In January of 2009, after selling AIB group to Nationwide Insurance, a neighboring farm owner in Culpeper, VA called Jamie to seek his help due to the collapse of the housing market. A plan was formed to restructure the farmers operations and a conservation transaction took place in 2012 that cleared the books of over $3 Million in debt for this farmer. A new business was born, and Beechtree Group began taking clients from across the state. Today, we have conserved over 85,000 acres in VA and NC, and work with all manner of landowners, local, state, and federal officials as well as NGO and non-profits. Our main goal is to protect those special places, “Treasures”, as former Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward called them, for future generations.
Today, Beechtree is a multi-state consultancy with a sterling reputation within the conservation community. We have partnered with everyone you can imagine, securing and funding some of the most important properties and landscape scale projects closed in the past 15 years. We keep two goals in mind: Financial success for the landowner and conservation success for the community. Today, we have over 40 projects scattered across two states in various states of progress. Beechtree also manages Sylvan Restoration Management, a Timber Investment Group specializing in acquiring and conserving the most sensitive lands which periodically come to market. Beechtree recently completed Blackwater Park in Franklin, VA and is currently working with VA DWR to establish a new WMA in southern Virginia.
My story:
Jamie Craig, a native Virginian with roots reaching back to pre-revolutionary times, was born and raised in Albemarle County. His family held roughly 600 acres of farmlands, most of which is now sub-divisions. As a boy, while returning one day from his neighbors’ home, he came across a buck and several does during the calm summer evening walk. Given his young age, 8, he posed no threat. Standing face to face, Jamie and the deer stared one another down until the deer finally moved into the corn field. Today a house stands on that very spot. And so, a conservationist was born.
After graduating from St. Annes-Belfield Jamie attended and graduated from Roanoke College. From there he took a year to operate a dive boat in the Cayman and then US Virgin Islands. Upon his return from this year abroad, Jamie joined the Real Estate and Special assets group at Dominion Trust Company in Roanoke, VA. After four years and several promotions Jamie returned to school to attend Thunderbird Business School in Glendale, AZ. After a year in Costa Rica to learn Spanish and a year in Glendale Jamie was awarded the Masters in International Management – Finance from Thunderbird.
Upon graduating as a ”T-Bird”, Jamie moved to Miami, FL where he traded commodities for the Llamas family through Aljoma Lumber. Sitting on a screen all day was not for Jamie, so he started a new company and solicited consulting contracts. His first client, AT&T, put him in business. After 10 years and work in over 70 countries around the world on five continents in the International Telecom space, he woke up in India not knowing the day, time or even where he was…so it was time to move and start anew.
After moving to Falls Church, VA in 1999 to consult a T-Bird classmate, Jamie co-founded AIB Group, LLC. AIB specialized in low-cost, high-volume subprime insurance sales through a partnership with Advance Auto and Nationwide Insurance. After 4 years, and opening the 53rd location, Nationwide Insurance purchased the AIB Group and changed Jamie’s life by giving him the opportunity to pursue his dreams. He has never looked back. Jamie lives in Falls Church with his wife and two sons.