The newest appointment by Gov. Kay Ivey to
the Alabama Forestry Commission recently began his five-year term. Robert P.
Sharp attended his first Commission meeting in October. “We are pleased to
welcome Mr. Sharp as an AFC commissioner,” said State Forester Rick Oates. “His
professional experience in the forest products industry will be a crucial asset
in continuing the AFC mission.”
Originally from Panama City, Florida, Bob
Sharp graduated Bay County High School in 1967 and pursued further education at
Auburn University. Upon obtaining a Bachelor of Science in forest management in
1972, he moved back to his home state of Florida to accept a job with St. Joe
Paper Company in Wewahitchka. Over the next 10 years, Bob also worked for the
Container Corporation of America at Fernandina Beach, Florida, and St. Regis
Lumber & Plywood in Citronelle, Alabama, working as a procurement manager.
This title gave Sharp the large responsibility of procuring more than 400,000
tons of timber annually.
After becoming co-owner of Mobile Forest
Products Inc. in 1984, Bob worked as a small, independent wood supplier to
local sawmills and paper companies. Over the next 25 years, the business grew
to be one of the largest wood supply/forestry trucking companies in northwest
Florida, south Alabama, and south Mississippi. “When I sold my share of the
company to Cooper Marine and Timberlands in 2007, we were delivering over
3,000,000 tons of forestry products and biomass annually,” says Sharp.
Following the sale of his share of his former
company, Bob served three years as Vice President for Forest Products at Cooper
Marine & Timberlands until 2010 and three additional years as Vice
President for Strategic Planning for Kior Inc. until 2013. Currently operating
two small, self-owned companies for six years since retiring from full-time
employment, Bob claims that “forestry has been good to us and remains a big
part of our lives.”
Bob and his wife of 49 years, Carol, live in
Mobile and have two children and five grandchildren. Sharp replaces
Commissioner Jerry Dwyer of Auburn. Other members of the Alabama Forestry
Commission include Chairman, Katrenia Kier of Huntsville; Vice-Chairman, Robert
Turner of Sulligent; Jane T. Russell of Lapine; Stephen W. May III, of
Sawyerville; Joseph H. Twardy of Auburn; and Dr. Bill Sudduth of Tuscaloosa. This
seven-member board, appointed by the Governor and approved by the State Senate,
is responsible for setting policy for the Forestry Commission,
the state agency charged with protecting and sustaining Alabama’s forest
resources, which contribute not only to abundant timber and wildlife, but also
clean air and water, as well as a healthy economy. To learn more about the AFC,
visit www.forestry.alabama.gov.