Scott Sumner
Scott Sumner, a native of the Albany “Plantation Belt,” grew up on his family’s farm in Worth County, Georgia.
Scott joined Jon Kohler & Associates in 2022. Scott has a strong personal connection to land and is passionate about the stewardship and conservation of our natural resources. Farming and the outdoors are essential parts of his life and he enjoys studying ways to become a better practitioner in these areas and beyond.
“I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been providentially blessed in this way – to grow up with dirt at my feet, free to explore and appreciate the God-given wonders of nature. I have experienced firsthand the joint venture between God and farmer, in which a farmer cannot do what God must do and God will not do what the farmer should. It is a partnership requiring one to diligently pursue one’s responsibilities, only reaping the benefits once these responsibilities are complete. It is no different as gatekeepers to the rare and unique properties we seek to honor and nurture as servant leaders at Jon Kohler & Associates. Advocacy and the pursuit of increased knowledge are always required, but this does not feel like work when it is one’s passion.” ~Scott Sumner
While attending the University of Georgia (UGA), Scott represented its student body as a student host and goodwill ambassador. He also studied abroad in South Africa and Costa Rica. Upon graduating in 2011, Scott moved to Nashville, Tenn., where, along with enjoying its music scene, sports, and state parks, he worked as a teacher in the school system and as a research assistant at Lighthouse Counsel, a consulting firm that partners with respected nonprofits and focuses on strategic planning, development analysis and planning, board development, campaign counseling, and campaign feasibility/planning studies. During his time at Lighthouse Counsel, Scott helped draft a strategic plan for UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.
Returning to his hometown of Sylvester, Ga., Scott has guided at one of Southwest Georgia’s well-known quail plantations and has worked at a local, community-based pharmacy. His faith and relationship to Jesus Christ is of utmost importance to him, and he serves as a Deacon at First Baptist Church of Sylvester.
“I have been blessed to travel to various parts of the United States and the world - and to have unique experiences in a city such as Nashville - but my heart always remained in Southwest Georgia. This is where my family and many of my friends reside. This is where the land I grew up on and hope to be a steward of, Lord willing, for years and years to come, is located. The area is truly my “place to come to,” and I hold our Southern lands as one of God’s greatest creations.” ~Scott Sumner
Drawing from this love of place and a competitive athletic background that further instilled his drive to pursue excellence, Scott seeks to serve his community and clients well, gleaning and applying his knowledge in many areas, including land, farming, wildlife, lake/pond management, and timber. He views this pursuit of excellence as a responsibility to both his fellow citizens and future clients.
“In our profession, we have the great opportunity to create relationships. This is one of the rewards of what we do, being able to connect with people, get to know them, and help them achieve their goals. It is my vital duty to perform at the highest level for my clients, earning their trust, understanding their needs, and helping meet these needs.” ~Scott Sumner
During his spare time, Scott enjoys songwriting, hunting, fishing, cooking, and reading Southern literature and American history.
“I am humbled and appreciative to have the opportunity to be a part of the Jon Kohler & Associates team. The conservation and stewardship ethos that embodies its culture is what drew me to the firm. The respect they have garnered and reputation they hold in our specialty market is unparalleled. No other team has the marketing prowess and ability to showcase and expose a property to the marketplace to the extent of Jon Kohler & Associates.” ~Scott Sumner
Testimonials
"Scott, I cannot express how amazing you were in handling the sale of my home. First off, it was at least 2 hours away from your office. You drove that distance multiple times to show the house or to meet contractors. You took care of items for me that should have been my job. Because I moved out of state I could not do it. You always communicated with me about the progress and never made me feel like I was a bother. You got me a very good price for the house... more than I thought, for sure. Most of all you were a man of your word. Integrity is hard to find in people. Scott...thank you. It was a pleasure working with you!"" – Terri B, Landowner, Woodland Lake Estate
Bruce Ratliff is a retired elected official (Property Appraiser Taylor County). Bruce brings years of experience in ad valorem tax knowledge. His property tax background gives JKA Associates & clients a unique insight into the complicated tax process. Bruce held several positions in the Florida Association of Property Appraisers, including member of the Board of Directors, President, Vice-President and Secretary, and served on the Agricultural & Legislative Committees for the Association. The real estate business has been part of Bruce’s life since childhood. His mother, Shirley Ratliff owned Professional Realty of Perry, Florida and his father, Buster owned Ratliff Land Surveying which Bruce was General Manager of before his political career.
From murky farm ponds to pristine glacier-cut lakes and everything in between, Knox Daniels’ expertise stems from a lifelong fascination of water and the creatures that live in and around it. He recognizes and helps clients appreciate the value water features bring to a property. “My goal is to help buyers realize and sellers maximize the value different water bodies bring to a property, not only in a recreational sense, but also for social storm reasons.” After extensively traveling the country for collegiate BASS fishing tournaments, Knox graduated and worked for the Southeast’s finest fisheries and wildlife biologist, Greg Grimes. With Grimes’ company, AES, Knox managed many of the southeast’s finest private lake estate/impoundment properties, and learned the intricacies of upscale property management. Learning from Greg and other biologists, Knox honed in on the specific conditions and habitat needed for optimal gamefish growth in private lakes. He has also worked as a property manager on several thousand acres and for a commercial developer, facilitating the dirt work and builds of several apartment complexes, but his true passion has always been in the outdoors. “I’ve always had an insatiable fascination with ponds/lakes and am grateful to be able to help to place clients on the properties of their dreams and make their personal fisheries/wildlife goals reality with JKA.” – Knox Daniels
As a landowner of his own family farm, Lick Skillet, along with family land that has been passed down and enjoyed together at Keaton Beach for 40 years, Jon knows what it means to be a steward of the last best places. As a third-generation land broker with more than 30 years of experience in advising landowners in this niche, Jon is known for his innate ability to harvest a land’s unique intrinsic value. Touting several notable sales under his belt, Jon personally closed Rock Creek/Molpus – 124,000 acres of premium timberland at $142,000,000 – which was known as the largest timberland land sale in the Southeast for eight years running. He is a co-founding member of LandLeader and achieved the real estate industry’s highest honor, “2022 National Broker of the Year – Recreational Land Sales,” by the Realtors® Land Institute.
Prior to joining Jon Kohler & Associates, Walter Hatchett served for 30 years as a land manager to several of the south’s most esteemed properties, including Rock Creek. As a former property manager himself, and a consistently ranked “Top Sales Producer” nationwide and achieved “APEX Top 20 Land Broker” multiple times, Walter has a keen eye for the best in habitat management.
With Madison County roots, Lori grew up on her family farm at Pettis Springs along the historic Aucilla River. A love of the land was instilled in Lori very early on by her father who was a local farmer. Lori understands the importance of good land stewardship and has witnessed first-hand how her own father, a former 2-term member of the Florida House of Representatives whose district encompassed many rural counties of the Red Hills Plantation Region, with a little bit of sweat equity, so lovingly worked their own family land. These are core values she carries with her today, and nothing gives her more personal satisfaction than to represent some of the south’s best land stewards.
Hailing from a long line of outdoorsmen, Tim learned a great deal from his father and grandfather. He saw first-hand what it means to be a good land steward. He believes land is so much more than a place to hunt, fish, and grow timber or crops. “It’s an identity, a resting place, a safe haven and a way of life, said Tim.” Tim’s family ties to Alabama run deep. During his grandfather’s first term, Governor James was responsible for signing into law Alabama’s first state duck stamp which helped to ensure funding for the procurement, development, and preservation of wetlands for migratory waterfowl habitat. He also established Alabama’s lifetime hunting license, so it is no surprise that Tim is an avid outdoorsman with a keen eye as to how best to improve habitat for the greater good of its wildlife.
Jason has been assisting landowners for the last 28 years in Georgia and South Carolina obtain achievements the owners did not realize were possible. His degree in Biology from Georgia Southern stemmed from the desire to know how things in nature work. His plantation roots began at just 16 years old outside of Albany, GA and the last 20 years were spent in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. His entire career has been spent developing a global approach to plantation management. That plan included sales. Sales is in Jason’s blood- his mom had a 45-year career as a real estate broker. After college, he chose to pursue his passion of making properties great. In 2011, Jason sold his first plantation. Since then, he has assisted buyers and sellers with over $20 million in sales while most of that time working as a full-time General Manager of a large Lowcountry plantation. Today, he is committed to using his unique skill set and experience to guide landowners through the many challenges of plantation ownership.