Molpus Woodlands Group
Molpus Woodlands Group takes the win for Real Assets Manager of the Year for bringing in almost $500 million dollars in new accounts as investors sought havens from market swings.
Pension Consulting Alliance Partner Neil Rue said the Jackson, Miss.-based timber manager’s “street cred” as a research powerhouse was a big part of its success in landing mandates from big funds such as the Florida State Board of Administration and the Virginia Retirement Systems. He noted that consultants and plan sponsors have come to rely on Molpus’ views on timber investment.
The firm’s performance was also a big factor: its composite return was 2.8% for the year ending Dec. 31, compared to 1.57% for the NCREIF timberland index, the industry standard. Molpus tends to take a longer view in determining its own success—the firm’s realized investment returns since its inception in 1996 is 10.8%. The NCREIF timberland index returned 7.05% in the same timeframe.