Through THE DIRT
Reimagining the Legacy of Black Landownership in Georgia
By Martel Sharpe
Winter 2023
Pictured: Jay Bailey and his wife Blayne ride ATVs on their property.
“Plant seeds that will grow trees whose shade you may never sit under,” is the personal motto of Jay Bailey, 46, the president and CEO of the H.J. Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs (RICE) in Atlanta, GA, and a member of the Georgia Forestry Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Bailey, who leads an organization named after the founder of the largest minority owned real estate and construction business in the United States, applies this motto to his platform that he uses to promote entrepreneurship, financial literacy and wealth building to the Black community. Ironically, when this city boy with country roots began using the phrase, he didn’t know that he would literally be planting and harvesting trees.
“I really got tired of the stories that I would hear from my grandparents, uncles, cousins or my parents about how much land we used to own. It was a legacy that was not passed down to me. It’s a legacy that I wanted to reimagine and restart.”
|
In the past three-and-a-half years, Bailey acquired property in Putnam, Wilkinson and Jefferson counties, totaling 3,500 acres. He’s acquired 1,100 acres in Putnam County, where he plans to build an 840-acre private estate and the Black Land Institute (BLI). In Wilkinson County, he holds 1,800 acres that he plans to have for recreation and timber rotation. The 400 acres in Jefferson County are for timber.
Though Bailey is originally from Atlanta, his family origins lie in Putnam County, where he plans to name his private estate Sagewood — in honor of his daughter Sage — and to reestablish his family’s history as landowners in the county. “My family is five generations from Putnam County,” Bailey said. “Farming and agriculture have been in my family since we arrived in Georgia. I would hear stories about my father’s grandfather who owned a large farm and had acres as far as the eye could see. My great uncle in Putnam County purchased 100-plus acres and built his family home there and raised his children on his farm.” A Legacy Reimagined Though Bailey’s family owns property in Putnam County to this day, outside of recent acquisitions, it’s nowhere near the scale that it was 100 years ago. He continued, “I really got tired of the stories that I would hear from my grandparents, uncles, cousins or my parents about how much land we used to own. It was a legacy that was not passed down to me. It’s a legacy that I wanted to reimagine and restart.” Bailey would unknowingly begin his journey into Black landownership, and eventually the timber industry, 20 years ago, when he decided to purchase land for his father. “When my father retired and moved back to Putnam County, we bought about 36 acres where he could start a small cattle farm. It was completely wooded, so my first introduction to timber harvesting was when we cleared out pasture land. We were paid for the timber that was cut off that land,” he said. Fast forward to three-and-a-half years ago, Bailey and his wife bought 185 acres in Putnam County for themselves as their first parcel of land. Through their previous experience with his father’s property, the couple realized that they needed to cut 65-70 acres of timber. This brought Bailey up close and personal with Georgia’s timber industry and piqued his interest in learning more. “When we started to think about sustainability and how we could generate recurring revenues, timber became something that I dug into. We needed to clear some timber anyway for some pasture property and that was my first experience with clearing timber personally,” Bailey said. |
|
“I stand on the principle of all wealth comes from the dirt. Anything that we own, consume or possess, at one point its elements came from the Earth. And in America, unfortunately, Black people own less than 2% of the dirt.”
Getting Involved in the Industry
Not too long after, Bailey would meet John Mulcahy, who asked him to do a speaking engagement at Georgia Pacific. Mulcahy is not only the vice president-stewardship for Georgia Pacific but also the chair for the Georgia Forestry Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He would later reach out to Bailey after a post on LinkedIn concerning his “10,000-acre timber strategy” went viral.
Bailey’s leadership in business and entrepreneurship, enthusiasm for landownership, interest and experience with the timber industry, and his holdings in Middle Georgia made him a natural fit.
After talking with Mulcahy, Bailey was able to meet with Andres Villegas, president and CEO of the Georgia Forestry Association. He was eventually added to the Georgia Forestry Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which consists of 18 members.
“As I got deeper within the industry, I started to learn more about every aspect of timber as an industry. That’s when the other parcels were acquired, because I wanted to get deeper into timber from a conservation standpoint, a legacy standpoint, a renewable resource standpoint, but also from a reoccurring revenue source as well,” he said. “I started to learn how many layers and how many jobs were created through the timber industry — from the loggers to the people who actually cut the pine and the people who process the pine. That entire vertical and supply chain that is connected to forestry.”
Ultimately, Bailey’s goal is to use the information, resources and connections he’s gained through personal experience to see through his 10,000-acre strategy and create the Black Land Institute.
“At 10,000 acres, we’ll be able to create a circular kind of system where every year we’re cutting 100-plus acres that will allow us to have recurring revenue and perpetuity. Now we’re looking at being able to cut 100 acres per year and replant. If we have 30 tracks, at year 30, track one will be ready to cut again. It’s a timber system and I learned that from talking to other timber people who have been in the business for generations,” he said.
And with the Black Land Institute on track to launch at the end of 2023, Bailey will be able to help other Black people become landowners and access resources that will enable them to generate revenue and create generational wealth. He’s currently raising a half-a-billion-dollar fund to ensure that Black people can access capital to acquire property and receive the proper legal and accounting advice.
“I stand on the principle of all wealth comes from the dirt. Anything that we own, consume or possess, at one point its elements came from the Earth. And in America, unfortunately, Black people own less than 2% of the dirt,” Bailey said. ■
Martel Sharpe is a journalist with over a decade of experience. He is a former managing editor who also reported mostly on local and state topics that included politics, business, education and community issues.
Not too long after, Bailey would meet John Mulcahy, who asked him to do a speaking engagement at Georgia Pacific. Mulcahy is not only the vice president-stewardship for Georgia Pacific but also the chair for the Georgia Forestry Foundation’s Board of Trustees. He would later reach out to Bailey after a post on LinkedIn concerning his “10,000-acre timber strategy” went viral.
Bailey’s leadership in business and entrepreneurship, enthusiasm for landownership, interest and experience with the timber industry, and his holdings in Middle Georgia made him a natural fit.
After talking with Mulcahy, Bailey was able to meet with Andres Villegas, president and CEO of the Georgia Forestry Association. He was eventually added to the Georgia Forestry Foundation’s Board of Trustees, which consists of 18 members.
“As I got deeper within the industry, I started to learn more about every aspect of timber as an industry. That’s when the other parcels were acquired, because I wanted to get deeper into timber from a conservation standpoint, a legacy standpoint, a renewable resource standpoint, but also from a reoccurring revenue source as well,” he said. “I started to learn how many layers and how many jobs were created through the timber industry — from the loggers to the people who actually cut the pine and the people who process the pine. That entire vertical and supply chain that is connected to forestry.”
Ultimately, Bailey’s goal is to use the information, resources and connections he’s gained through personal experience to see through his 10,000-acre strategy and create the Black Land Institute.
“At 10,000 acres, we’ll be able to create a circular kind of system where every year we’re cutting 100-plus acres that will allow us to have recurring revenue and perpetuity. Now we’re looking at being able to cut 100 acres per year and replant. If we have 30 tracks, at year 30, track one will be ready to cut again. It’s a timber system and I learned that from talking to other timber people who have been in the business for generations,” he said.
And with the Black Land Institute on track to launch at the end of 2023, Bailey will be able to help other Black people become landowners and access resources that will enable them to generate revenue and create generational wealth. He’s currently raising a half-a-billion-dollar fund to ensure that Black people can access capital to acquire property and receive the proper legal and accounting advice.
“I stand on the principle of all wealth comes from the dirt. Anything that we own, consume or possess, at one point its elements came from the Earth. And in America, unfortunately, Black people own less than 2% of the dirt,” Bailey said. ■
Martel Sharpe is a journalist with over a decade of experience. He is a former managing editor who also reported mostly on local and state topics that included politics, business, education and community issues.
|
Georgia Forestry Magazine is published by HL Strategy, an integrated marketing and communications firm focused on our nation's biggest challenges and opportunities. Learn more at hlstrategy.com
|
|
|