Español
	Contact Target Region FMS Offices And we also can do What we can do Who is who Mission / Vision

Who is Who

Luis Romero Alvarez - Director

Romero obtained a degree as an Agricultural Engineer in 1981 in Montevideo and a Master of Arts in Economics an Finance (1983) at the University of Chicago. He has worked as an independent consultant since 1984 in project evaluations in the agribusiness sector. He began his career by serving in various positions in the Uruguayan government, including terms as Auditor to the Central Bank of Uruguay (1984-1985), Advisor to the Minister of Economics and Finance (1986-1988), and Director of Agricultural Policy at the Ministry of Cattle, Agriculture and Fisheries (1989-1990). He started Consultora Profesionales SRL in 1992, specializing in the formulation, appraisal, and implementation of investment projects, financial planning, and companies’ organization. In 2004 he formed a partnership (Farm and Forestry Management Services) with F&W Forestry Services and Marshall Thomas, offering forestland acquisition and management services in Uruguay and the Southern Cone region. FMS assisted in the acquisition of 50000 hectares of forest, agricultural, and recreational land in Uruguay and Brazil, and currently manages the same property. Romero publishes regular editorials on agribusiness, economic and political issues in the Uruguayan newspapers, and for several years was the host of a radio program on the agribusiness sector in Uruguay. He has published five books of compilations of his editorials.

Marshall Thomas - Director

Thomas received a BS degree in forest management from the University of Florida in 1978. He began work with F&W Forestry Services in April of 1978 as a financial analyst, inventory forester, and as a manager of the Savannah and Statesboro Georgia regional offices. Thomas receives his MBA from Georgia Southern University in 1988 and became president of F&W the same year. Under his leadership F&W has become one of the largest forest management and consulting firms in the United States, managing over 400000 acres with operations in 15 states. F&W provides full management services, including accounting and valuation, operations management, mapping and database management, resource and plant locations studies, and acquisition assistance. Thomas began exploring business opportunities in the Southern Cone in 1996, and began operations there through the partnership with Romero in 2004. Thomas has served as President of the Georgia Forestry Association, and continues to serve as board member.

Alejandro Lyonnet

He received his Agricultural Engineer degree from the University of the Republic, Uruguay, in 1995. In 1998 he received his post-graduate degree in Business Administration from the same University. From 1996 to 1997 he was hired consultant in the evaluation of performance of an exporting office from the Ministry of Cattle and Agriculture. In 1997 he joined the consulting firm Profesionales SRL to act in the areas of formulation and evaluation of investment projects, loan consultanting, mergers & acquisitions, etc. Simultaneously, from 1998 to 2001 he managed the company Proforraje SRL which provided tillage and site preparation services. Currently Lyonnet is the Uruguayan country manager for FMS, responsible for the management of 40000 hectares of forestland as well as acquisition support.

Carlos Saint-Upéry

He received his Agricultural Engineer degree from the University of the Republic, Uruguay, in 1996. From 1995 to 1996 he worked for the Notaries Pension Fund as a field technician in a beef essay for the Faculty of Agronomy, which concluded in his thesis work. In 1996 he joined Profesionales SRL as a consultant in formulation and evaluation of investment projects in several sectors. He has extensive experience in the development of financial projects and in mergers and acquisitions, including valuation of intangible assets. He has been a columnist in forest topics in a monthly magazine (1998), co-writer of the magazine of the Rural Association of Uruguay (1999-2000), and co writer in the Tiempo Uruguayo newspaper (2005-2006). Saint-Upéry is the Southern Cone Regional Acquisition coordinator, responsible for coordinating acquisitions activities across the region, including property identification, screening, and analysis.

John F. Godbee, Jr.

Godbee received a BS and MS degrees in Forest Entomology from the University of Georgia in 19072 and 1974. He worked with the Georgia Forestry Commission from 1975 to 1979. From 1979 to 2001 he worked for Union Camp Corporation and International Paper. Since 2001 he has been the Forest Certification and Environmental Compliance Programs Manager for F&W Forestry Services. Godbee has been active in the FMS operations, providing forest management, environmental management, and organizational management advice to FMS during the setup phases.

James C. Doster

Doster received a BS degree in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia in 1974. He worked for St. Joe Paper Company from 1974 through 1993. From 1993 through 1995 he worked for Gold Kist Forestry Support as Sales Manager. In 1999 he began working for F&W Forestry Services as a Client Manager. Doster also received an MBA form the Florida State University in 2003. Doster has been active in FMS acquisition support, providing financial analysis of properties and the technical tools to support property evaluation and management.