Long View Forest is owned by nearly half of its current 40 employees, and is committed to principles of teamwork, fairness, and risk and reward sharing in all its endeavors. While day to day leadership and decision making duties are widely shared throughout the company, a four-person management team and shareholder board of directors are responsible for developing and implementing overall business strategy.
Jack Bell General Manager and Shareholder Jack is co-founder of Long View and General Manager of the business. Jack worked in the woods on the logging crews in earlier years, and before that built hiking trails in New Hampshire's White Mountains. He earned a B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 1997. Jack lives in Putney, VT and spends his free time riding bikes, skiing and hiking with his family.
Jesse Taft Finance and Development Jesse joined Long View full-time at the start of 2023 following a transition over the previous year where his time was split with Lyme Timber and LVF. Jesse brings a wealth of experience in the financial sector with time working in the banking and lending industries with Farm Credit East and Yankee Farm Credit, as well as in the business sector with Focus Acquisition Partners. Jesse will be managing much of the business development at LVF with its' expanding work with Rottne Forest Machines and other new developments currently underway. Jesse earned his BA at Wesleyan and followed that with an MBA in Finance from the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University.
Jim Hourdequin Finance Advisor and Shareholder Jim is co-founder of Long View and advises on general management and matters related to the company's borrowing and investment activities. His full time work is as a Managing Director of the Lyme Timber Company in Hanover, NH whose focus is the acquisition and sustainable management of lands with unique conservation values. Jim earned an MBA with Distinction from the Harvard Business School in 2005 and a B.A. cum laude in Biology from Dartmouth College in 1998.
Laurie Comstock Business Manager and Shareholder Laurie joined Long View in 2009 and quickly became integral to the functioning of the business. Her contributions in all areas continue to grow as she ensures a smooth and efficient office work flow and leads business operations out of the Hartland office. Laurie earned a B.S. in Animal Science from the University of Maine at Orono in 1987 which she continues to use managing a small herd of cows on her family's farm in Chester, VT.
Early photo of a Long View crew with our first Rottne Forwarder, the 99 Rapid