Mark Altman, Founder and Trainer, Mindset Go

An accomplished and dynamic Sales Executive and leader with over two decades of experience, Mark has been recognized as an Inc. 500 entrepreneur. He has had the privilege to coach and mentor Fortune 500 executives and work with some of the world’s most recognizable brands to develop the next generation of business and sales leaders.

Dwight Gibson, President and CEO, BlueLinx Co.

Mr. Gibson, 46, has served as our President and Chief Executive Officer, and as a member of our Board, since June 2021. Prior to joining BlueLinx, Mr. Gibson was the Chief Commercial Officer of SPX FLOW, Inc. (NYSE: FLOW), a global provider of process solutions and components across a variety of sanitary and industrial market applications. Previously, he served as President, Food & Beverage and Industrial Segments (May 2019 to May 2020) and President, Food & Beverage Segment (June 2016 to May 2019) for SPX FLOW. Prior to joining SPX FLOW, Mr. Gibson spent 11 years at HVAC manufacturer Ingersoll Rand, most recently leading significant growth initiatives as President of Strategic Initiatives for the company’s climate segment. Mr. Gibson has also served as a director of Interface, Inc. (Nasdaq: TILE), a worldwide commercial flooring company, since September 2019. Mr. Gibson received his Bachelors in Business Administration from Howard University, his Master’s in Business Administration from Stanford University and a Master’s of Science in International Strategy and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics.

Dr. Jessica Lautz, Vice President, Demographics and Behavioral Insights – Research, National Association of Realtors

Dr. Jessica Lautz is Vice President of Demographics and Behavioral Insights at the National Association of REALTORS®. The core of her research focuses on analyzing trends for both NAR members and housing consumers. Through management of surveys, focus groups and data analysis, she presents new and innovative ways to showcase results. Jessica discusses research findings in major media outlets and international presentations. In 2022, Dr. Lautz was named a RISMedia Newsmaker in the Influencer category. In 2021, Dr. Lautz was named one of Housing Wire’s Women of Influence, a list representing 100 of the most influential women in leadership in the housing industry. She also volunteers at Nottingham Trent University as an industry fellow mentoring real estate graduate students. Jessica received her Doctorate of Real Estate from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. She also holds a Master’s in Public Policy from American University and undergraduate degrees in Political Science and Law and Justice from Central Washington University.

Brian Menzies, Executive Director, Independent Wood Processors Association of British Columbia

Brian Menzies is the executive director of the Independent Wood Processors Association of British Columbia. He has over twenty-five years of experience working in senior levels of the BC government including Chief of Staff to the Ministers of Forests, Health, and Finance. He has been an advisor to political leaders and as a public affairs consultant for various forestry companies, industry associations, and government agencies. He holds a Master of Arts degree in conflict analysis and management, specializing in public policy development through stakeholder engagement. Brian also has experience as a mediator, negotiator, and a public participation facilitator.

Scott Poole, President and COO, RoyOMartin

Scott Poole is the President and Chief Operating Officer for Martin Sustainable Resources L.L.C. in Alexandria, LA. Mr. Poole joined the Martin Companies in December of 1986. The Martin Companies, with over 1,200 employees, own or control over half a million acres of forest land within the State of Louisiana and own and operate the three largest Plywood and Oriented Strand Board manufacturing facilities in North America. Mr. Poole's current responsibilities include the management of all timber, manufacturing, and sales operations within the organization. In 1986, Scott graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry from Louisiana Tech University and later attained his MBA from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.

Scott is married to the former Heather Spillers of Vidalia, LA. Heather received her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Business Administration degrees from LSU, her doctorate in Education from Louisiana Tech and is currently Executive Vice Chancellor of CLTCC in Alexandria. In addition to his duties at RoyOMartin, Scott serves on the board of the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry (LABI), he is a past board member of the Louisiana Forestry Association, past Chairman of the Louisiana Forestry Commission and the Louisiana Forest Products Society. He is also past Chair of the Central Louisiana Manufacturers Council and current Advisory Board Member for Louisiana Tech University School of Forestry. Scott has been named a Tech Triumph and served as guest lecturer in the Lloyd Blackwell Lecture Series at Louisiana Tech University. Scott and Heather call Pineville, Louisiana home and enjoy spending time in Louisiana’s outdoors with their four children.

Anthony Smith, Chief Economist, FreightWaves

Before FreightWaves, Anthony received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Economics from New Mexico State University. Anthony started his career off in tech as a Commercialization Associate where he identified and evaluated emerging technologies and innovations. Anthony transitioned to a Corporate Economist & Consultant where he advised CXO leaders and Fortune 500 companies on economic analysis, industry trends and internal strategy. Anthony’s clients varied from construction, trucking, industrial, software, manufacturing and retail industries. Anthony most recently worked in-house as a Corporate Economist for a building products company. He led analysis around M&A, pricing sensitivity, competitive intelligence and annual sales forecast for the executive team.

Brent Sohngen, Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics , THE Ohio State University

Brent Sohngen is a professor of environmental and resource economics in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. Dr. Sohngen received his doctorate in environmental and resource economics from Yale University in 1996. He conducts research on the economics of land use change, the design of incentive mechanisms for water and carbon trading, carbon sequestration, and valuation of environmental resources. Dr. Sohngen developed a global forest and land use model that has been widely used to assess the implications of climate change on ecosystems and markets, and to assess the costs of carbon sequestration in forests.

Dr. Sohngen has written or co-written over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, and 60 monographs and book chapters. He co-authored sections of the 2001 and 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports, and he co-authored the forestry chapter of the most recent U.S. National Climate Assessment Report. He teaches courses on “Food, Population and the Environment” and “Energy, the Environment, and the Economy.”

Will Sonnenfeld, Principal, WillSonn Advisory, LLC

Will Sonnenfeld is Principal at WillSonn Advisory, LLC, where he provides consulting services to a wide array of participants in many sectors of the timber and wood products space. Formed in 2009, WillSonn Advisory has helped clients in the areas of: Business Assessments and Due Diligence for timberland and mill acquisitions and financing; Contract preparation, review and negotiations; Independent Third-Party Review of appraisals, financial projections and timberland harvest flows; and Strategic Plan Development, including price and volume forecasts. Clients have included public and private companies, TIMOs, lenders, NGO’s and institutional investors.

Will Sonnenfeld holds a BS in Forest Management from Texas A&M University, an MBA in Finance from the University of Oregon, and held a CPA certificate from 1994-2001 (lapsed). Prior to, and in between, his consulting work, Will Sonnenfeld held a number of senior management positions in the industry, including SVP Strategic Initiatives for Brookfield Timberlands where he led its US timberland acquisition efforts, SVP at The St Joe Company where he was in charge of the Timberlands and Rural Land Sales divisions, and SVP at GE Capital where he was involved in business development and lending activities to GECC’s timber, wood products and bio-energy clients. From 1988 to 2006, Will Sonnenfeld worked for Plum Creek Timber Company, the last 11 of which were focused on timberland acquisitions and divestitures, where he transacted on over 3.6 million acres. Will also held management positions in corporate planning, Inventory and GIS, and financial reporting. Will began his 30+ year career as a forester for Temple Inland in the piney woods of East Texas.