Jonathan E. Martin is chairman and CEO of Roy O. Martin Lumber Company and Martin Timber Company, two of the businesses under the Martin Companies umbrella. Roy O. Martin Lumber Company is a third-generation family enterprise and one of the largest independently owned lumber companies in the South, with a land base of 600,000 acres throughout Louisiana. The company specializes in forest products and recently patented the Grid Panel System, a high-quality product that enables builders to save time and money.

Martin earned his bachelor of science in industrial engineering from LSU in 1971. In 1981, he directed the design and construction of the first oriented strand board plant in the South for Roy O. Martin Lumber Company, and directed the design and construction of an adjacent hardwood sawmill in 1984. He also directed the design and construction of Martco Limited Partnership’s plywood plant in 1995, the first plywood facility built in the United States since 1981. Under his leadership as president and chairman, Roy O. Martin Lumber Company and the four manufacturing plants under Martco Limited Partnership were able to achieve Smartwood certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.

Martin and his partner, Roy Martin III, received the 2004 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the retail and consumer products division for the Houston and Gulf Coast region. Martin is active in the Hardwood Manufacturer’s Association, having served as president and on the board of directors, and currently serving as a member of the executive committee. He has also been a member of The Executive Network and the Chief Executive Network. Martin was previously on the Advisory Board for the LSU College of Engineering, and presently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the Ourso College of Business Administration.

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