Our big news is that as
of January 1, 2020, Quercus Land Stewardship Services has a new
owner. I’ve been working on a transition plan with Alex Wenthe for
the past couple of years, and we have finally nailed down all the
details and sealed the deal.
Alex has a long history
with Quercus, and he has the right combination of skills, experience,
temperament and entrepeneurial spirit to carry the business forward
into the next decades.
Alex has taken over
ownership and the associated chief executive responsibilities, but I
will continue to be very much involved with Quercus as a Senior Vice
President.
Many of our colleagues
and customers have likely already noticed that I have been less
involved in the day-to-day details of the business as our operation
has grown and our management team has gained proficiency. Since 2014
we have nearly doubled the number of landowners we serve, and we have
developed a capable staff that does a great job of managing the
hands-on work of helping landowners take care of their land.
I will continue to act
as project manager for some sites, and will be passing on
responsibility for others to our other project managers. I will still
be a burn boss for prescribed burns, as well as mentoring our next
generation of burn bosses, project managers, crew leaders and
restoration crew.
It will be tough in some ways for me to ease out of the leadership role that I’ve held for the past seventeen years, but I’m excited for the new opportunities that are ahead of me. I’m also excited to see Quercus moving on into the future, well-positioned to accomplish more ecological land management on more sites, and to continue serving landowners with the high standard that we have established over the years.
Sincerely,
Jim Elleson