Technology >> CEO Interviews >> December 11, 2000
MICHAEL P. FLEISCHER, President of Bogen Communications International.
He became President of Bogen in November 1997, and was charged with
reinvigorating the company's domestic businesses. From 1994 ' 1995, Mr.
Fleischer served on the Board of Directors of Alliant Techsystems, Inc.,
a Fortune 500 defense contractor. Mr. Fleischer and Mr. Guss, who
continues as a Board Member, led an effort that identified approximately
$100 million in profit improvements. Between 1984 and 1990, Mr.
Fleischer was a Consultant for McKinsey & Company's Operational
Effectiveness and Information Technology practice. Based in the
Cleveland and New York offices of McKinsey, he managed assignments for
numerous industrial clients including automobile engine manufacturers,
jet engine makers, and machine tool producers, as well operational
improvement work for companies in the telecommunications and financial
services sectors. Mr. Fleischer helped lead the development of
McKinsey's research in operational effectiveness and information
technology. He is the co-author of an article on data center
effectiveness published in Datamation magazine. Mr. Fleischer received
an MBA from Harvard Business School. Prior to attending Harvard, he
served for four years as an officer in the U.S. Foreign Service. As a
Foreign Service Officer, he worked in Washington as an aide to the Under
Secretary of State and overseas, including a stint in the Congo. Before
joining the Foreign Service, Mr. Fleischer was a Legislative Assistant
to a member of the U.S. House of Representatives; Mr. Fleischer has a BA
from Colgate University. Profile
JONATHAN GUSS, CEO of Bogen Communications International. He joined
Bogen Communications International in November 1997 as Chief Executive
Officer, bringing 16 years of experience at industrial and financial
services companies facing complex strategic, sales, and marketing
issues. From 1994 to date, Mr. Guss has served on the Board of Directors
of Alliant Techsystems, Inc., a Fortune 500 defense contractor. Mr.
Guss and Mr. Fleischer, who served as a Board Member until 1995, led an
effort that identified approximately $100 million in profit
improvements. Between 1981 and 1990, Mr. Guss was a consultant with the
Chicago and New York offices of Booz-Allen & Hamilton, Inc. Mr. Guss
managed work for numerous industrial and financial services clients
including pulp and newsprint mills, personal beauty products, men's
clothing retailers, banks, and insurance companies. Mr. Guss also helped
lead the development of Booz-Allan's internal strategic plan for the
year 2000. He is the co-author of an article on the economics of
relationship handling at commercial banks, published in the Journal of
Commercial Lending. Mr. Guss received an MBA with Distinction from the
Harvard Graduate School of Business, and a Bachelor's Degree in
Economics, Phi Beta Kappa, from Reed College. Profile
profile of the company?
Mr. Guss: Bogen was actually founded in the early 1930s. In its
traditional core market, which is
