As a proud sponsor of Kevin’s annual Southern Game Fair, Jon Kohler Associates (JKA) is excited to once again partner with this fellow champion of the outdoor lifestyle we both embrace so boldly. Now entering its seventh year, this fall’s Game Fair has expanded and grown to include an extra day of events, further highlighting all the things we love about life in the Red Hills Region.
Kevin’s Southern Game Fair began as a way to not only celebrate the opening of quail season but with the mission of supporting Tall Timbers and the important research and conservation work they engage in. As Brian Wiebler, Communications Director for Tall Timbers shares, “Kevin’s Southern Game Fair has become a great fall tradition in the Red Hills and is an excellent way for visitors to experience some of the upland lifestyle that Kevin’s curates so well. Tall Timbers is very thankful for the funds raised at the Game Fair; these contributions support our Game Bird Program and its dedication to long-term research on the management and recovery of bobwhite quail. Upland bird hunting is the primary driver of these substantial research and conservation actions that bring bobwhites back.” Kevin Kelly goes on to add, “Last year, the event raised $70,000 for Tall Timbers Research Station and to date has raised $400,000 to preserve the Bobwhite quail woods.” Those numbers are substantial.
Beyond the philanthropic aspect of the event, the annual Game Fair is just a really darned good time.
Setting the tone for the weekend is the JKA-sponsored Quail Bash on Thursday evening. At the downtown Marriott Courtyard, guests gather around tables teeming with fresh oysters and local game dishes. Old friends meet new ones as they share a glass (or two) of great bourbon. There is a palpable sense of excitement in the air that only comes from being with others who share your same values and enthusiasm for what’s to come. No one wants the night to end but that’s where things get really exciting, with a Charlie Whitney-led auction of some very prized items. In years past, guests have taken home covetable hunting gear, Argentinian expeditions, Holland & Holland Gun Room experiences and one-of-a-kind works of art.
The need for the expanded Game Fair schedule is a testament to how much this outdoor lifestyle resonates with visitors outside our region. Kathleen Kelly says, “We expanded it out to give people more time to enjoy themselves. We have guests come from across the country to experience what we have here. They dine together, shoot together and friendships are formed. It is really special.”
On Friday, ticketed guests arrive at the esteemed Chinquapin Plantation for the full Game Fair experience. This property – once home to Standard Oil Company heir, John F. “Jack” Archbold – is a significant one for so many reasons. Rolling hills and river bluffs, pine savannah hills and heritage live oaks all complement the historic A.S. Bell-designed home. For many, this may be the only opportunity they’ll have to experience a place this special. However, this particular property happens to be one Jon is quite familiar with, as he has had the distinct pleasure of representing Chinquapin not once, but twice. Guests can tour the estate, enjoy a gracious catered lunch afield, take in sporting dog demonstrations and visit with vendors.
This year, Friday’s guests will also have the opportunity to add on two off-site activities: a gun-safety and shooting instruction experience at Ranges at Oakfield or an exclusive tour of nearby Longpine Plantation – a sporting plantation that Jon sold in 2014 – and one of the region’s most prominent and ecologically valuable properties in the Red Hills. Saturday events include shooting demonstrations at Ranges of Oakfield with firearms from such venerable makers as Holland & Holland, Benelli, Caesar Guerini and of course, Kevin’s own line of shotguns.
This annual Game Fair is an invaluable way to expose a greater number of people to the coveted outdoor lifestyle we prize. As Kathleen Kelly notes, “One of the amazing aspects of the Game Fair is the number of people who attend from outside the region, a true testament to how special The Red Hills are and the culture we have cultivated here.” Jon Kohler Associates is proud to be a valuable part of this weekend.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cole’s dedication to land management lies in his family roots. As a fourth-generation timber expert, Cole’s earliest memories were spent with his father managing timber investments. With a degree in Food Resource Economics from the University of Florida, Cole is the epitome of an up-and-coming leader. He grew up with a hands-on approach to learning land management and conservation and has spent the last 15 years learning every angle of the real estate and forest industry. Cole is a member of the Florida Forestry Association, Red Hills Quail Forever, Southeastern Wood Producers Association and he uses this platform as an advocate for landowners and their land investments. His family has dedicated the past 60 years to providing landowners in North Florida and South Georgia with professional land management services focused on improving and protecting one’s forestland and wildlife investment. In fact, their family business, M.A. Rigoni, Inc., was one of the first to introduce whole tree chipping to the Red Hills Region.
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.