Leonard M. Guss, Ph.D., is President of Leonard Guss Associates, Inc. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, earned a B.A. in zoology & chemistry from the University of Pennsylvania; an M.B.A. from Drexel Institute of Technology; and his doctorate (Ph. D.) in marketing from Ohio State University.

His work experience includes human services work with the Pennsylvania State Department of Welfare; five years of laboratory research and development and petroleum chemicals production management with the E. F. Houghton Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and five years at Battelle Institute, Columbus, Ohio, where he headed a section dealing with economic and marketing research on forest products, building materials and related areas. He joined Weyerhaeuser Company as Associate Director of Research and Development with responsibility for commercialization of R&D, then was appointed Director, Corporate Economic and Marketing Research. In 1970, he established the consulting firm of Leonard Guss Associates, Inc.

Dr. Guss has conducted and supervised many studies related to all aspects of the forest products and building materials industries; the socio/economic impact of government agency policies and actions; new products, plant feasibility, economic feasibility, market image and position, product opportunity, market identification and marketing methods, in such areas as timber usage and harvesting, all wood products, furniture, real estate and shelter, financial institutions, building materials, paper, packaging, consumer and industrial markets.

His studies and expertise include such forest industry topics as softwood and hardwood lumber, softwood and hardwood plywood, OSB, LVL, MDF, particleboard, composite panels, wood I-joists, glulam beams, all engineered wood products, logs, forest industry machinery, adhesives, biocides and other topics.

Dr. Guss has also conducted many public interest and public sector studies dealing with economic analysis, health care and public safety.

He is a charter member of the National Association of Business Economists; has been a National Director of the American Marketing Association; has served on the National Industrial Conference Board-West Coast Council, and on the advisory boards of several forest industry trade associations. He is a frequent speaker at industry and trade association conferences and seminars. He has published numerous papers on planning, marketing and research as well as a book: Packaging is Marketing, translated into several languages, and contributed chapters to well known standard industry marketing texts: Handbook of Marketing and Marketing Handbook. Dr. Guss is especially well recognized for his marketing studies and publications on engineered wood products, including laminated veneer lumber, glue-lam beams, all composite panels and other materials.

He received the Distinguished Service Award from Washington State University, College of Engineering & Architecture, at the 33rd International Particleboard/Composite Materials Symposium (1999).

Dr. Guss is a contributing editor to MDF Industry Magazine (Switzerland) in which he provides a column focusing on the North American MDF industry. He is also active in civic and community affairs.

A listing of clients and studies conducted is available at the web site.