SUMMARY

Southern Loggers Cooperative is an association which provides expertise in negotiation and contract formulation for the membership which is composed of harvesters of timber, haulers of forest products in the natural state, finished products or products for recycling, forest road contractors, silvicultural contractors, forest landowners, farmers, ranchers, horticulturist or viticulturist. The philosophy of this cooperative is that the membership must receive the most competitive prices for their supplies, services and equipment. Southern Loggers Cooperative has three distinct customer groups: vendors, forest industry mills and/or facilities and financial institutions.

Vendors are our first customer and they are of utmost importance. Negotiations will be conducted with them to achieve the most competitive prices for the membership.

Another important customer group is the forest industry mills and their facilities. We will work diligently with them (Weyerhaeuser, International Paper, Temple Inland, Smurfit Stone, Georgia Pacific, etc.) to locate fueling stations in their proximity and insure their contractor's needs are met.

Financial institutions are a customer group which shares the importance with the mills and vendors. They will work with SLC to insure the monetary issues are legal and that the cooperative achieves their goals.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objectives of our cooperative are to:

• Be a proficient cooperative allowing the membership the ability to take advantage of the cost savings negotiated by the staff.
• Maintain a professional office sufficient to handle all operations.
• Develop a solid, cooperative identity in our specific targeted market areas.
• Establish good working relationships with all potential suppliers and vendors as well as all forestry related associations and/or organizations.
• Insure membership increases their revenue over expenses as a result of all efforts.

We believe the above-mentioned objectives are obtainable because of the professionalism and knowledge of the Executive Director and the determination of the Board of Directors. Currently, this is the only agricultural cooperative dedicated to servicing the forestry industry rather than farmers. With prices continuously rising, this group of professionals is in dire need of team efforts to insure they do not become dinosaurs. Costs must be reduced for them.

MISSION

This plan is written as a guide for managing this new cooperative and will also serve as the basis for a separate, detailed marketing plan. A summary of the main points of this plan are identified below:

• The objectives of Southern Loggers Cooperative are to increase the profitability for the membership, enhance the common interest of the forestry industry and insure the integrity of the membership and all associates remain constant and positive.
• The first mission of the SLC is to reduce the costs of supplies and services inherent in the industry which will be accomplished by negotiations with their current and potential suppliers/vendors.
• The ongoing mission will be to assist the membership in getting set up to use the contracts.
• The keys to success for SLC are marketing, networking and quality of customer service.
• We desire to establish a successful partnership with our membership, staff, and vendors who respect the interests and goals of each party.
• This cooperative is new to the marketplace and therefore opportunities are infinite for this group.

COMPANY OWNERSHIP

Southern Loggers Cooperative is an agricultural cooperative organized under the provisions of the Revised Louisiana Statue 3.71, et.seq. The cooperative is owned by the membership with nine original investors providing the origination monies. The Articles of Association was signed by Fox McKeithen, Secretary of State, on October 15, 2004.

The office is physically located at 1152 Expressway Drive, Pineville, LA 71360.

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS

To become a member download the following forms and email to the Corporate Office at info@southernloggers.com  or fax to 318-445-0075.  For assistance please call 318-445-0750.