Conventional wisdom is that loggers typically get into the business right out of school, usually inheriting the business from a father or other family member. This is part of the fear about the future of the industry, with fewer young operators going into the business in recent years. If they don’t get it in their blood early, they never will. A logger who doesn’t claim to have sawdust running through his veins is a rare find, and it may be with a little too much frequency that loggers say logging is all they’ve ever known. Jimmy Storey, owner of Pine Oak Products, Inc., will make the first claim, but as for the second, though he has roots in logging, he came to his career by a more winding path.

Featured Story: “Never Too Late”

Written By: David Abbott
Company: Pine Oak Products, Inc.
Location: Ellaville, Georgia
SLT Issue: December 2011

Check out other featured articles in the December 2011 issue of Southern Loggin’ Times magazine.
Southern Loggin’ Times’ December issue spotlights Alabama’s Potts Brothers Logging, owned by brothers Mike and Chris Potts, who, after five decades of business, deal with dry-weather quota and reflect on industry issues and the future of the market. Also featured are Georgia’s Jimmy Storey, who returned to logging later in life and hasn’t looked back, and Alabama’s RoyOMartin-Rocky Creek Lumber, where a continuous mill upgrade has positioned the mill for future market opportunities. Continue reading the Longleaf Drama.