Michael Lee
Well-known and respected timber researcher Michael Lee has been appointed to the new position of general manager at Tasmanian timber processor Cusp Building Solutions. Source: Timberbiz
Cusp manufactures and supplies a FSC, PEFC certified structural Cross Laminated Timber Panel and Glue Laminated Timber Beams from an Australian Plantation Grown Hardwood Resource (Eucalyptus Nitens).
Mr Lee has been involved in timber research for nearly 40 years. Throughout his career he has either been conducting research or collaborating with research bodies, so he’s no newcomer to R&D.
He has spent decades communicating with people at most levels within research, architecture, processing and industry leadership, which is a skill he sees being valuable at Cusp.
“There’s huge potential in the built environment to design a whole suite of timber elements that work together with other materials to achieve the most cost-effective and sustainable out-come. But it requires people to think differently about designing buildings,” he said.
According to Mr Lee, not every building needs CLT or GLT, but every building needs timber. There should be timber solutions that service a larger part of the building sector and the community through, for example, sustainable building developments and social housing.
“This business is still in its infancy, and while we’ve already had a number of world firsts, I know the best is yet to come. We’re building a team going forward that can produce and deliver a variety of solutions for the built environment that will have a positive impact,” he said.
The thing that really excites Mr Lee about Cusp’s future is the founder and owner, Ron Gold-schlager’s, vision for the business, which addresses a problem that Mr Lee has been keen to see solved for decades – better utilisation of timber fibre.
“It might sound cliché, but for Ron, it’s not just about profit,” Mr Lee said.
“It’s about taking this idea to maturation for the betterment of the planet. How can you not want to support that?”
Mr Lee said that he has spent decades driving past the woodchip pile at the Burnie port thinking, there’s got to be a better use for fibre than that.
“I’m Tasmanian and I’ve worked most of my life here in the timber industry which I’ve seen diminish over time,” he said.
“We need to keep doing the things we already do so well, but we also need a new direction so that there is also growth and regional employment.
“There is a huge quotient of timber that will never make an appearance market and we’ve got to make that into something else, ideally something other than chips. As a state, I don’t think we should be reliant on that. It’s too high risk.”
Cusp CEO Clinton Tilley said Mr Lee was the perfect person to see Cusp through its next phase of growth.
“Cusp is about being on the front line of innovation in the built environment and who better to help us work on what’s next than Michael Lee,” Mr Tilley said.
“With over three decades of experience in both academia and industry, working in both timber research and working with processors to improve their operations, Michael’s technical expertise is exceptional.
“Now Michael can help us facilitate the next stage of change and mentor our team to an out-come. We’re also really interested in developing the capability of our entire team and having Michael pass his knowledge on to others will allow us to sustainably run our business with a strong development curve into the future.”
