RALEIGH –Greg Taylor of Elizabethtown has been recognized as the Forestry Mutual Insurance Company’s Logger of the Year.

Taylor, who owns and operates Taylor Timber, LLC, was presented with this year’s award at the North Carolina Forestry Association’s Annual Meeting held in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in October.

“We appreciate Greg’s attention to safety,” stated Forestry Mutual President Keith Biggs. “To have a safety record like Greg has, it is pretty clear that he makes it a big priority on his job. He sets a great example for his crew and for all of our professional loggers. He runs a first-class operation.”

Each year, Forestry Mutual Insurance Company honors its top safety performers with E.K. Pittman Safety Awards. Pittman, the first chair of Forestry Mutual serving from 1971-1984, was a strong proponent of safety and the use of safety personal protective equipment. The E.K. Pittman Safety Award for Logger of the Year recognizes only those top performing loggers that show a genuine concern for the safety of their crew and go above and beyond the basic safety requirements to ensure a safe and productive environment.

Taylor is a first-generation professional logger who was born and raised in Bladen County. Taylor gained his ProLogger certificate in 1996, which is a comprehensive logger training program sponsored by the NCFA that focus on helping professional logger improver their safety, business and environmental practices.

He worked for several companies before starting his own company in 2001 — starting with just a two-man crew. Today, Taylor’s company employs 10 crew members and four truck drivers. His company operates 10 different pieces of equipment on a daily basis. Taylor has never filed a lost-time claim with Forestry Mutual over the past 14 years.

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Staff report