Forest2Market Establishes Pacific-Northwest Office

Gordon Culbertson Named Region Manager of New Pacific-Northwest Office
July 19, 2007; Charlotte, NC

Forest2Market (F2M), the industry’s leading provider of data-driven decision support derived from actual market transaction data, has expanded to the Pacific Northwest. Gordon Culbertson, a veteran of the industry with more than 30 years of experience, has joined Forest2Market to lead its business in Oregon, Washington, California, Idaho and Montana.

“For some time, our customers have been asking us to build a pricing service for the Pacific Northwest,” said Peter Stewart, president and chief executive officer. “Gordon’s deep industry experience coupled with F2M’s transactional data is the perfect combination of talent and product innovation that will lead to a meaningful timber pricing and market service for this region.”

Forest2Market was founded in 2000 to bring solutions to participants in the forest and wood products supply chain. Until now, its products have been available only in the southeastern United States. “The establishment of a Pacific Northwest regional office in Eugene and the development of a Northwest pricing service is a natural extension of our current business,” continued Stewart. “ Our first product offering will be a log and chip pricing service. Over time, we will be bringing the full suite of Forest2Market’s products and services, including customized metrics for our customers, along with forecasts and predictive modeling, to this region.”

As region manager for the Pacific Northwest, Culbertson will be responsible for building relationships with forest product industry participants in the Pacific Northwest, guiding the development of F2M’s business in the region and customizing products and services to meet the needs of the company’s customers. The company has established its regional headquarters in Eugene Oregon.

“I am very enthusiastic about the introduction of Forest2Market in the Pacific Northwest,” said Culbertson. “Having worked in very diverse segments of the industry, I understand the power Forest2Market provides its customers in making business decisions. This is an exciting opportunity for me personally and professionally. I look forward to presenting this outstanding product that will offer value-enhancing services for the industry in this region.”

Culbertson has been employed in the industry since 1973, resulting in extensive experience in every facet of the business and with both private and government-owned forestlands throughout the Pacific Northwest. He most recently represented Rose Logging in Springfield, Oregon, managing forestry and timber harvesting operations. He has been involved in timber management and log quality optimization for clients through his consulting practice, Whitewater Forests, LLC, also of Springfield. Previously, Culbertson served as vice president of resources for the Swanson Group, where he directed timberland management, budgeting and planning for fee timberland, as well as annual log and timber production. His experience also includes serving as vice president of timberland operations for Rosboro Lumber, where he was responsible for procurement, harvesting and forestry, as well as coordination of the timber supply for its lumber and veneer manufacturing operations.

“Gordon brings to Forest2Market a deep understanding of how log price and quality affect manufacturing profits,” said Stewart. “This is a unique skill of tremendous value to Forest2Market’s Pacific Northwest customers.”

Active in the industry and his community, Culbertson has served as the executive level representative for a number of organizations including the Oregon Forest Industries Council, the American Forest Resource Council, the Washington Forest Protection Association, the Oregon Logging Conference and the Southern Oregon Log Scaling and Grading Bureau. He is past president of the Twin Rivers Rotary Club of Springfield, Oregon. Culbertson received a forest technology degree from Lane Community College.

Forest2Market provides raw material pricing data for the forest products industry that is current, local and accurate, thus allowing landowners and forest products professionals to make more informed decisions. F2M’s suite of customized market-based analytics allows both buyers and sellers to access reliable, accurate and unbiased data, streamlining the decision-making process. The company is headquartered in Charlotte, NC.