Who’s Who in Import/Exports
Freight Forwarding Company Offers Unique Customer Approach
Kristi Paylor
Kristi Paylor is a Strategic Accounts Lead for the international freight forwarding company, TMX Shipping, located in Morehead City, NC. The company offers export freight forwarding services with a unique, single point of contact customer service approach.
Joining the TMX team right out of college in 2007, Paylor found her niche in the forest products shipping industry and has held her current role ever since. Recently, she expanded her impact by joining the company’s marketing team, where she lends her expertise to brand strategy, content creation, and industry event curation. A Beaufort, NC native and East Carteret High School graduate, Paylor went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Meredith College in Raleigh, NC with a focus on professional writing and presentation media. She and her husband, Richie, have a 13-year-old son, Hudson, and a beloved goldendoodle named Tug. Her hobbies include boating on the NC Coast, watching her son’s sporting events and traveling.
TMX Shipping is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, the Appalachian Lumbermen’s Club, the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., the Lake States Lumber Association, the American Walnut Manufacturers Association, the American Hardwood Export Council, the Western Hardwood Association, the Hardwood Federation, the Improving Market Access Coalition and the National Customs Brokers & Forwarders Association of America Inc.
For more details, call 252-726-1111, email kpaylor@tmxship.com or visit tmxship.com.
Merrick Hardwoods Inc. Handles 40 Million Board Feet Worldwide
Michael Wang
Michael Wang is the director of lumber sales for the Asian and Pacific regions serviced by Somerset, KY-based, Merrick Hardwoods Inc. In addition to those regions covered by Wang, the company’s sales also span North America and Europe.
Merrick Hardwoods, a vertically integrated forest products company, is one of the biggest manufacturers of Appalachian lumber in the United States and also produces hardwood flooring and wood fuel pellets.
Merrick Hardwoods handles 40 million board feet in a variety of species that include the following: Poplar and Red and White Oak in 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 in FAS to No. 2 Common, kiln-dried, surfaced and rough; Cherry, Hickory, Ash and Hard Maple in 4/4 FAS to No. 2 Common kiln-dried, surfaced and rough; Soft Maple in 4/4 and 5/4 FAS to No. 2 Common kiln-dried, surfaced and rough in addition to Aromatic Cedar in 4/4 No. 1 Common & Better kiln-dried, surfaced and rough.
The company offers unique services such as export packaging and loading, as well as straight line ripping, sorted widths, mixed loads and surfacing on two sides.
While he has been employed at Merrick Hardwoods for 19 years and in his current position for 15 years, Wang has industry-related experience dating back to 1995 as the technical service representative of PPG Industries in Tianjin, China. In 1997, he became the technical manager of industrial coatings for that same company. He also got his start in the forest products industry with PPG Industries 25 years ago as the sales manager of wood coatings. He held the sales manager position until 2006, when he became the director of product outsourcing for Asia at Somerset, KY-based, Somerset Hardwood Flooring.
He spent his youth in China, attending Tianjin No. 2 Middle School before graduating with a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering and Technology degree from Tianjin University.
Wang and his wife of 35 years, May Li, have one son and one grandson. He finds a lot of enjoyment in touring, music and playing golf.
Merrick Hardwoods is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the American Hardwood Export Council, the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc., the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, the Kentucky Forest Industries Association and the National Wood Flooring Association.
For more information, call 606-561-4146, Wang’s cell at 647-286-1388, fax 606-561-6337, email mwang@merrickgroup.com or visit www.merrickhardwoods.com.
The Rossi Group Sales Reaches Over 40 Countries
Scott Lilley
Scott Lilley is in the sales department for The Rossi Group LLC, which is headquartered in Cromwell, CT. While The Rossi Group serves over 40 countries, Lilley’s territories include all states west of the Mississippi River. He also has long-term customers in other regions such as Canadian Provinces like Toronto and other western territories.
The Rossi Group is a sawmill group that manufactures kiln-dried hardwoods with an annual board footage amount of 65 million. Species carried by the company include the following in 4/4 through 12/4: Red and White Oak, Cherry, Walnut, Poplar, Hickory and Hard and Soft Maple.
While he has over 40 years of experience in the hardwood industry, Lilley has been with The Rossi Group in sales for over nine years and he works to develop markets in North America and Canada for the company. His first job in the forest products industry was producing Alder lumber with Diamond Wood Products in Eugene, OR, where he worked for 16 years and was promoted to sales manager.
Lilley enjoys the industry, developing new customers and bringing value along with establishing long-lasting relationships. Spending time with his family, enjoying outdoor activities such as golf, boating and biking are what he participates in during his free time. He and his wife Stacey have four children and three grandchildren.
The Rossi Group is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, the Indiana Hardwood Lumbermen’s Association, the Penn-York Lumbermen’s Club and the Canadian Hardwood Bureau.
For more information about the company, email SLilley@Rossilumber.com or visit rossilumber.com.
