Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> May 22, 2000

Mark Suwyn – Louisiana-pacific Corporation (lpx)

MARK A. SUWYN joined Louisiana-Pacific Corporation as Chairman and CEO in 1996. In his six years with LP, Mr. Suwyn has led a dramatic turnaround through a series of management initiatives. Mr. Suwyn joined LP from International Paper Inc., where he served as Executive Vice President of Distribution, Specialty Products and Forest Lands. Before joining International Paper Company, he spent 25 years with E.I. DuPont, where he held a number of positions including Senior Vice President, Imaging Systems and Medical Products; Group Vice President, Imaging Systems; Vice President, Human Resources. He led a variety of strategic efforts involving acquisitions, joint ventures and reorganizations. Mr. Suwyn was responsible for launching the joint venture of DuPont and Merck Pharmaceuticals in 1991. For several years, he was Chairman of DuPont's Corporate Marketing Committee, leading a corporate-wide effort to change the culture of DuPont to be more customer-focused and market- oriented and to engender an empowering corporate culture. Mr. Suwyn earned his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from Washington State University and is a graduate of Hope College, Holland, Michigan, where he received a BA in Chemistry. Mr. Suwyn serves as Chairman of Junior Achievement International, is a member of the Board of Junior Achievement US, a Trustee of the Nature Conservancy of Oregon and Vice-Chairman of the Washington State University Foundation. He is also a Board member for the American Forest and Paper Association and is co-Chair of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Profile
TWST: Could you begin by giving us an overview of Louisiana-Pacific

Corporation? Could you give us what you see as the short vignette that

positions the company for what you have in front of you