Southern Stumpin

By David Abbott • Managing Editor • Ph. 334-834-1170 • Fax: 334-834-4525 • E-mail: david@hattonbrown.com End Quotes 2020

Every December issue, for the end of the year, I like to look back at the previous 12 months and put together some of my favorite quotes from articles we have run throughout that year. I’ll give this year’s first end quote to myself:

“Fact is, in the absence of future-predicting 20/20 vision looking forward, our view of the year 2020 is only just forming. So far, though… things don’t look great. Buckle up, folks. It looks like it might be a bumpy year.”—David Abbott, Calera, Ala., p. 6, February issue

I wrote that in early-mid January, a couple of months before coronavirus shutdowns started, and probably before I even heard about what was then going on in Wuhan province, China that would soon affect the whole world. It’s been a year, that’s for sure, but we’re still here. And even though the election looks like it maybe didn’t go the way I expect most of us had hoped, we are still here; life and logging go on and there’s always next year, next election, and the next load.

‘Nuff Said! Now on with the quotes:

“He’d rather farm than eat. He loved cows and said it was like money in the bank. I said that money keeps getting out the fence. I said we could plant pine trees out there and make more money, and they don’t get out whether the fence is up or down.”—Vance Wright, Blackridge, Va., speaking of his father and company founder Charles Wright, p. 8, January issue

“I wish I had a crystal ball, but mine is broken.”—Crad Jaynes, President, South Carolina Timber Producers Assn., p.6, February issue

“We don’t see anything good on the horizon. We’re just trying to stay afloat till next year.”— Hardy Rhodes, Monticello, Ark., not knowing yet how right he would turn out to be about 2020, p. 6, February issue

“This is the land of the free because of the brave. My hat’s off to those guys and anything I can do to help them, I am all for it. Because they did what they did, we can do what we do today. We can be free to serve God, even though our religious freedom is being attacked, because of God and the U.S. military. That is how I look at it. I don’t get into politics, but I believe in what’s right and wrong. I support President Trump. Even though I didn’t like Obama when he was in office, I prayed for him every day. The Bible tells me to pray for my leaders and that is my duty to my country.”—Tommy Cunningham, Spurger, Tex., p. 12, February issue

“We finally decided to go to contract trucking and let someone else handle that headache and only work on logging. Then we started getting some Saturdays off!”—Mark Carpenter, Peach-

land, NC, p. 16, March issue

“I want the timber company to make money, if they are as broke as I am they can’t buy good wood and I want good wood. So they have to make some money. If they aren’t making money, they will go out of business and none of us will have a job. But, they can’t starve us to death in the process. It’s got to be a give and take. That’s one of the things I like about Edwards. They don’t starve us.”—also Mark Carpenter, p. 18, March issue

“Every day, they are at the job. They are reliable, they are loyal, they stick with you. A misconception is that people think they work cheap; we pay them the same as anyone.”—Joey Teer, Lufkin, Tex., speaking of their Hispanic employees, p. 24, March issue

“We pay extra to make sure everybody is where they need to be. I’d rather pay more and have the right quality. I’ve seen people try to do it without quality hands, and that is usually what takes a good operation down.”—Matt Raulston, Clarksville, Tex., p. 12, April issue

“I always try stuff that other folks are hesitant to try, and I get picked on a lot for it. I have things that didn’t work out like I wanted. I’m human; I breathe and I make mistakes. But other things have worked out and been helpful.”—Josh Spring, Bogue Chitto, Miss., p. 18, April issue

“It’s just not good right now. Between the storms and the virus, lumber and logging have been hit hard.”—Jim McKinney, Warren, Ark., p.8, May issue

“We’ll make it if this virus situation will straighten up. We just have to bear down and hope it doesn’t last forever.”—Whit Magnum, Magee, Miss., p. 22, May issue

“In logging, it’s up and down with no middle ground. You work day and night or hardly at all. Everyone got excited about the tariff negotiations and then the virus halted things. China isn’t receiving anything or exporting right now.”—Bill Robinson, Parsons, W. Va., p. 8, June issue

“When I was growing up, a man who had 500 acres would need five tractors of different types. Now he can have 5,000 acres and work it needing only one tractor.”—Roy Zenor of Texas Timberjack, Lufkin, Tex., comparing logging to farming, p. 18, June issue

“All people are people!”—Logan Abbott, Calera, Ala., p. 6, July issue

“The way I look at it, if you can stay small and keep older equipment up, you can make a living through hard times. I feel like if you’re independent you don’t have anyone’s thumb on you.”—Bucky McGee, Heavener, Okla., p. 8, July issue

“I’ve learned now if I have any trouble I need only to get out of the way and let the Lord fight my battles.”—John “Punch” Haney, Broomtown, Ala., p. 8, August issue

“I don’t want to get too ahead of myself. I have seen things go sour in the logging business. I say tackle one then go after another.”—Shane Lusk, Altamont, Tenn., p. 15, August issue

“You have to crawl before you can walk. If you’re going to spend everything that you make for payments, why not just have a daily job? You aren’t going to get anything in life for free. It’s just a lot of work.”—Jerry Johnson, Watson, Okla., p. 20, August issue

“You have to work for what you want. I always wanted everything, so I keep on working.”—John Channell, Huttonsville, W. Va., p. 26, September issue

“I learned long ago in logging: don’t get upset about nothing. It’s life, deal with it and go on.”— Steve McMillan, Bristol, Fla., p. 34, September issue

“Logging has changed over the years, so much. You have to change with it to keep up with the times.”—Gene Givens, Sparkman, Ark., p. 8, October issue

“We came home from the desert on the last day of July and on August 1, Iraq invaded Kuwait. I said wait a minute, I’m a student! They said no you’re not, you’re a Marine. Pack your bags and let’s go. You find out pretty quick you can’t get any nastier. But it was a wonderful lifestyle, believe it or not; I enjoyed the hell out of it.”—Captain Kirk Sanders, Pinson, Ala., reflecting on his time in Operation Desert Storm in 1991 as a member of the Marine Corps Reserves, p. 12, November issue

“Loggers go out to the woods and do their thing, but we’ve been on the chopping block for so long, and because we’ve not been at the table, we’ve been eaten alive at the table.”—Toni McManus McAllister, Winnfield, La., pp.19-20, December issue Happy Holidays from SLT

Smooth Operation

■ Cody Alexander has built on a strong foundation while carving his own path.

Cody Alexander runs all Tigercat machines from Tidewater Equipment.

By David Abbott

AILEY, Ga. H e may be a young buck, but he’s no greenhorn. After 15 ★ years of full-time logging, four of them with a company in his own name, Cody Alexander, 33, is a seasoned vet in the woods. His step father, Bob Jones, drove a truck and logged, and started his own company in 2001. Even before he was old enough to officially join, the younger man helped Jones out where he could, after school and in the summers, and managed to learn the ropes. By the time he graduated high school in 2005, Alexander already knew how to handle every machine in the woods.

After he finished school, Alexander didn’t waste any time figuring himself or his future out. He went straight to work for his step dad, running his loader for the next 11 years. In 2016 he bought the assets of Bob Jones Logging, Inc., and rechristened it CA Timber, LLC, for his own initials. “I was going to just keep the name—Bob Jones Logging—but it was too much hassle with the incorporation. It ended up being easier to just start it as my own thing.” In reality, it was the same business by a different name.

The company contract cuts for Pierce Timber.

Alexander had been already running the crew for some time and he kept the same men and machines, so, he says, “The only thing that changed was the name on the check.”

Jones helped him by cosigning the loans. Alexander admits that when he took over there was somewhat of a little learning curve on the business management side, but otherwise he already knew how to run the crew in the woods. “When I took over I dealt with the same people (Bob Jones) did as far as workers’ comp and insurance, so it was a smooth transition.”

Alexander married his wife Paige 18 months after taking over the company, in 2017. They had their son Briggs in 2019. Jones has since gotten back into logging, now in South Carolina. Markets CA Timber operates as a contract logger for Pierce Timber of Blackshear, Ga. “We have worked for them for years,” Alexander says. “They keep us busy.” Pierce Timber buys all the stumpage and pays CA on a per ton basis. “They buy wood for 32 logging crews. The man who started it was born in the town I call home. I have a real good tie with them.”

Rainfall last year, he says, “Kicked our butts,” and there was a fair amount when 2020 got started as well. After that wet spring, things started to dry out pretty well on most tracts in the latter part of the year, and Pierce kept them on ground they could work. “Luckily they had enough,” Alexander nods gratefully.

Markets are tight, Alexander says, but wood is selling. He says his crew mostly clear-cuts for pine logs and chip-n-saw. “We do second thinning a good bit, too, but mostly we are based on logs and chip-n-saw, and poles, mostly grade wood.”

They deliver to all the more local mills but also have a lot of long distance hauls. Main targets include Faircloth Forest Products in Swains boro and Interfor in Nunez and Baxley. Another is International Paper near Savannah, a mere 120 miles from the tract he was working near Vidalia in mid-November. The crew averages 60 loads a week, give or take. He uses Maxiload scales, and asserts, “Those scales make a difference.” Alexander’s company log truck is a 2014 Peterbilt, with a 2007 International in reserve as a spare. He has eight Pitts trailers, six older ones and two new 2020 air ride four bolsters. “I just really like those air ride Pitts trailers,” he says. “You don’t have to worry about springs.” Alexander keeps just one of his own trucks

hauling full time, relying on con-

From left, Jody Lamb, Corey Griffin, Tony Brantley and Cody Alexander

Alexander has had his CHAD (compact hose assembly device) from Schwab Brothers Hydraulics for three months. It makes replacing hoses a breeze, he says.

tractors to handle the bulk of his transport needs.

Machines, Maintenance

Alexander is a committed Tigercat man. “We have tried it all but Tigercat is like their logo says, tough and reliable,” he is convinced. “The load er is in as good a shape with 6,500 hours as the day they brought it to me.” Tigercat district manager Don Snively lives just a few miles up the road, and the Tigercat warehouse is also nearby. “I have a real good relationship with Don and them, and the Tigercat headquarters will have the part even if Tidewater doesn’t. So it’s good equipment and it’s convenient.”

Since buying the company four years ago, Alexander has traded every piece that came with the original purchase. “I ran it for two years before I decided it was time to trade the loader, because it had almost 17,000 hours on it. Then I traded the cutter at 7,800 hours, then the skidder at 9,000 hours. I spaced it out over a year, 18 months or so. Now I’m on a rotation so I won’t need to buy more equipment for two or maybe three more years. About the time it is paid for is when it’s time to start back over.”

The CA crew now uses a 2017 model 234 loader, ’18 720 fellerbuncher and ’19 630 skidder, all bought from Roger Anderson at Tidewater Equipment in Hazlehurst. The skidder wears dual tires year round, with 30.5 Primex on the inside and 24.5 outside.

A Chevrolet 2500 serves as crew truck. Operators keep a notebook in

the service truck to track hours of opera tion, changing oil and filters every 500 hours. They grease everything two or three times a week— Alexander believes greasing every day is a waste of grease—and blow air filters out every Friday, to prevent fire hazards. They inspect saw teeth visually, changing when the feller head needs a new set.

Along with the tool bed and fuel tank on the Chevy, Alexander keeps a service trailer on the job site. In it he keeps an air compressor, spare hoses, tires, springs, equalizers, antifreeze, chain and bar oil, air and fuel filters and other parts and tools. “I thought it would be a good idea to have everything here and not just in the back of the truck, but in here where we can keep it more organized,” he explains. “It saves trips to town.”

Also set up inside the service trailer is another thing that saves trips to town. It’s called the CHAD, or compact hose assembly device from Schwab Brothers Hydraulics in Perry, Fla. “I got hooked up with them through a friend in Milledgeville. He showed me some pictures of it and I thought it looked like a good idea so I said bring it up here and let me try it out.” Schwab Brothers director of sales and marketing Ryan Wood brought one out for him to demo, and he was sold on it. Alexander bought it late this summer.

The CHAD hooks up to his air com pressor and enables him to make hoses in minutes. Since he runs new er machines, he may only average one busted hose a month, maybe less, but when it does happen, he says the CHAD has been well worth it in terms of the time saved on going into town to have a replacement cut and crimped, time during which production is lost. “We love it,” Alexander says. “It’s operator friendly; once he showed us how to set it up, everyone on the crew knows how to do it. It's simple, and it helps having all the fittings organized. If I need more I just I shoot a text to Ryan and the fittings are here in two days. It makes it simple and easy.”

Manpower

CA Timber runs a single crew, of Alexander and three other men in the woods. The boss mans the loader day in and day out, unless something comes up, in which case the cut down man takes over the knuckleboom.

The same guys have worked on the crew since before Alexander bought it, all for the last 5-10 years. “We don’t have a high turnover rate, I don’t reckon,” he says. Tony Brantley runs the cutter, Jody Lamb drives the skidder and Corey Griffin handles trimming duties. Alexander mans the loader, saying he can best supervise the job from this central position, his operation control center. He has done it this way since day one.

Employees get a set, base salary whether they work or not, plus a bonus for production if they go over the normal number of loads.

“That helps because they know that they are going to make a steady amount, they can rely on it, and the only way the pay would be different is if it goes up,” Alexander explains. “So if we have to knock off early, they don’t have to make less, but also if we have to work longer the next day, they know it goes both ways.”

Guffin & Eleam Insurance, Inc., is the agency through which CA

Timber gets much of its insurance coverage. “They have offices in

Summerville and Baxley, and they represent about 40 companies, so we deal with them for log truck and equipment.” Alexander looks to

Trowell Insurance in Hazlehurst for workers’ comp and general liability.

“Marcus Trowell owns it and he is a board member at the Bank of Ha zle hurst, where I got financed for equipment loans.” He has his trucks financed through Bank of Soperton.

Alexander stays on top of all his master timber harvester training and certification, and says CA Timber has joined its local chamber of commerce as he tries to become more established and involved in his community. The company sponsors local youth events and activities, whether it be fundraising efforts for youth sports programs or donations to the Shriners’ banquets, which also helps the local kids.

Outside the woods, Alexander’s main hobby is offshore fishing. He lives 85 miles from the coast and has a 36 ft. Yellowfin and a place on the water. “That’s where you can find me if we’re not working or piddling around on the farm.” With that in mind, Alexander has no immediate plans to expand or change much of anything; he likes things just like they are for now. “I think we’ll keep on staying like we are: kind of small and steady. I don’t care about getting two or three crews. This is exactly how I want it, so if I want to take off and go fishing, I can.” SLT

Wheeling, Dealing

■ John Woodie learned early he’s more than a salesman, prioritizing service and relationships.

By Patrick Dunning

STATESVILLE, NC.

It’s 5 a.m. and John Woodie, 65, ★ owner of John Woodie Enterprises, Inc., is on his feet cooking his daily dose of two eggs, buttered toast and a couple slices of bacon. He prefers a home cooked breakfast before hopping in his red GMC pickup truck matched with a red embroidered shirt and hat, and heads to Woodie headquarters. He makes a few phone calls to sales personnel along the way, a Bluetooth headset allowing him to maintain a ten-and-two position. The Carolina native is almost 40 years into this venture. A side gig flipping cars in high school led to a job helping a local trader at the time, Andrews Equipment, buy and sell equipment at auctions because of Woodie’s CDL. He ran a construction business during the Carter administration, infamous for its oil embargos and tax increases, but grew increasingly enthused about machinery sales of all sorts. Not wanting to keep paying 22% interest on prime rates, he decided he would go all in on chasing his dream. “Running my construction proprietorship during the Jimmy Carter era was tough,” Woodie reflects. “I got to considering and was having more fun trading equipment than I was in my day job. The economy went downhill and I knew what I wanted to do with my life so I sold my construction company.”

He founded John Woodie Enterprises (JWE) from scratch in 1982. These days, he’s reaping a harvest from seeds sown long ago.

Equipment Lines

The first equipment lines he represented included CTR and Husky products throughout the ’80s and

John Woodie

Woodie became a Barko dealer in 2000 and favors their loader line, selling models as large as the 595B.

’90s. He picked up Barko in 2000 and added TimberPro, and now parent company Komatsu, in 2012. That completed his three main product lines for clients in the forestry and construction industry. JWE also carries CSI products.

From Barko, JWE primarily sells the loader line, from 295B to 595B models, and the rubber-tire feller-buncher with 24 in. Quadco head. “Barko holds a lot of promise in their manufacturing uniqueness,” Woodie believes. “They’re expanding their product line so we’re looking forward to being a part of it all.”

Komatsu and TimberPro are looking like a strong venture moving forward, Woodie says, due in part to how well TimberPro TL 755 track feller-bunchers are preforming with the 745D, 735D and 725D following right behind. TimberPro’s multi-functional track machines with independent track drives are a great and proven product for the forestry industry, in Woodie’s opinion. “TimberPro is one of the best we’ve ever sold,” he says. “They’re growing and we want to grow with them.”

He continues, “Track machines with Barko knucklebooms allow you to lay your mats down.” Because these machines are underpinned, they have an advantage of versatility over some other models, Woodie explains. “You can load trucks, feed chippers, stack wood where you’re functioning, and move to the landing. Also if needed, shovel with them. It’s more useful than just sitting still on a trailer.”

Service

The secret to JWE’s success is in service. Every machine, new or used, runs through the shop. Woodie says his technicians aren’t just servicing equipment; they’re supporting clients whole-heartedly and keeping them going.

“That’s how we’re in business

Komatsu, parent company of TimberPro, came on board Woodie Enterprises in 2012.

Barko’s rubber-tire feller-bunchers are rigged with 24 in. Quadco heads.

today,” he says. “We service what we sell, even if it’s used. We’ll put a warranty on it when it leaves for 30 to 90 days and cap that warranty for major components like engines, final drives, pumps, and other things. This gives customers security; when and if it goes down, we’ll be there to repair it.”

Final drive and gearbox grease are drained and replaced with new, and other potential issues are addressed to ensure clients can leave and go straight to work. Woodie’s shop has four mechanic bays and one wash bay with plans to add an additional mechanic bay to meet demand.

All machines sold new include a 100-hour service plan for free, going by manufacturer recommendations and then some: doublechecking gear boxes, turn tables and torque bolts as needed to reduce the risk of many potential issues in the future. Woodie learned early in business it’s better to pre-deliver machines to limit problems. At the 100-hour tune-up, he listens to clients and tailors the machine to their liking. “After they run it for 100 hours, they’ll either like it or know what they would like to have tweaked to make it work best for their application,” he says. “We can slow them down or speed things up. They have in mind how they want the machine to run so we make it friendlier to the operator, personalizing it to their liking so it can perform the best.”

Ray Anderson, manager and shop

Equipment isn’t the only thing John Woodie sells, nor is it his only connection to forest products. In 1977 he started a Christmas tree farm 65 miles north of Statesville on a 300-acre family farm in Sparta, situated along the Alleghany Mountain range. The crown of the mountain is almost 3,000 ft. in elevation. The higher you go, Woodie points out, the fewer bugs you have to worry about. That makes it ideally suited for growing healthy Fraser fir trees.

“This is the Cadillac of Christmas trees,” Woodie says of the species. “They have the most aroma, longer needle retention, and there’s nearly two million trees coming out of this area alone.” Fraser firs are ready for harvest on 7-8-year cycles. Woodie and his wife Patricia sell the Christmas trees to mom-and-pop stores and families in retail markets. SLT

foreman, oversees the parts and service department and has been with JWE for 30 years. He offers the great twin assets of knowledge and experience, Woodie says. Parts manager Keith Wilson works alongside Phil Plyler to secure orders for customers in a timely manner.

With service technicians, JWE enjoys a low turnover rate. “Once we get them, we keep them,” Woodie says. “We don’t flip-flop in our shop and we give them reasons to stay. We make sure they know they’re part of a team and everyone’s job is important.”

JWE give customers three options: as is, full-service prices or full-service warranty with new rubber if needed. Full service warranties are serviced and delivered ready for work. JWE also offers on-site service. “I’ll send a runner with additional parts to have our clients repaired and up and running,” Woodie says. “If it happens in the afternoon I’ll put techs in a hotel and have him on the jobsite at 7 a.m. the next morning when available.” Markets

Not surprisingly with everything going on this year, machinery sales slowed in the spring of 2020. Woodie notes that in March and April, JWE didn’t break even. Since then, however, things improved to such an extent that now he says they’ve been on pace

John Woodie, left, and assistant manager/shop foreman Ray Anderson.

for a record year. “Right now markets are so hot this could be the best year we’ve ever had, even though we started out poorly,” he says. “We had an excellent month in October that superseded everything and November’s numbers look good too.”

All TimberPro machinery was preordered this year for clients to avoid trying to sell out of an empty basket, Woodie says. As of late November, JWE has sold about 20 new and used TimberPro machines this year.

Contractors are using Denis Cimaf grinding heads on Woodie’s TimberPro track machines for usage in the woods and on right-of-way jobs for the Department of Transportation. This has led to an influx of sales for 2020. TimberPro can deliver 5,000 lbs. of pressure and 75 gallons of oil to make the grinding head spin at 3,000 RPM.

Sales staff includes Luke Parlier, whose territory stretches from Charleston to the Virginia line, east of the I-95 corridor. Tony Holland is the western salesman, along I-77 west through the Carolinas. Rye Fraley oversees the area from I-95 in South Carolina to I-40 in North Carolina and east of I-77, as well as internet sales. Joan Penn maintains contacts both locally and throughout the United States with new and used product sales.

In the past, JWE has sold a mix of forestry and construction equip-

Service is the backbone of JWE: every machine goes through the shop.

TimberPro’s track machines come with double or triple grouser pads, up to client preference.

ment to customers in 36 different countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Chili, Africa, Russia and Uruguay. Domestically, Woodie has sold equipment in states as far away as Hawaii. SLT

Family Dynamic

■ The McManus/McAllister family is the 23rd Timber Harvesting Logging Business of the Year.

McManus is the first Louisiana logger to be named as the Logging Business of the Year by Timber Harvesting magazine, a companion periodical to Southern Loggin' Times. Timber Harvesting, another Hatton-Brown publication, has selected an honoree every year since 1998.

By Jessica Johnson

WINNFIELD, La. I t was 1983 when husband-wife team Tony and Liz ★ McManus borrowed $35,000 to start a logging job with Tony’s father and one employee, Robert Nichols, who ran a chain saw. Fast forward 37 years: Tony McManus, now 62, counts Nichols’ son among his closest friends. That’s the kind of guy Tony is. He doesn’t see employees; he sees family.

That perspective, he admits, is at least in part attributable to the fact that in those early days, it was just the few of them. Getting started, he and Liz really had to depend on each other. “I am so thankful to her,” he says fondly. As McManus Timber grew, those employees became the McManus Timber family.

The couple’s youngest daughter, Toni McManus McAllister, 35, is known throughout their Louisiana community as “Little Toni.” When Little Toni began working for her father as a child, and then working alongside her mother during college, she knew she would make her career in the timber industry. After her husband, Josh McAllister, 36, left oilfield/pipeline work for the woods, the second generation of the combined McManus/McAllister family became as deep rooted as the timber they cut.

The company continued to grow when Jeremiah Womack, a McManus nephew, sold his contract truck to McManus Timber and joined the company to run a second crew. The family affectionately refers to Womack and McAllister as “the redheads” for their strawberry hair. Without the redheads, the family business that now employs 30 and produces an average of 300 loads per week wouldn’t be nearly what it is.

“That’s why my family means so much to this business,” Tony offers sincerely. “They’ve been an integral part for several years now. I am so glad that they are here. As my wife and I age, we’re looking to lessen our stress level and pass a lot of that onto the children, and that’s what we’ve done.”

Growth

Liz, 60, began working for her family’s grocery store when she was 11, so she knew how to handle the bookwork and how to keep their heads on straight financially even as they grew into one of the strongest logging companies in Louisiana. With out Liz, Tony has little doubt the company might not have made it. “I’m really stern about the checkbook,” she admits with a laugh. Ab sent her strict accounting, Tony says the company wouldn’t have enjoyed

Josh and Toni McAllister, left; Liz and Tony McManus, right

such steady growth for nearly four decades.

Toni never forgets that that steady growth means the business doesn’t provide only for the McManus/Mc Allister family, which includes her and Josh’s son, Landry, 8. With three crews and 11 log hauling trucks, Mc Manus Timber also supports about 30 other families as well. Most employees are long-term. The trucking foreman, Brent Weatherford, has been with the company 25 years, and the cutter operator on Josh’s crew has been here 37 years.

Toni says that all the moving parts work because it is a combined effort. “For everything to work right with McManus Timber Co., I am more concerned about my families and taking care of them and them being hap py on the jobs, being appreciated and respected,” Toni explains. “Josh is straightforward: this is how the job works. My dad brings another element. It’s a perfect balance.”

While some might balk at the idea of working with their parents every day, Toni never takes for granted the time they have together. Both she and her mother readily admit they are very much alike—and can both be a little hotheaded. “Me and my dad work well together,” she says. “Part of my job is reading his mind; that works out well, too.”

For her husband’s part, working

Several McManus crews use John Deere cutters. The family has enjoyed an especially good relationship with Caterpillar and Louisiana Cat.

Josh McAllister, left, and right-hand man Jason Blundell McManus and McAllister with TH award McManus with nephew Jeremiah Womack

with his father-in-law wasn’t exactly what Josh had envisioned for himself. He describes himself as very ambitious. But working with Tony, Josh admits he learned more about business, about finances and about hard work in a single year than he did in four years of college. He’s never lost the ambition of his youth, but its fo cus shifted. “I was always wanting to have my own name brand. But he’s such a well-respected person in our community. I al ways envisioned Mc Allister Timber, but it’s really a badge of honor to carry on McManus Timber.”

Involved

Seeing how the business affects their town has changed the way Josh has viewed his father-in-law, and the impact he’s had. Both Mc Manus and McAllister feel responsible to help better their community. This starts in the private sector with the timber company, and that bleeds into their involvement in industry activism. The McManus patriarch himself set the tone for the family in the winter of 1993 when he join ed other loggers in their community to start the Louisiana Loggers SelfInsured Fund, initially over concerns about workers’ comp rates.

The Self-Insured Fund has loggers pay their own coverages and each year provides any unspent funds as dividend checks to each member. The group also created the Louisiana Loggers Assn., originally as the um brella for the Self-Insured Fund. Five years ago, after family friend and fellow Winnfield logger Jack McFarland got elected to Louisiana’s state legislature, Josh (who at the time was serving on the Board of the Louisiana Loggers Coun cil, an offshoot of the Louisiana Forestry Assn.) started going with Tony to Baton Rouge to advocate for prologger laws. Tony says the decision to go to the Capitol was an easy one once McFarland got elected. “We began helping with is sues he had, supporting him, be cause he was going to support us. As things continued we realized there was anoth er crisis that was going to push loggers to stay together. And you really do have to have a crisis to make a group of logging contractors become interested enough that they’ll show up.”

McFarland, McManus and McAllister brought a voice that had been desperately needed around the Capitol: that of the working Josh to their group. man, and specifically the If the LLA was going to logger. This time, Josh really advocate for laws stepped up to be the help - that benefit the largest ag er, with full support of his crop in the state (Louisi ana father-in-law. In January timber taxes annually are 2019, Josh resigned from $925 million), it would the LLC and called a need a full-time executive meeting of his own—no director. To fill that posiassociation or umbrella Trucking foreman tion, they’d need to find organization, just a logger Brent Weatherford someone who knew the who wanted to talk about industry, had the heart for the crisis of trucking insurance. And its people and had gumption by the 45 loggers showed up. His goal was mile. Josh found her sitting right next to start a Political Action Committee to him at the dinner table every night: (PAC) that could campaign for and Toni McManus McAllister. donate to the races of politicians who “From there, we took off,” Josh would help further bills that would says. “We expanded from six to 17 actually help the logging in dus try. right now, plus an advisory board “The working man has been missing with older loggers and those who for a long time,” Josh’s wife Toni have been around the industry. The says. “There’s been a disconnect unity of the loggers was why we between lobbyists and the candi- were able to get something done. dates/legislators. Someone can tell We’ve never had that before.” our story, but loggers tell their own Toni says the 2019 legislative sesstory much better.” sion was one of the busiest times of

At that first meeting, and in the her life, but her advocacy helped pass days following, the LLA Board told four pieces of legislation that directly Josh to use the association for this affect the industry. “Loggers go out to critical work in Louisiana. The the woods and do their thing, but Board members (Andrew Tant, we’ve been on the chopping block for Spencer Gaar, Allen Lang, Darryl so long, and because we’ve not been Franks and Adrian James) added at the table, we’ve been eaten alive at

Tony's uncle Jerry Scroggins, left, takes care of the farm. Dion Oglesby, left, and Jason Williams, right Tony McManus, a long time ago...

From left: David Morris, Jerry Sepulvado, Terry Avant Billy Barton has been with the crew the longest—37 years

the table,” she believes. “Now we’re holding a lot of representatives accountable, because their constituents are loggers. It’s 15 million acres; it’s 50% of Louisiana.”

Tony is Vice Chair at the Louisiana Loggers Self-Insured Fund, while Josh is President of the PAC (political action committee) at the LLA. In late September, Josh was also elected to serve as secretary/treasurer for the next two years on the Board of Directors of the American Loggers Council. The family’s commitment to service extends now also into the public sector, as Josh has been elected to serve as the Police Jury President for Winn Parish.

Tony says once the younger man decided to step into that arena, he had the family’s full support. “Years ago when Josh was just beginning to get into politics, I encouraged him to make the best civil servant he could because I knew the kind of time that would be involved. Be the best juryman he could possibly be and McManus Timber Co. would pick up the slack. We’ve got men that can carry on and will do so. We don’t have to worry; the jobs are going to go right along.”

Still, Josh adds, with as many moving parts as this company has, there’s always something that needs attention. No matter the other commitments, the McManus-McAllister family focuses on their family first. Taking care of the timber company is a number one priority.

“We’ve always worked together,” Liz agrees. “We’ve survived when others haven’t. We learned to manage and save and only get our needs. What we’ve accomplished, we learn ed from experience. When we made mistakes, we tried not to make them a second time. It’s just a cumulative

Left to right: Jeremiah Womack, Jeremy Lashley, Levi Womack, Tony McManus, Bobby Toler, Greg Williams, Trent Parker and Lonnie Raybun

effort.” That cumulative effort hasn’t gone unnoticed. McManus Timber Co. has enjoyed longstanding relationships with mills, other timber companies and equipment dealers for decades.

Crews

The two large crews contract cut for Weyerhaeuser, working with a harvest manager to develop cutting plans typically a year out so the best ground can be saved for the winter, which is typically wetter. McAllister likes to have the crews on clear-cuts to maximize production, usually on tracts of 150-250 acres.

Toni, whose primary job with the company is to process tickets and payroll, says with the two big crews structured the same, with similar equipment, working similar tracts, it is easy to see they are doing all they can do every day—each producing within a load of the other most days. “They’re all great operators and get the maximum production in a safe manner.”

They started the third crew in 2019 to handle smaller projects for a TIMO for which the family had previously worked. “They were short production in 2019 and asked us if we had the ability or desire to help them out and we saw an opening,” McAllister says. Thanks to moving the larger crews to tracts closer to existing markets the company had some spare trucking power and just had to come up with some machines and men.

Timber from all three crews is marketed across Louisiana, sometimes up to 100 miles, but more often within 40 miles. Largest log markets are Weyerhaeuser in Dodson, West Fraser in Joyce and Winn Lumber, with LaSalle Lumber in Olla as a

new market; plywood goes to either Boise in Oakdale or Hunt in Pollock. Hardwood heads to International Paper in Standard, Hanna in Winnfield or WestRock in Hodge.

Depending on mill turnaround times, trucks shoot for five loads a day on what McManus calls a buddy system. Ensuring that no one is operating alone, trucks drive at times to gether, everyone working in a roundabout in 12-hour shifts. Each cab is outfitted with Verizon Fleetmatics GPS and road facing dash cams, and each trailer with Vulcan onboard scales. “We’re literally hauling almost 24/7,” McManus says; 5:00 p.m. to midnight is their only dead time.

Mack, Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks pull Pitts, FMI, Magnolia, Load King and Bear trailers. The crews use a mix of equipment: John Deere (843L cutters, 750J dozers), Tigercat (T240 loader), and especially Cat/Prentice (559 and 2418 loaders, 535 and 545 skidders, 563 cutter and D6 dozer). “All the major brands of equipment are good, but the service on whichever brand you chose is critical,” Josh says. “We’ve had really great service with Caterpillar.”

Iron Care

While Liz must first approve all equipment purchases, the Mc Manuses typically value input from the operators when it comes time to purchase a new machine. “The people that run the equipment, whatever they want kind of goes,” Tony says. “We do buy a lot of Cat stuff; we have a good relationship with them. Trucks are mostly Kenworth.”

Since the fleet is mostly Caterpillar and John Deere, with eight loaders, eight ground saws, six skidders, three feller-bunchers, and three dozers, the company uses Louisiana Cat and Doggett Machinery, respectively, as their dealers. Any major work goes to the dealers, but for typical service, McManus tries to handle as much as possible inhouse. James Leyda, an outside mechanic based in Atlanta, La., handles truck maintenance. Bear

Manufacturing handles all trailer work. The company has its own fuel plant in Joyce to handle all off-road and over-the-road needs.

BITCO provides commercial liability insurance, while workers’ comp is obviously handled through the Self-Insured Fund.

McManus says during his almost 40 years of logging, one of the big gest changes to the industry has been the advances in equipment. “One man and one machine can do so much more in a day’s time than they used to be able to do,” he points out. “Machines have doubled in size; what a man used to do in a day’s time can be doubled or tripled on today’s logging job.” But coupled with the inwoods advancements have been lag times at the mills. With half the loggers doing twice the production as before, wait times are long; McManus says he thinks part of the reason is that extra production. Perhaps the most obvious change, he says, has been the doubling and tripling of costs.

In spite of everything, Mc -

Manus still loves what the industry has done for him and his family; especially now as the middle of the night phone calls fall to his daughter and son-in-law, not him and his wife.

Looking at the legacy Tony and

Liz are leaving Josh and Toni, and possibly even their grandson

Land ry, Tony says, “In the beginning you’re hopeful, and sometimes doubts arise that they’ll ever be able to carry on, but then as time goes by and you see that they make wiser decisions than bad ones, your confidence starts going up. They will be able to carry on without missing a beat. It gives me a sense of pride and comfort. If the company continues and Landry wants to be part of it, he can do it.

That makes me happy.”

Liz adds that as long as Toni and Josh, Jeremiah, and Josh’s right-hand man Jason Blundell, are on duty, then she has no doubt the company will be fine. “God has blessed us 100%.” SLT