RMS Senior Management

Bruno F. Fritschi, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer A pioneer in the development of forestland as an asset class, Bruno F. Fritschi provides strategic oversight for company operations. Since joining the company in 1967, Bruno has been active in almost all aspects of forest investment and management. In the 1980s, he helped develop a ground-breaking strategic alliance as part of the Hancock Timber Resource Group (HTRG). In 1995, Bruno was named President and CEO, the third president since the founding of RMS in 1950. In 2001, he was elected Chairman of the Board. Since 1995, Bruno has led the company in the development of new systems for more cost-effective forest management, a reinvention of its business model, corporate branding, the expansion of RMS's board of directors, and succession planning. Bruno is a forest science graduate of Colorado State University, a registered forester, and a member of the Society of American Foresters. In 1996, he received the Honor Alumni Award from Colorado State University's College of Natural Resources. In 1994, he was the recipient of HTRG's Stewardship Award for Client Service.

Craig Blair, Senior Vice President, Forest Investment One of three members of the RMS Executive Council, Craig Blair leads RMS investment management efforts.  In that role, Craig helps clients create strategies for integrating timberland into each client's financial portfolio. He also directs planning, research, new product development, and marketing. With over 20 years of forest business experience, Craig is a recognized expert in southern timberland evaluation, analysis, and ownership trends, as well as an accomplished speaker on the topics. Prior to moving into work for private capital markets, Craig led the company's forest planning division.  Before joining RMS in 1992, he worked in various forest management and managerial positions for the Jefferson Smurfit Group.  Craig holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management from the University of Arkansas and a master's degree in forest business from Mississippi State University.

Ed Sweeten, Director of Acquisitions Ed Sweeten is one of the leading authorities on forest acquisitions and land sales in the Southern United States. With over 25 years of diversified forestry and real-estate experience, he has conducted more than $8 billion in forestland acquisitions and sales. He is a licensed real-estate broker in Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina as well as a registered forester in Georgia and the Carolinas. Ed earned a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management from Auburn University and is a member of both the Society of American Foresters and the Association of Consulting Foresters. He also has authored several articles on forest landowner management practices for industry journals and is a co-recipient of the 1994 Hancock Timber Resource Group's Stewardship Award.

Phillip Woods, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Management Phillip Woods brings more than 25 years of professional forestry experience to portfolio management for RMS clients. He led the RMS relationship with the Hancock Timber Resource Group, working closely with HTRG in the development and execution of its operational plans on all RMS-managed properties in the South. In addition, he managed a dedicated HTRG Account Team that oversaw all forest planning, budgeting, operations, risk management, sustainability audits, cash management, accounting and reporting on approximately 1.3 million acres of HTRG properties.  Phillip joined RMS in 1993 and served as a regional manager for Arkansas, Texas and Louisiana before assuming the HTRG lead.  Prior to coming to work at RMS, he was a regional manager of timberlands and timber procurement for a large forest products company in Alabama and Mississippi. A Manager of RMS LLC, Phillip is a registered forester in the state of Alabama and is a member of the Society of American Foresters. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forest management from Auburn University and serves on the University’s School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Advisory Council.

Dale Weizenecker, Director of Forest Operations Dale Weizenecker oversees forest management for all of RMS' clients. Dale joined RMS as a forester in 1987, managing lands for the Hancock Timber Resource Group (HTRG) in Alabama and Mississippi.  In 1990, he opened the Grenada, Mississippi office, and served as a regional manager there for five years.  In 1995, he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, to open RMS' office in the central hardwood region. As regional manager, Dale oversaw business development, forestry operations, and land dispositions for private and corporate clients in Tennessee, Kentucky, and West Virginia.  Dale was named manager of operations for private clients in 2002. A registered forester in Alabama and Mississippi, Dale holds a Bachelor of Science degree in forestry from Auburn University.

Jimmy Kuhn, Manager of Resource Planning and Information Technology Jimmy Kuhn joined RMS in 1994 after ten years in the forest products industry.  Jimmy is head of RMS’ Forest Resource Planning and Information Technology Group.  His team supports all RMS property management, property acquisition and disposition, investment and consulting efforts with the latest technology for forest science and forest management.  In addition, his group is responsible for all computer systems used by RMS.  Jimmy was instrumental in the creation and development of RMS’ forest planning computer system; He also maintained forest inventories and developed long-term property management plans for RMS institutional clients.  Jimmy received his Bachelor of Science in Forestry from the University of Arkansas at Monticello in 1981 and his Master of Forestry from Mississippi State University in 1985.  He is an Alabama Registered Forester and a member of the Society of American Foresters. Jimmy serves as secretary of the RMS Investment Commitee.

David Titzer Director, International Investments David's principal responsibility at RMS is to build and manage a forest investment portfolio outside of North America for RMS clients. Working with RMS team members, outside consultants and third party service providers, David will develop and implement timberland acquisition strategies, especially in the rapidly developing forest product markets of South America and Australasia. Prior to joining RMS, David was engaged by investment funds as an international forest consultant. Additionally, for over 25 years, he worked for International Paper. During this time with IP, David held positions of increasing responsibility in global strategic planning, international due diligence, forest acquisitions and sales. He has also had the operational management responsibility for 1.25 million acres (500M ha) in the southern US. David holds a BS and MS in Forestry from Purdue University and an MBA from the University of Portland.

Kevin Fry, Chief Financial Officer With over 20 years experience in the investment management business, Kevin Fry joined RMS as Chief Financial Officer in 2007. He is responsible for the accounting and financial reporting of all investment holdings for RMS clients. Throughout Kevin's career he served various financial institutions and service industries while on the audit staff of Ernst & Young. Kevin left public accounting in 1985 to join the investment management team of a national bank, where he served as Controller for their real estate group. Since 1995, Kevin has focused exclusively on timberland reporting while serving as Senior Vice President for the bank's TIMO and handling increasing responsibilities of performance measurement, client reporting and general business planning. Kevin received a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he graduated cum laude. He holds CPA licenses in both North Carolina and Alabama and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants, the Alabama Society of CPA's, and the Institute of Management Accountants.

Danny Norman, Manager, Harvest Operations Danny joined Resource Management in October of 2006, after twenty-seven years with Smurfit Stone in various management, procurement and operations positions, including four years with the Hopewell and West Point, Virginia mills. Prior to that, he spent twenty-three years at the Brewton, Al facility. He graduated from Auburn University in 1974 and began his career with a small family sawmill in East Alabama, followed by a short stint with Hercules, Inc buying lightered pine for their operation in Hattiesburg, Ms. He is a registered forester in Alabama and former Board member of both Virginia and Alabama's Forestry Associations and the WSRI along with current membership on national committees for the FRA.

Jimmy Bullock, Manager, Forest Resource Sustainability Jimmy Bullock is responsible for sustainable forestry policy and programs, forest certification, environmental and wildlife policy development and implementation, and outdoor related recreation programs for RMS-managed timberlands in the United States. Jimmy received his B.S. Degree in Forestry/Wildlife from Mississippi State University in 1980; and attained his M.S. Degree in Wildlife Ecology from that same institution in 1982. Prior to joining RMS, he was Manager of Wildlife Policy and Programs for International Paper. A certified wildlife biologist, Mississippi Registered Forester and Society of American Foresters Certified Forester, Jimmy is past Chairman and current member of the Board of Directors of the Quality Deer Management Association. He also holds a life appointment to the Board of Directors for the Catch-A-Dream Foundation, and is a founding and current member of the Board of Directors for the National Conservation Leadership Institute.