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Jim’s first price list was a single typewritten page that he drafted in June, 1949. Simple in style and straightforward in presentation, it featured an assortment of essential tools for foresters; the same essentials that Jim would never be caught without, and ones that he had personally used for years as a consultant and, later, as Mississippi’s State Forester.

It was Jim’s character to help people, and this inherent virtue is what set Jim apart from the mix. For Jim, service came naturally.

Starting his business from his garage warehouse, Jim knew many of his customers personally. They were his friends and neighbors. So if that meant taking a call in the middle of the night to get something shipped out the next day, then that’s what Jim did.

Soon the grapevine again burned of Jim’s genuine willingness to take care of his customers. He was the “go-to guy” that local foresters relied on, and this reputation was spreading.

As the small business grew, Jim and his wife, Dorabel, attended even more conferences and exhibitions. However, one particularly fortuitous conference proved to be the turning point

It was at the 1951 Society of American Foresters conference that Jim’s reputation, products, and remarkable dedication to service so impressed convention delegates that his small supply company became a nationwide industry supplier by show’s end.

When orders from across the country began pouring in, the product listings began to grow. And all the while, Jim maintained his commitment to outstanding service and total customer satisfaction. What some may regard as a revolutionary concept today, Jim understood that his concept of uncompromising service was the single key to his company’s long-term success. So much so, that this was his closing pledge on his first price list in 1949. And, to this day, this commitment to service remains at the heart of all we do at Forestry Suppliers.