Chip Mercer: SBT, Principal.
Territory: AWBC, Ingram, and select independents in AL, MS, TN.
Chip began his career with Books-A-Million. After 6 months, he was promoted to a trade publisher buyer for American Wholesale Book Company. Over a 4-year period of time, Chip gained experience buying all categories of book product from a broad variety of publishers.  This experience culminated to the position of Director of Internet Sales with American Wholesale Book Company. In the spring of 2002, Chip put on the hat of field sales representative responsible for representing publishers to American Wholesale Book Company, and the independents in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee.  Chip has continued to provide excellent service for publishers to Ingram, AWBC and independents in the Southeast. Effective Fall of 2006, Chip formed Southeastern Book Travelers, an independent publisher representative group based in Birmingham, Alabama. Chip makes his home in Birmingham, with his wife Stephanie, and their boys, Nolan, Nathan, and Wyatt. When not selling books, Chip is usually involved with his sons’ sporting activities.

Jim Barkley: Territory: New Leaf, Southern Book Service, FL, GA and select independents in AL and TN. 
Some of the accounts in Jim’s territory are among the accounts that Jim has called on throughout his entire career, first with Scribner/Macmillan and most recently, NBN. Jim is our most senior representative in both experience and on-the-job training. Jim was first hired into the book industry by Charlie Scribner Jr. and has been a national account manager for those companies as well as overseeing junior representatives and commission representatives. Jim’s service is only the third job that Jim has held since his college days at the University of Georgia! Jim was a founding member of SEBA, has been honored as both SEBA Sales Representative of the year, AWBC Sales Rep of the year, and has been a first runner up to PW’s sales representative of the year. Most all his accounts consider him one of the greatest representatives to travel the Southeast. He is a great Georgia Bulldog fan, so as a warning, don't ask him about it, unless you have a lot of time to listen. 

Stewart Koontz: Territory: VA, WV, NC, and SC.
Clifton “Stewart” Koontz has lived in five states and two countries, Germany for a year, outside of Munich, and Italy for 5 months, Bologna.  As Web master, Stewart brings the group into the 21st century. His passions in life are golf, books, and travel.  His love for golf took him to Scotland to play the old courses like St. Andrews, Troon, and Turnberry, and he is very proud of his 83 at St. Andrews. When not traveling for work, Stewart enjoys reading three or four books a week, fishing off his back pier, and playing golf around the Piedmont area of North Carolina. Stewart was born and raised in North Carolina and it is befitting that Stewart is now back on home turf and doing what are his first loves, book selling and travel.  Stewart has been involved in sales since graduating from Alabama. He brings an immense amount of enthusiasm and energy to the sales group and will no doubt be one of the industries bright stars.