Bachman holds an AB in Biology from Dartmouth College, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, and an MF in Forestry from Duke University.
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Timothy M. Cooney
Director of Research & Analysis
Partner
Mr. Cooney is the leader of the research and analysis team which provides corporate-wide technical and market research support to fund managers, operations managers, and other professionals in all facets of timber inventory management, growth & yield modeling, strategic planning, forest appraisals, and forest operations planning. He is also a member of GFP’s Board of Managers. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Cooney provided forestry consulting services for institutional investments advisory firms for over fifteen years. He has extensive experience in forestry research, analysis, planning, and management throughout the world. Mr. Cooney holds a BS in Forestry from Michigan State University and an MS in Forest Economics from the University of British Columbia.
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Michael J. Edgar
Director of Asia Pacific Investments
Partner
A native of New Zealand and based in Auckland, Mr. Edgar is responsible for investments in Australia and New Zealand. In this capacity, he works with fund managers to assist with existing regional investments and develops and implements regional timberland acquisition strategies. He is also a member of GFP’s Board of Managers and its Investment Committee. Prior to joining the firm in 1999, Mr. Edgar held positions in general management, strategic planning, investment analysis, and general marketing for Fletcher Challenge, a New Zealand-based forest products company. He has extensive international experience in all sectors of the forest products industry including his role as general manager of the Chilean joint venture involving a GFP timberfund and Fletcher Challenge. Mr. Edgar holds a B Com from the University of Auckland.
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Joel C. Eshbaugh, CFA
Director of Investment Analysis Partner
Mr. Eshbaugh is a member of the research and analysis group, supporting both the domestic and international investment teams. In this capacity he oversees the modeling of existing investments as well as leading the analysis of potential investment opportunities. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Eshbaugh served as a Forest Analyst with Temple-Inland Forest Products Corporation at their corporate office in Diboll, Texas. In this role he had key responsibilities for developing both strategic and tactical plans for sourcing raw material from company-owned and private forests. Mr. Eshbaugh is a member of the CFA Institute. Mr. Eshbaugh holds a BS in Forestry and an MS in Finance from Texas A&M University.
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David Gardner
Director of Asian Investments
Mr. Gardner is responsible for new deal sourcing throughout the Asia region. He is also responsible for developing GFP’s carbon and bio-energy strategies, coordinating with the research and analysis team, fund managers and senior GFP managers. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Gardner worked for Pöyry Forest Industry Consulting for twelve years, most recently in their Singapore office as Vice President and then President for the Asia Pacific region. Mr. Gardner holds an MSc in Forestry from Aberdeen University as well as an MBA from Cranfield University (UK).
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James J. Healy
Chief Financial Officer
Partner
Mr. Healy is responsible for the financial operations of GFP as well as the firm’s administrative functions. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Healy was an investment banker with Adams, Harkness & Hill in Boston, where he was responsible for the execution of initial public offerings, mergers and acquisitions and equity private placements. Mr. Healy began his career at Alex Brown & Sons in San Francisco and at Imperial Bank in Menlo Park, California. Mr. Healy holds a BS from Georgetown University and an MBA from UCLA.
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Van Hoang
Performance Analyst
Ms. Hoang is a member of the research and analysis group, tracking investment results for the funds and our clients, and preparing quarterly investment performance reports. Ms. Hoang also assists the client service team by preparing custom client reports, and helps manage projects for the firm’s information management system (GFMIS). Prior to joining the firm, Van worked for a start-up company in France, managing their online business. Ms. Hoang holds a BS in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of California at Davis.
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Rafael E. Ide
Manager of Forest Investments – South America Partner
Mr. Ide oversees forest management activities for investments in Latin America. He also identifies new investment prospects and provides technical and analytical support in the evaluation, due diligence and reporting processes. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ide was Senior Manager at Ernst & Young Consulting LLP, working in process improvement with major Chilean forestry companies. Prior to that, he worked for four years at the Terranova Group as Planning and Development Manager, where he participated in teams that completed timber investments in Brazil and Venezuela. Mr. Ide is a member of the British Columbia chapter of the Forest Products Society. Mr. Ide holds a BS in Forest Engineering from the University of Chile, an MS in Forestry from the University of British Columbia, and an MBA from the Adolfo Ibañez School of Management.
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Juan Pablo Lankenau
Portfolio Analyst
Mr. Lankenau is a member of the portfolio management team. In this capacity, he supports GFP's fund managers in a wide range of investment activities including cash management, portfolio diversification and fund level operations. In addition, Mr. Lankenau participates on acquisition due diligence. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Lankenau worked as a project manager with Grupo Integer, a private company in Mexico that provides professional services to Christian Institutions. In this role, Mr. Lankenau was responsible for the development and oversight of real estate projects in Israel. Prior to that, Juan Pablo was a project coordinator for a global automotive component manufacturer. Mr. Lankenau holds a BS in Civil Engineering from the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and an MBA from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth.
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Andy J. Malmquist
Manager of Forest Mensuration
Mr. Malmquist is a member of the research and analysis team, supporting both the domestic and international investment teams in acquiring, managing and disposing of forest assets. In this capacity, he helps manage and analyze forest inventory data, with emphasis on inventory design, implementation, and growth and yield modeling. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Malmquist was a Portfolio Analyst with Prudential Timber Investments in Atlanta, Georgia. Prior to that, he was Vice President for Information Technology with the Forest Technology Group. Mr. Malmquist started his career with Westvaco Corporation. While with Westvaco, he held a number of progressively more senior roles, the last of which was Manager of Westvaco's Forest Resources Information System at the company's corporate offices in Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Malmquist holds a BS in Forest Management and an MS in Forest Biometrics from Southern Illinois University, and is a member of the Society of American Foresters.
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Michael J. McFetridge
Portfolio Manager
Partner
Mr. McFetridge is a member of the global investment team. In this capacity, he has fund management responsibilities for separate account clients. He also develops and implements portfolio strategies in concert with asset management teams. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. McFetridge served as a consultant with the Sustainability and Benchmarking practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers in Vancouver, B.C. He also worked with a forest inventory consulting firm advising Canadian forest products companies on forest management planning. Mr. McFetridge is a registered member of the Association of British Columbia Professional Foresters. Mr. McFetridge holds a BS in Forestry from the University of British Columbia and a BA in History and an MBA in Finance from McGill University.
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Philip M. Nash, CFA
Director of Research
Mr. Nash is Director of Research. In this capacity, he is responsible for leading the firm’s investment research efforts, including the analysis of global forest product markets and studies of the asset class. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Nash worked for nine years with a U.S. domestic timberland investment management organization in the capacity of Director of Research. Earlier in his career, he managed a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate assets at a major U.S. bank. Mr. Nash began his investment career working in mergers and acquisitions with S.G. Warburg, a U.K. merchant bank. Mr. Nash is a member of the CFA Institute, and is a past chairman of the NCREIF Timberland Committee. Mr. Nash holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania.
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Claudio Ortolan
Director of New Investments - Brazil
Mr. Ortolan is responsible for new deal sourcing in Brazil. In this capacity, Mr. Ortolan works with forest products companies in Brazil, focusing on transaction opportunities through the region. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Ortolan spent twelve years with Klabin SA, one of the premier forest products companies in Brazil. Mr. Ortolan served most recently as a project manager in the forestry division implementing projects on logging, biomass for energy, timberland transactions and creating local forestry investment funds. Mr. Ortolan holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Paraná and an MS in Economic Engineering from the Faculdade de Administração e Economia do Paraná.
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William H. Proom, CFA
Portfolio Manager
Partner
Mr. Proom is a fund manager for four international timberfunds. His primary responsibilities include coordination and oversight of the strategic direction of investments for each timberfund and preparation and oversight of quarterly communications with fund investors. He is also a member of GFP’s Investment Committee. Prior to joining the firm in 1995, Mr. Proom was an Investment Officer for a private college endowment. Mr. Proom is a member of the CFA Institute. Mr. Proom holds a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
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John A.N. Scott
Director of Latin American Investments
Partner
A native of Chile and based in Santiago, Mr. Scott is responsible for investments throughout South America. In this capacity, he works with fund managers to assist with existing investments and develops and implements regional timberland acquisition strategies. He is also a member of GFP’s Board of Managers and its Investment, Compensation and Operations Committees. Prior to joining the firm in 2000, Mr. Scott was CEO of Terranova Group, a forestry company with operations in Latin America and the U.S. Prior to that he worked for eight years with the New Zealand forest products company Fletcher Challenge and for 10 years with the Chilean forest products company Arauco. Mr. Scott is an active board member of the Forest Industries Association in Chile (CORMA). Mr. Scott holds a BA in Forestry from the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Haijin Shi
Investment Analyst
Dr. Shi is a member of the research and analysis group, supporting both the domestic and international investment teams. In this capacity he helps analyze GFP's existing investments as well as potential investment opportunities. Prior to joining the firm, Dr. Shi served as a Biometrician with LandVest, Inc. In this role his responsibilities included economic analysis, growth and yield modeling, inventory design and spatial data analysis. Prior to that he worked as a post-doctorate fellow at Michigan State University where he researched the development of an ecological-economic model. Dr. Shi holds a BS in Forest Economics and Management from Hebei Agricultural University, an MS in Forest Economics from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. in Forest and Natural Resources from the State University of New York. Dr. Shi is a member of the Society of American Foresters.
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Phil Stelling
Director of Australian Investments
Mr. Stelling oversees the management of investments in Australia. In this capacity, he manages GFP’s existing investments as well as identifies and evaluates new regional investment opportunities. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Stelling held senior marketing positions with Forests NSW for 10 years. Earlier in his career he held various roles with a private timber company and a transport company in Australia. Mr. Stelling is a registered member of the Institute of Foresters of Australia. Mr. Stelling holds a BS in Forestry from the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
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Michael T. Strzelecki, CFA
Investment Analyst
Mr. Strzelecki is a member of the research and analysis group, supporting both the domestic and international investment teams. In this capacity he helps analyze GFP's existing investments as well as potential investment opportunities. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Strzelecki worked as a sell-side equity research analyst for Merrill Lynch in New York covering the forest products industry. In that role he coauthored several company-specific investment recommendations and industry reports. Prior to that he served as an analyst in Merrill Lynch's wealth management division. Mr. Strzelecki is a member of the CFA Institute. Mr. Stzelecki holds a BS in Finance from Penn State University.
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Alberto Voulminot
Manager of Forest Investments - Uruguay
Mr. Voulminot oversees the management of investments in Uruguay and Guatemala. In this capacity, he provides technical, analytical and evaluation support for GFP’s existing investments. Mr. Voulminot also assists in identifying and evaluating new regional investment opportunities, and maintains key relationships with various constituencies. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Voulminot co-founded the only John Deere Forestry dealer in Uruguay, which pioneered in the selling and servicing of timber harvesting systems in the country. In this role, he had key responsibilities for developing and advising clients on timber procurement strategies and implementation. Mr Voulminot holds a Forestry degree and a Masters in Finance from the Universidad de la Republica, as well as an MBA from UCLA.
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Chris Warrington
Client Advisor
Mr. Warrington is responsible for client relationship management and business development for the firm. He also coordinates the periodic reporting to individual clients regarding their specific timberland portfolios. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Warrington was a financial advisor with Raymond James in corporate retirement plans advising institutional clients throughout the intermountain west. He began his career with Legg Mason Wood Walker in Providence, Rhode Island, where he worked as a financial advisor. Mr. Warrington holds a BA in Business Economics from Brown University.
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Fernando Zamorano
Manager of Forest Assets - Brazil
Mr. Zamorano oversees the management of investments in Brazil. In this capacity, he provides technical, analytical and evaluation support for GFP’s existing investments. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Zamorano spent 10 years in various management functions in both planning and operations at Masisa in Venezuela. Before this, he worked with a large Chilean forestry company, with responsibilities in planning, inventory, thinning and final harvesting. Mr. Zamorano holds a BS in Forestry from the Universidad de Chile.
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