(Bluffton and Charleston, SC) — Jon Kohler & Associates is thrilled to announce the hiring of Jason Hewett of Bluffton, South Carolina, and Chip Byrd of Charleston, South Carolina as real estate agents. Based in Lamont, FL, Jon Kohler & Associates is the South’s leading authority on quail plantations, ranches, high-quality properties, and Social Storm Properties. The firm has represented the buyers and sellers of many of the most prestigious farm, ranch, and plantation sales in the Thomasville/Tallahassee/Albany markets, ACE Basin, South Carolina Lowcountry, and the Alabama Plantation Belt. Since 2010 alone, Jon Kohler & Associates has closed 413,441 acres of land and completed $1.4 billion+ in real estate sales. The brokerage carries an inventory of only the finest, most unique properties.
For 28 years, Hewett has worked on and managed farms and plantations in Georgia and South Carolina. After a successful career in the plantation management business – working for some of South Carolina’s most discerning landowners – Hewett decided to take a leap of faith and switch gears to help as many landowners as possible achieve their land ownership objectives. He has been a leader in the local plantation and conservation communities for over 20 years.
Byrd grew up on a working plantation and spent most of his youth hunting and fishing on the plantations and marshes of the ACE Basin and Santee Delta. He attended the University of South Carolina where he received degrees in accounting and investment finance. After spending several years working as a professional hunting and fishing guide, Byrd attained a master’s degree in forest resources from Clemson University and began working in forestry/wildlife consulting and land sales.
“We are thrilled to welcome Jason and Chip to the Jon Kohler & Associates team,” said Jon Kohler. “Their wealth of knowledge and experience will greatly improve our presence in South Carolina.”
In Hewett’s spare time, he volunteers with several organizations to promote conservation, education, and the outdoor lifestyle. From 2014 until 2021, he led the South Carolina Plantation Manager’s Association and in 2019 led the South Carolina Prescribed Fire Council. He has also served on advisory boards for Clemson’s JCK Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center, the SC Bobwhite Initiative, SC Tall Timbers Steering Committee, and Horry Georgetown Technical College’s Wildlife and Forestry Program. He has volunteered for and hosted multiple National Deer Alliance events, lectured to multiple classes for the Clemson Wildlife Department, hosted the SC Handler’s Trial for nearly a decade, and helped form the Carolina Celebration Open Shooting Dog Classic, one of the largest shooting dog trials in the country.
“Jon Kohler & Associates is the leader in high end recreational sales in the Southeast and it is with great pride that I hang my brokerage hat with them to better serve our clients. Jon has been an inspiration and together we bring an unmatched level of experience to the table for anyone looking to buy or sell high end recreational properties,” said Hewett.
Byrd currently resides in Charleston and enjoys the sporting life that the Lowcountry offers. A dedicated turkey hunter, he is three-quarters of the way to completing the US Super Slam of harvesting a turkey in all 49 states that have a hunting season.
“It is a dream opportunity to work with Jon Kohler and the team at the Southeast’s top recreational land brokerage. I look forward to assisting the present and future land stewards of the finest recreational properties in our region,” said Byrd.
About Jon Kohler & Associates: Jon Kohler & Associates is the leading authority on hunting plantations, ranches, and high-quality properties representing the best land stewards in the Southeast. With three decades specializing in this niche, the real estate brokerage, marketing, and advisory firm is best known as the preeminent source of knowledge of high-quality land, unmatched marketing, and representing the top properties in this niche. Their primary focus is to ensure good land stewardship is financially rewarded.
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.