Our expertise in real estate and forestry in both North Carolina and southern Virginia enables us to give our clients the best possible suite of resources.
Meet the Family
We have years of experience brokering and managing land, farms and timber in the North Carolina and southern Virginia area.
Co-founder of The Shipley Co., John was raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and received his BS in Forest Management from North Carolina State University in 2006. After working in the industry as a timber and land buyer for a large hardwood sawmill, John became a NC Registered Forester and licensed Consulting Forester and started Shipley Forest Management Services. In 2009, John obtained his North Carolina real estate license and joined Carolina Forestry, Inc. John has led a successful career brokering and managing land and timber for his clients and has solidified himself as a leader in both the North Carolina & southern Virginia real estate and timber markets. After 14 years with Carolina Forestry, John made the decision to start The Shipley Co. John recognized early in his real estate career that his background in land and forestry allows him to represent clients better by taking into account the additional complexities of listing real estate with acreage – an understanding your average residential real estate professional does not possess. Today at The Shipley Co., John is committed to providing his clients with in-depth knowledge that can only be found with his level of expertise and specialization. John recognizes the joy that land brings to the lives of his clients and their families, and he’s proud to connect people with land they truly love, providing them with land management knowledge along the way. John and Meg split their time between Winston-Salem, NC and Pinnacle, NC, with their children Grant and Anna.
John Shipley
Co-founder of The Shipley Co. and a Texas native, Meg has called Winston-Salem home since 2009. Meg is a graduate from both The University of Texas at Austin and from Wake Forest University School of Law. After practicing law for seven years, Meg left the legal profession to follow her passion for real estate and joined Leonard Ryden Burr Real Estate as a residential Realtor where she has consistently been recognized as a top performer. Throughout Meg’s career in real estate, she has partnered with her husband John to assist clients with transactions where both acreage and residential homes are involved. Meg’s background in both law and residential real estate undoubtedly benefits The Shipley Co.’s clients at all stages of the buying and selling process. Meg and John split their time between Winston-Salem, NC and Pinnacle, NC, with their children Grant and Anna.
Meg Shipley
Brian is both a consulting forester and real estate broker with The Shipley Co. Brian manages and markets timber and timberland assets for public and private owners. Previously, Brian was President of Universal Timber Services, LLC, from April 2012 to April 2020, where he managed timberland across the US South, and was engaged in land acquisition and sales. Before founding Universal Timber Services, Brian was the Business Development Manager -Timber for Rayonier from October 2008 to May 2012. At Rayonier, Brian was responsible for the development of new timber business for the company’s ~2.4 million acre US Forest Resources division. Prior to this role, Brian served as the Vice-President of Marketing and Sales for TimberStar Southwest Managers, LLC from June 2006 until the successful sale of the company in October 2008. Brian holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forest Management from North Carolina State University. Brian has expertise in timber marketing, timberland management, land acquisition/disposition, forest product supply chain, wood to energy, forest product exporting, and silviculture. He has multi-year experience in nearly every Southern US state, New York, and Washington.
Brian Absher
Forrest has a hands-on approach for evaluating recreational, agricultural, and investment properties. Maximizing the return on investment by evaluating the market, economics, and all the resources of the land is his primary interest. He grew up in the Yadkin River Valley of Northern Davie County, NC. With a deep familial influence, Forrest learned how to work the land and also how to manage the resources it provides. The graduate of Davie High School received a BS in Mathematics from Catawba College in 2004. Forrest founded Highest Peak Media LLC in 2009, a multimedia content creation company that services a variety of companies with video and photo marketing materials. This led him to travel all over the United States and internationally to work beside some of the most innovative professionals in the industry. However, throughout his career he always had a passion for real estate. Forrest now resides in Harmony, NC with his wife Elizabeth and his two daughters, Claire and Mollie. Forrest specializes in assisting clients with the sale of property, 1031 investments, sub-development, long term recreational property development, and property management.
Forrest Breedlove
Born and raised in Northern Indiana, Joel recently relocated to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and joined The Shipley Co. Joel has been in the land, timber, and real estate business for nearly a decade. Most of his experience comes from buying and selling timberland, farm land and single family homes. Throughout his career, Joel has put a heavy emphasis on sustaining our forests and preserving natural land. Even though he achieved business success in Indiana, Joel’s family collectively decided to relocate to Winston-Salem. Since Joel has been in Winston-Salem, he has been able to continue his success with The Shipley Co., already inquiring with many land owners. Joel is honored to bring his passion for land, timber and real estate to the land owners of North Carolina.
Joel Bone
Kristen Cartwright
Working with John has by far been our best realtor experience; he works hard for his clients.
We love working with John! He not only found our dream property, he helped us secure it through the county auction process for a great price. John is well connected and pointed us to a wonderful contractor to build our home. When the time came to sell... they were spot on with the improvements and staging needed to truly show off the property.
Jack Elmore
John has an extensive knowledge in both real estate and timber/land management.
He has managed several projects for both sides of my family. His professionalism and attention to detail gave me the confidence he was acting as a genuine advocate for the outcome of our project and transaction.
Your land is in good hands.
When you list with The Shipley Co., you receive unparalleled expertise and a personalized experience designed to get you the very best deal for your land.