From the Ground Up: Matt Hall and Chris Ziems of High Mountain Timber

In the heart of the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia, Matt Hall and Chris Ziems have built a timber empire. 两人分别于上世纪90年代和2002年在海岸木材公司(Coastal Lumber Company)工作时相识, 他们结合了丰富的经验，在戴利成立了高山木材公司(HMT), West Virginia, where they’ve been going strong ever since.

马特·霍尔来自马里兰州的罗克维尔，但他在西弗吉尼亚州有亲戚. 他毕业于西弗吉尼亚大学(WVU)，获得森林资源管理学位，并开始在海岸木材公司工作. straight out of college in 1990. Chris Ziems is originally from Toledo, Ohio and graduated from the forestry program at Glenville State College, 毕业后留在巴克汉农的欣克尔木材公司工作. 马特和克里斯在海岸木材公司一起购买木材时有机会相互了解. for about five years. 然后他们都转到阿巴拉契亚森林产品公司工作，在那里他们担任护林员, buying timber and managing several log crews. 

In 2002, 他们决定大胆尝试，在伦道夫县创办自己的木材公司, a major hub for the industry. 他们都非常感激家人在他们迈出这一步时给予的支持, and HMT is now proud to employ Meghan Hall, Matt’s wife, as the office manager, bookkeeper, human resources director, etc. and Samantha Hall, Matt’s daughter, as the director of sales and marketing for the growing by-products division. Chris’s wife, Sarah, 多年来一直与克里斯一起在设备和场地维护方面发挥支持作用, and while his two children are not directly involved in the business, they have always been supportive.

HMT was quite literally built from the ground up. When Chris and Matt started out, they worked out of their pickup trucks and had an office at Matt’s home. As the company began to grow, they bought a shed to serve as their office. 最后，在2013年，他们建了一栋办公楼，并让梅根全职工作. Samantha started working for HMT part-time remotely in a marketing role. She graduated from WVU as well, with a degree in Communications and Public Relations, so she has been an asset to the team in growing their by-products division. This division was actually started by the Halls’ older son, Robert, 当该公司开始将他们的原木拆解出口时，出于管理废物的需要，该公司诞生了. Robert now helps at HMT when he can, but works full-time as a teacher. 自从萨曼莎全职加入公司以来，她一直能够发展和发展这个项目. Mulch and firewood are the main by-products. The bark that comes off of the logs is broken down into mulch, while the wood chunks from manufacturing the logs becomes firewood. 

“We’re trying to use the whole tree, from veneer to pulpwood,” said Matt. HMT通过零售和批发渠道销售他们的地膜和柴火. While by-products are by no means the bread and butter of the operation, 他们公司的这一方面使他们在带来额外收入的同时变得更有环保意识.

In addition to the headquarters location in Dailey, which consists of the office and main log yard, HMT also owns a 10-acre yard a few miles south, in addition to thousands of acres of land, from which they harvest timber. However, more than 90% of the timber is bought from private landowners. Matt and Chris employ a head forester, Jason Brock, 是谁买下所有的木材，然后派三到四个人去采伐，然后用卡车把木材运到主伐木场加工，然后再把原木运出去. “Jason scouts the local area, deals with the private landowners, cruises the timber and estimates its worth in board feet volume. Then he’ll make an offer to the landowner and negotiate the contract. 在购买之后，他负责处理伐木工人来收获财产，”马特分享道. 

在Jason管理不同站点的过程中，Matt和Chris与Jason保持着密切的沟通. The loggers harvest everything and bring it into the main yard, where it is then sorted, scaled, graded, processed and, finally, sold. Chris primarily works to clean up the logs and prepare them for sale, 而马特主要负责协调买家，制造出口或国内销售的货物, though they both wear many hats, and fill in anywhere when needed. 

The main challenges HMT faces are labor and trucking. Labor has been an issue across the region for several years now, 因此，当他们无法雇佣更多的劳动力时，他们必须在团队中最大化效率. Trucking companies experience labor issues as well, which puts a strain on shipping and delivery schedules. HMT leverages both the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, as well as the Virginia Inland Port in Front Royal, 因此，卡车每周来几次，将原木运回两个港口，用于出口或国内分销. Much of the higher end veneer is exported, while the majority of saw logs stay within a three or four state radius. This breakdown also depends on the ever-changing markets, tariffs, interest rates and the housing market. 现在木材市场有点不稳定，这对小公司来说很困难. During the last economic downturn back in 2008, a number of timber companies went out of business, including Coastal Lumber Co. The bulk of HMT’s products end up in flooring, furniture, trim and cabinets, so demand is closely tied to the housing market. 

It is clear that Matt and Chris are both passionate about what they do. They both wanted to enter the forestry industry from a young age. As they have grown in their business, their priorities have shifted some. 他们对目前的生产水平感到满意，并了解购买更多土地的挑战以及该地区存在的竞争. 这个行业已经发展了很长时间，马特和克里斯又开始在他们刚开始的时候收获的地方伐木了. 他们很高兴看到生意以这种方式圆满结束，也很高兴看到实施的管理措施使土地得以生产. 

Matt和Chris多年来一直与Farm Credit保持着良好的工作关系. Matt shared, “Farm Credit understands our industry, and they’re not afraid of it. 他们非常了解农业，但他们也了解木材及其长期性质. 很难向人们解释，体育彩票外围平台将在一生中管理土地并获得土地, two or three cuttings off of it, then plan for the next generation to have a harvest.” 

When asked about their favorite aspect of the business, Matt and Chris gave very different answers, but that is what makes them such great partners.

“我真的很喜欢管理它的业务端——处理其他业务, building relationships, learning what their needs are, then taking that product from the woods to market. Trying to coordinate loggers, 卡车司机和买家把你的产品运到世界各地是很有挑战性的，但也很有回报,” answered Matt.

“I like the work. 我一直说我太老了，不能再做了，但我每天都去做. I get to do everything – run the chainsaw, run the excavator, run the debarker, load trucks, unload trucks and do most of the maintenance,” answered Chris.

马特和克里斯都向年轻的林务人员或对该行业感兴趣的人分享了一些建议. “You better be willing to live, eat and breathe it every day. If you have a doubt, don’t do it. And the hard work does pay off,” offered Matt. “There’s no end – you’re constantly getting ready for the next thing. You’ve got to be committed,” offered Chris.

马特和克里斯为他们建立的公司感到自豪，也为他们在一个竞争激烈的市场上建立公司感到自豪, right under the noses of several large companies. 他们将自己的成功归功于保持灵活性和快速适应变化的能力. 从头开始建立HMT是非常危险的，马特和克里斯把他们的全部投入其中. Rather than paying themselves that first year, 马特和克里斯选择将他们赚到的几乎所有钱重新投入到生意中. Thankfully, both Meghan and Chris’s wife, Sarah, 全职工作，为家庭提供稳定的收入.

Today, they employ four people on the yard, in addition to Meghan and Samantha in the office, and work with about 18 men on the subcontracted crews. Plans for the future include more of the same from the log yard, with growth in the by-products division, which has already grown 50% in the last two years. 他们甚至开始购买其他公司的垃圾，以获得更多的额外收入. HMT对目前的木材采伐和加工水平感到满意, with three or four crews running, even though their yard can handle six crews. 马特和克里斯觉得他们目前的水平是最有效率的，他们已经找到了最佳状态. There’s no slowing down in sight.

Learn more about High Mountain Timber, LLC: http://highmtntimber.com/

This feature story was published in the December 2023 Leader Magazine. Access the full magazine (digital version) HERE.