At Southview, our foundation is built on experience & ambition.
We have deep regional expertise in the Southeast United States timberland & agricultural land markets built over more than three decades of experience.
Southview’s opportunistic & value add strategy has natural tailwinds in the current & future growth of the region, & our process is highly disciplined & repeatable.
Our local presence, network of landowners & service provider relationships is an additional source of competitive advantage.
OUR PROMISE
Our purpose is to deliver superior results for our investors and partners as a leading investment manager in real assets, focusing on timberland and land holdings.
The founders' dedication shapes every aspect of our business, ensuring that each relationship with Southview, from associates to investors, is founded on trust and the pursuit of excellence.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
John Brenard
Managing Director & Founder
Operations & Finance
John has excelled in diverse business environments for over 15 years, from executive and advisory positions at J.P. Morgan and Wells Fargo Advisors to directing operations and expansion at multiple startups. During his time in the wealth management industry, he developed long-term client relationships based not only on his investment acumen but also on exceptional levels of integrity and service. An investor in timberland himself, John has a deep understanding of various investment asset classes and financial markets. His goal at Southview is to offer a broader audience of investors the same advantages in timberland investing that have benefited him. John holds a bachelor's degree from California State University, has earned multiple professional credentials in the investment industry, and is a member of the Georgia Forestry Association.
Terry Myers
Managing Director & Founder
Timberland Operations & Acquisitions
For more than three decades, Terry has been engaged in the acquisition, management, and monetization of timberland properties in Georgia and the greater Southeast. In that time, he has consistently produced positive outcomes for a large network of individual and institutional investors and formed beneficial relationships with sawmills, nurseries, and many other timber industry businesses. With comprehensive experience managing the entire timber life cycle and non-timber value streams such as pine straw and hunting leases, he is adept at optimizing land use and maximizing returns from a parcel of timberland. Terry is a member of the Georgia Forestry Association and has been an invited speaker at international timber industry events.
ADVISORS
Gene Klingaman
Gene is the Vice President of Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company and has been with Schrader for 48 years, selling land in 40+ states with annual sales of over $200 million. He is one of the key drivers in developing relationships throughout the United States, leading to some of the largest real estate auction marketing campaigns on record. Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company has sold over 24,000 acres of timberland for Kimball International Company, over 30,000 acres of timberland for AEP, and thousands of acres of timberland for MeadWestvaco Company, Rayonier Forest Resources, and Forest Capital Partners.
He managed the sale of Paloma Ranch, a 69,000 acre Cotton Farm in Arizona, and the sale of a $55,000,000 farm in Western Illinois, the largest auction in the Midwest for agricultural land. He’s managed sales of large agricultural portfolios such as corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice, milo, cotton, potatoes, peanuts, apples, grapes, and stone fruits. Gene's professional awards include the 2002 Entrepreneur of the Year Northern Indiana Award for Business Leadership, inducted into the Indiana Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame in 2018, and inducted into the National Auctioneers Association Hall of Fame in 2022. In addition, Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company have won five NAA/USA Today National Auction of the Year Award Marketing Campaigns, and Schrader Real Estate and Auction Company have won over 130 First Place NAA National Advertising Awards since 2002.
His professional affiliations include the National Auctioneers Association, National Auctioneers Association Education Institute Trustee, National Association of Realtors, Farm and Land Institute, American Society of Agronomy, American Society of Forestry, and Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen's Association. Gene has written articles for the national “Landowner" newsletter and is the co-author of SOLD!: The Professional's Guide to Real Estate Auctions. He has conducted numerous national seminars on marketing agricultural and timberland at auction.
He received a Bachelor of Science in Forestry from Purdue University, a Master of Science in Agronomy from Purdue University, and holds the CAI (Certified Auctioneers Institute) designation.
Richard Ward
With a distinguished career spanning over three decades in transformation consulting, Richard brings a wealth of expertise to Southview Timberland Investments.
Richard has advised Fortune 500 companies in various capacities, including his role as a Senior Advisor at Boston Consulting Group, his tenure at McKinsey & Company, and his previous role as a Vice President at IHS Markit. His professional journey, marked by leadership roles across various industries, showcases his deep understanding of diverse business landscapes. Richard is passionate about helping clients navigate transformative changes and instilling a "start-up mindset" for success. His strategic acumen, top-level management alignment, and proven track record in executing transformations highlight his expertise.
Richard holds a degree in Physics from Rice University, further underscoring his analytical and problem-solving abilities. His extensive experience and demonstrated capacity to provide strategic guidance and insights make him a valuable addition to the team.
Harold “Harry” Sanders III
Harold "Harry" Sanders III, a third-generation logger with a degree from the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources, was honored as the 2022-23 Georgia Logger of the Year by the Georgia Forestry Association (GFA) and the Southeastern Wood Producers Association (SWPA).
As the owner of Sanders Logging Company in Cochran, Georgia, Harry has shown exceptional operational excellence, community involvement, and dedication to advancing the logging profession in Georgia.
Harry's commitment to service and stewardship has earned him recognition from landowners, foresters, and manufacturers in the Southeast region. He is also actively involved in the GFA and SWPA, serving on their Boards of Directors and advocating for the logging industry at the state level. Sanders Logging was awarded the Forest Resources Association's Southeastern Logger of the Year, and Harry was officially recognized at the 2023 GFA Annual Conference in Jekyll Island. In addition to his professional achievements, Harry is a graduate of the Zell Miller Leadership Institute and the Advancing Georgia's Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry program.
Harry’s extensive background and leadership in the logging industry provide invaluable expertise to Southview, strengthening operational capabilities and industry relationships.
Dr. Daowei Zhang
Dr. Daowei Zhang is an alumnus and the George Peake Professor of Forest Economics and Policy, as well as the Associate Dean for Research at the College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment at Auburn University.
He has worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and has served on the Board of Directors of the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and the Forest History Society. He is also a consultant for the FAO and multiple forestry firms and agencies. He is a recipient of the IUFRO (International Union of Forestry Research Organizations) Scientific Achievement Award, the Society of American Foresters Award in Forest Science, and multiple Auburn University Author Awards. His book, From Backwoods to Boardrooms: The Rise of Institutional Investment in Timberland (Oregon State University Press, 2021), won him the “2022 Outstanding Achievement Award” from the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation.
He is a Fellow of the Society of American Foresters and has lectured and worked in more than 20 countries. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Forest Policy and Economics. Regarded as a leading global scholar in forest economics and policy, finance, timberland investment, and forest products market and trade, he is currently working on forest carbon markets and the competitiveness of the U.S. forest industry.
Dr. Zhang brings to Southview a wealth of knowledge in forest economics and policy, extensive global experience, and a distinguished record of leadership and scholarly achievement in forestry and timberland investment.