Douglas A. Hall, Chairman
Managing Director
Billings, MT
The third generation of the Hall family to manage the company, Doug joined the firm in 1972. He is in charge of all day-to-day operations, specializing in farm and ranch loans and fee appraisals. Doug is a licensed real estate broker in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. Doug has served as a mortgage correspondent for several insurance companies. He is past director and president of the Montana chapter of ASFMRA, and has served as chairman of the Agricultural Credit Committee of the Mortgage Bankers Association of America and as president of the Montana Ag Lenders Ranch School. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration-Real Estate from the University of Montana
James H. Taylor, Managing Director
Ranch Partner
Billings, MT
Raised on a remote cattle ranch on the Crow Indian Reservation in south central Montana, Jim began his education in a one-room schoolhouse. He later went east to boarding school eventually graduating from Yale University in 1967 with a B.A. in Latin American History. A pragmatist by nature, the dream of seeking his fortune in the uncertain business and political environment of South America soon yielded to the reality and to the realization that he loved the landscapes, the freedom and the people of the Rocky Mountain West. Jim came to Hall and Hall in 1972 as one of only two ranch partners. The second partner retired six months later. Even then, he was convinced that investment in the land and the communities of this region would appeal to a national and even international clientele. Since then, he and a growing number of co-owners and partners in multiple offices throughout the region have built Hall and Hall into what is arguably the largest ranch brokerage firm in the world as well as one of the largest ranch management companies in the U.S. specializing in the sale and management of the great ranches of the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. Jim is a retired polo player, a relatively avid fly-fisherman and has been involved as a board member of the Montana Nature Conservancy. He enjoys international travel with his wife who operates a safari company. He has encouraged Hall and Hall's involvement with unique, wild properties throughout the world.
Douglas S. Hart, Director
Ranch Partner
Billings, MT
A real estate partner since 1981 and a principal partner since 1992, Doug has been involved with ranching most of his life. His initial exposure to the Rocky Mountain region was through his family's ranch operation in the Sunlight Basin near Yellowstone National Park. Licensed in Wyoming, Montana, Colorado and Idaho, Doug feels that the preservation of ranches and wildlife using conservation easements, and sound farming and range management techniques; is the most important response to the development pressures facing our region. Doug was one of the first board members of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He is currently a director of the Wyoming Stockgrowers Agricultural Land Trust, whose mission is to preserve ranches and the ranching way of life without compromising local ecosystems. A graduate of the University of Montana at Missoula, Doug currently owns and operates a small ranch outside of Cody, Wyoming.
Randy C. Shelton
Ranch Partner
Billings, MT
Raised in Montana as were his parents, grandparents and great grandparents, Randy is the newest member of the Hall and Hall real estate partnership. Randy brings with him a background in the mortgage industry as well as 15 years experience in real estate sales. He graduated from Gonzaga University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance. Randy and his wife KayDel have two children, a son Sam and a daughter, Tessa. The entire family enjoys the fresh air of the Montana outdoors. His hobbies are team-roping, hunting and fishing; but his free time is spent watching his children participate in many of their different activities which include: wrestling, track, basketball, football and music. Randy enjoys volunteering time by either coaching kids' athletics or volunteering for hospice. Randy will focus on the plains and mountains of eastern Montana and northeastern Wyoming from Hall and Hall's corporate headquarters in Billings.
Jerome Chvilicek, Director
Management Group
Billings, MT
Raised on a Montana dryland farm focused on wheat and barley production, Jerome represents the fourth generation of his family in Montana. A member of the Hall and Hall Management Group since 1989, and a principal of the firm since 1995, Jerome has specific expertise managing larger producing properties. He also specialized in the area of retained search - recruiting and hiring ranch managers - as well as mortgage banking. He holds a B.S. in Agricultural Business from Montana State University and an M.A. in Agricultural Economics from Washington State University. Jerome is a licensed salesperson in Montana and Wyoming.
Scott M. Griswold Management Group
Billings, MT
After living in Alaska for several years, Scott returned to "Big Sky Country" in 1992 and joined Hall and Hall's Management Group. Scott specialized in appraisals, is a state-certified appraiser and holds the A.R.A. designation as an Accredited Member of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. With a background that includes a B.S. in Agricultural Economics from Cornell University, Scott possesses more than 20 years of agricultural lending and appraisal experience. Scott and his family enjoy a wide range of outdoor activities and have called Montana home for over 30 years.
Dave Roddy, Director Management Group
Billings, MT
Dave is responsible for Hall and Hall's agricultural lending business but also works in the areas of retained search and ranch management. He is a fourth generation Montanan raised on a ranch in the north central part of the state. Prior to joining Hall and Hall in 1999, Dave spent more than 11 years originating and servicing agricultural real estate loans for MetLife in the Rocky Mountain Region. Dave holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Montana State University.
Wesley M. Oja, Director
Management Group
Billings, MT
A fifth generation Montanan, Wes was born and raised on his parents' ranch in the Judith Basin. Since graduating from Montana State University in 1987, Wes has been involved in grain and livestock marketing throughout the Midwest and Pacific Northwest, including more than 10 years with Cenex Harvest States' brokerage subsidiary, Country Hedging, Inc. During his eight-year stay in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he spent time as a Market Analyst, a floor broker at the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, and served as general manager and president of Country Hedging. Wes also served on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange Board of Directors.
Janet Urlacher Management Group
Billings, MT
Janet grew up on a small livestock operation in Elk Park, near Butte, Montana. A member of the Hall and Hall Management Group since 1999, she began her career in rural property appraisal in 1990. She is a licensed real estate salesperson in Montana and holds a general real estate appraisal certification in both Montana and Wyoming. Janet also holds an Accredited Rural Appraiser (A.R.A.) designation, has been a past president of the Montana Chapter of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers, and currently serves on several ASFMRA committees on the national level. She graduated with honors with a B.S. in Business Finance from Montana State University - Billings.
Joel D. Leadbetter, Director
Ranch Partner
Bozeman, MT
A ranch partner since 1988, Joel has managed the Bozeman office of Hall and Hall since 1989. Licensed in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Nebraska and New Mexico, Joel became a principal of the firm in 1992. Joel grew up on a family ranch in Madison Valley, near Ennis, Montana. After receiving a B.S. in Agricultural Management from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Joel returned to Ennis to work on the family ranch. He entered the real estate business in 1981. Joel has served as past president of the Madison County Board of Realtors, on the Board of Directors of the Montana Association of Realtors, and on the Board of Trustees of the Museum of the Rockies. He and his wife, Dawn, currently live on a small horse ranch in the north end of the Gallatin Valley.
David M. Johnson Ranch Partner
Bozeman, MT
Dave has been a licensed and practicing real estate broker for 30 years, the past 15 years with Hall and Hall. He specializes in ranch sales in southwest and central Montana. He is licensed in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho and Colorado. Dave is an avid outdoorsman, enjoying bow hunting, horse trail riding, fly-fishing and upland and waterfowl bird hunting. He is also a dedicated husband and proud father of two adult children. Raised in the central and coastal valleys of Northern California, Dave graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Agricultural Economics. He is past President of the Board of Directors of the Gallatin Valley Land Trust and is an advisor to the Board of the Corporation for the Northern Rockies.
Timothy P. Murphy Ranch Partner
Bozeman, MT
A native of Iowa, Tim moved to Bozeman after College in 1991 to pursue a Montana lifestyle. Tim joined Hall and Hall after spending four years with Fay Ranches. Tim is licensed in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Oregon and has experience in all of those regions. Prior to selling ranches, he worked in ranch management focusing on resource management developing aquatic and wildlife habitat while balancing good farming practices. Tim has great depth in his experience of the outdoors and is a passionate big game, upland and waterfowl hunter as well as a skilled fly-fisherman. He is a member of and has served on committees on the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited and Pheasants Forever foundations. A proponent of practical land use, Tim has specialized in pairing conservation-minded buyers with sensitive acreage needs in an effort to preserve the agricultural landscape and lifestyle upon which the American west as we know it was founded.
Peter Weber Management Group
Bozeman, MT
Peter Weber joins us as a ranch manager specializing in wildlife habitat and fisheries enhancement. He has six years of experience in ranch management, overseeing all aspects of managing a multi-disciplinary recreational and investment property, while maintaining all agricultural and ranching interests. In addition, Peter has over 10 years of scientific and engineering experience in surface water hydrology. Much of this experience was in the remediation of stream corridors from the effects of the mining industry. Peter earned a BS degree in Hydrology from the University of Arizona, Tucson, in 1986 and came to Montana from Denver in 1989 as an environmental engineer and hydrologist. An avid fly-fisherman as well as an upland game bird, waterfowl and big game hunter, Peter spends his free time fishing and hunting, riding his horse, and keeping his Setters in good shape for bird season. He even takes the occasional photo that turns out pretty nice.
William C. McDavid Ranch Partner
Missoula, MT
Raised between Alabama and the Cayman Islands, Bill joined Hall and Hall as a ranch partner in 1996. He first came to Montana to work as a fly-fishing guide during a summer break from law school. Bill returned to Montana not long after graduation and became the Tribal Prosecutor for the Crow Tribe. It was inevitable that he found his way into a real estate career as the profession stretches back four generations in his family. His love of the Northern Rocky Mountain region compelled him to move to Missoula where he now manages the Hall and Hall office. He is currently licensed in Montana, California and Idaho.
Keith Lenard Ranch Partner
Missoula, MT
Keith joined Hall and Hall in 2008 as our newest Ranch Partner after spending 13 years developing conservation agreements with rural landowners across the West. Working for a variety of conservation organizations, his experience in conservation includes working as Vice President of Lands for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, as Director of Land Conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Wyoming, and as executive director for a local California land trust. Keith is an avid hunter, angler and international traveler with a special interest in Mexico, Central and South America. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Land Conservancy.
John Pierce, Director
Ranch Partner
Jackson, WY
John became a real estate partner with Hall and Hall in 1993, when he opened our Jackson, Wyoming office. He is licensed as a broker in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana. John has a long ranching history; during the 1970s, he worked on a ranch outside Cody and later on a family ranch near Augusta, Montana. A graduate of Bucknell University with a B.A. in English Literature, John's commercial real estate career began in Boston. In 1989 he moved to Jackson to specialize in ranch brokerage. John became a principal of Hall and Hall in 1999 and a Director in 2003. John, his wife Katie and their three children Gus, Charlotte and Caroline enjoy a myriad of outdoor activities and are delighted to call Wyoming home.
Will A. Rigsby Ranch Partner
Jackson, WY
Will joined Hall and Hall in 2002 and quickly became a Ranch Partner in 2003. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio and began hunting and fishing with his grandfather at the age of six. At 13 he was the youngest board member ever of a local Ducks Unlimited Chapter. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from The Ohio State University. He worked as a fly-fishing guide in Colorado and Wyoming and was program director for Frontiers International. In addition to overseeing family ranching properties in the Buffalo Valley near Jackson, Will managed the Brooks Lake Lodge for 10 years and has continued to be involved in numerous conservation organizations. He is grudgingly acknowledged as the best bird and waterfowl shot and angler in a very hotly contested arena here at Hall and Hall.
John A. (Stoney) Burke, Director
Ranch Partner
Sun Valley, ID
A ranch partner since 1996, and principal since 1999, Stoney manages Hall and Hall's Sun Valley, Idaho office. In 2005, Stoney became a Director of Hall and Hall. Since beginning his real estate career in 1972, Stoney has developed a respected reputation as a ranch broker in our region. He is licensed in Idaho, Montana and Oregon. He has served two terms as president of the Sun Valley Real Estate Board and three terms as vice president of the Idaho Association of Realtors. Stoney holds a B.A. in History from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California.
Trent Jones Ranch Partner
Sun Valley, ID
Trent came to Hall and Hall in the spring of 2003 after spending eight years with The Idaho Nature Conservancy where as Lands Program Director he was responsible for overseeing the chapter's real estate activity around the state. Trent also served as the Conservancy's field representative for central Idaho where he worked with local communities and landowners to preserve working ranchlands and resolve natural resource conflicts. He became a partner of Hall and Hall in March 2004. A native of Virginia, Trent earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia and moved west to Idaho in 1994. Enjoyment of the outdoors is evident in Trent's dedication to fly-fishing and upland bird hunting.
Michael S. Hall, A.R.A Managing Director
Denver, CO; North Platte, NE
A third generation member of the firm, Mike joined Hall and Hall Mortgage Corporation in 1976. Highly experienced in mortgage lending, real estate sales, appraisals and property management, Mike oversees the Denver and North Platte offices. He has guided the firm's relationships with agricultural lending sources such as Prudential Insurance Group and Citigroup Investments. Mike holds real estate and appraisal licenses in several states and has served as vice president of ASFMRA. When Hall and Hall Mortgage and Hall and Hall Incorporated merged in January 2000, Mike became a principal of the new Hall and Hall. He holds an accounting degree from the University of Colorado, and briefly practiced as a CPA.
C.R. (Randy) Clavel, A.R.A. Management Group
Denver, CO
Raised on ranches in South Dakota and New Mexico, Randy joined Hall and Hall Mortgage Corporation in 1991, focusing on the multi-task real estate environment, including lending, sales, management and appraisals. When Hall and Hall Mortgage and Hall and Hall Incorporated merged in January 2000, Randy became a principal of the new Hall and Hall. Previously, he worked in the Denver real estate department of The Travelers. Randy is an Accredited Rural Appraiser (A.R.A.), a state-certified appraiser in Colorado, South Dakota, and Wyoming, and a licensed broker in Colorado, Montana, Wyoming and New Mexico. He holds a B.S. in Agriculture from South Dakota State University.
J.C. Chirila Management Group
Denver, CO
J.C. joined Hall and Hall Mortgage Corporation in 1995, focusing initially on loan closings and is now in loan underwriting. She has been in the lending industry for almost 20 years, of which 15 years have been in the agricultural field. J.C. previously worked in The Travelers real estate department, as both a paralegal in Walnut Creek, California and as a field person in Denver. She holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice from San Diego State University and a Paralegal Certificate from the University of San Diego.
Tom Metzger Ranch Partner
Denver, CO
Tom joined Hall and Hall's Denver office in 1999 to head up real estate operations in Colorado, southern Wyoming, Nebraska and South Dakota. Born and raised in the Nebraska Sandhills, Tom received his first real estate license in 1975, and operated as a ranch broker for 25 years in South Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, with principal offices in Rapid City. Tom has a long history with the land. He owned and operated his own ranch for 18 years, and his family has ranched in the Gordon area since the late 1880s.
Jeff Buerger Ranch Partner
Ridgway, CO
A native of Colorado, Jeff Buerger joined Hall and Hall as a ranch partner in 2003 bringing with him 10 years of experience and education in the ranch brokerage business. Considering himself a “hybrid” ranch broker, Jeff comes from a true Colorado mountain ranching family and has genuine on-the-ground knowledge of traditional working ranches as well as various recreational amenities associated with them. An avid fly-fisherman, big game, and upland bird hunter, Jeff considers it a privilege to have a ranch background and wishes to continue his stewardship for agricultural and recreational purposes through Hall and Hall. Jeff earned degrees in business administration and management and is licensed in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, Montana and Nebraska. He is also an active member of Golden High Country Archers, Pheasants Forever, Trout Unlimited, Safari Club International, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and the Rocky Mountain Anglers.
Steamboat Springs Office
Brian Smith Ranch Partner
Steamboat Springs, CO
Brian joined Hall & Hall in December 2005 as a ranch partner. Originally from the Midwest and an avid sportsman, he has lived in the Rocky Mountain west since 1994 and brought nine years of real estate experience to Hall and Hall. In 1996, he received a master's degree in real estate from the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business and is licensed in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico and Oregon. A member of conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Pheasants Forever, Mule Deer Foundation and Ducks Unlimited; Brian advocates protecting habitat and saving our agricultural heritage through conservation easements. Brian is running the company's newest office in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, where he lives with his wife Stephanie and two daughters.
Lubbock Office
Monte Lyons Management Group
Lubbock, TX
Monte is responsible for Hall and Hall's agricultural lending in Texas and surrounding states. Raised on a combination farm and ranch Monte has a broad knowledge of agricultural operations, agribusinesses, recreational property and investment rural real estate and a keen understanding of capital markets. Prior to joining Hall and Hall, he was a part of the Agribusiness Finance Group of MetLife and served as President and CEO of MONY Agricultural Investment Advisers, Inc. until MONY was purchased in 2004. Monte holds a BS degree in Agricultural Economics with an emphasis in finance from Texas Tech University and attended graduate school at Texas A&M University.
North Platte Office
Skip Marland, A.R.A. Management Group
North Platte, NE
Skip has been with Hall and Hall Mortgage since 1989 when he opened the North Platte, Nebraska office. When the company merged with Hall and Hall, Inc. in January 2000, Skip became a principal. He is active in all aspects of real estate, underwriting, consulting, management, and appraisals. He is a licensed real estate broker in Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Montana and South Dakota; and is a state-certified general appraiser in Nebraska. Skip graduated from Colorado State University with a B.S. in Agriculture, served in the U.S. Marine Corps, and managed family ranches until 1975. He was a ranch loan officer for the Travelers Companies for 14 years. He owns and operates both a Sandhills ranch and farmland in Nebraska and is a private pilot. He has served as District Vice President of the National ASFMRA and President of the Nebraska chapter of ASFMRA.
