George joined the Land Conservancy in 2009 as a result of the merger between Grand River Partners, Inc. (GRPI) and Western Reserve Land Conservancy. He serves as the land steward for the eastern portions of our service area. George conducts annual stewardship visits to conserved properties to document changes over time and ensure that any conservation agreements are upheld. He also completes Baseline Documentation Reports for new properties. George enjoys meeting new landowners and new properties and learning about them, as well as revisiting long-time landowners and their properties.
George’s background includes years of running his family’s equipment rental business and more years of customer service and sales support in industrial supply and distribution. This experience helped George build knowledge, skills and abilities in communications, relationship building, troubleshooting, and problem-solving. He also has extensive experience in the operation, maintenance, and repair of a wide range of tools, machinery, and equipment. While working, he returned to school as a non-traditional student at Lake Erie College (LEC) and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry. He wanted to work with an elite group of people using innovative methods to improve life in Ohio.
During his time at LEC, he served an internship with GRPI. After graduation, GRPI hired George as the Grand River Watershed Coordinator to write a watershed action plan for the Grand River watershed. The plan was designed to preserve and protect the water resources of the Grand River and was completed in December of 2012 and was used to leverage grant funding for several Grand River Watershed conservation easements and Land Conservancy owned properties.
After the merger of GRPI and the Land Conservancy, George continued working on the Grand River Watershed Action Plan and began serving as the Land Steward for conservation properties in the Grand River Watershed. After completing the watershed action plan, he continued as a Land Steward for the Eastern Region of the Land Conservancy’s Service area. In addition, he served as a project manager leading conservation projects from initial stages to closing. Over time, George took on additional stewardship responsibilities and transitioned out of Project management. One of those new responsibilities was leading the Land Conservancy Road Sign program, designed to raise public awareness for the Land Conservancy by installing road signs on conservation projects throughout the Land Conservancy’s service area.
George grew up in Willoughby, Ohio in Lake County. He attended Willoughby South High School and played trombone in wind symphony and marching band. George was a Life Boy Scout and served six summers on staff at Camp Stigwandish in Madison, Ohio. He is an avid reader and enjoys fiction and non-fiction works. George’s interest in history led him to work as a volunteer tour guide at James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio for 9 years. He lives in Mentor, Ohio and is married to Becky Warnock; they have three daughters and one granddaughter.