Tom Leeds

Heading up Greenfield's North Carolina and Alabama operations and serving as a senior adviser for the company. Working to formulate partnerships, joint ventures and organic growth and leading the rapid expansion of the company’s operations to six export log yard locations during its first year of business. Also managing Greenfield's hardwood log export program and growth strategy and directing capital construction projects in its North Carolina operations.

Led marketing, purchasing, operations, logistics, financial performance oversight, and partner relationships. Served as the executive liaison with Board of Directors and family ownership. Significant accomplishments and responsibilities include:  Created comprehensive growth strategy for expansion of Southern Yellow Pine logs to Asia.  Developed and implemented successful strategies begin a marketing program to Chugoku Mokuzai (leading importer of high-grade Douglas-fir logs in Japan), which protected and enhanced the value our timberland.  Led the expansion of export operations to the U.S. Southeast, initially partnering with Plum Creek and Peeples Industries and targeting log exports to China. Operations expanded to three log yards in Georgia and log yards in North Carolina (Wilmington) and Louisiana (New Orleans).  Shifted strategy to bulk shipments to China and Korea becoming the first U.S. exporter to China via bulk. This program expanded to over $250 million in annual sales in 2011. Operational locations included Washington (Longview, Olympia, Grays Harbor), Oregon (Coos Bay), and California (Eureka).  Created successful land acquisition strategy to maintain foothold in the Longview area to protect PLS’ core Japan business and provide continuous access to export markets.  Conceived and executed plan for cubic meter scaling of plantation age Douglas-fir logs to China via containers when Russia, the leading supplier of logs to China, was expected to implement prohibitive taxes on its log exports.  Developed log export program to South Korea  Initiated Canadian log import program to Washington, Oregon, and California based on Canadian cubic meter purchase basis and re-selling to domestic sawmills on scribner scale basis.  Played key roles with the downsizing of PLS from 850 employees to 13 employees including the orderly liquidation and sale of domestic lumber distribution yards in Washington and California.

 Sales manager for PLS’s three sawmills which produced over 1.5 million board feet daily.  Sales manager for export lumber programs to Europe, Australia, and Lebanon