The leader of the global diversified technology company 3M, that has brought the world scores of innovative products from industrial abrasives to Post-it® Notes to fuel cell membranes, will be the keynote presenter at the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Spirit of Innovation Luncheon on Wednesday, May 10.
George W. Buckley, chairman of the board, president and CEO, 3M Company, of St. Paul, Minn., will deliver his remarks at the Chattanooga Convention Center event at 11:30 a.m. During the luncheon, the recipients of three regional innovation awards will be named - the 2006 Kruesi Award for Innovation, the Technology Innovation Award and the Great Ideas Competition Award.
“George Buckley’s address will be a chance to glimpse a major business story in the making,” said Tom Edd Wilson, Chamber president and CEO. “He will visit Chattanooga just six months after taking the helm at 3M, becoming only the second chief executive 3M has hired from outside its ranks. For more than a century, 3M has exemplified what it means to succeed through innovation. We have much to learn from Mr. Buckley as he shares his insights on continuing that tradition.”
“I’m proud to represent a company that knows firsthand the importance of imagination and innovation to sustainable business growth and economic development. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to honor innovators from the Chattanooga area and to share how 3M continues to deliver innovation to customers around the world,” said Mr. Buckley.
According to Mr. Wilson, Mr. Buckley’s appearance continues the precedent of attracting high-level CEOs that was established last year when Bill Ford of Ford Motor Company delivered remarks during the 2005 Spirit of Innovation Luncheon.
Jim Frierson, of the Kruesi Center for Innovation, said, "With 3M this year, we truly have the best of both worlds - a century-old American icon company, represented by its newly minted CEO making his first 'external community' speech - on a national topic that 3M and we share as an imperative - innovation. That common bond, cemented by family (Kruesi) and historical (1953 to 83 ownership by 3M of American Lava) ties unique to Chattanooga, is the reason Dr. George Buckley has responded to such a personal invitation.
"Dr. Buckley will apparently meet with stock analysts May 8, conduct his first company annual meeting May 9, and be here with us May 10. He's got his priorities in the right order."
Officials said Mr. Buckley’s participation is particularly appropriate because of the many historical ties uniting 3M, Chattanooga and the Kruesi Award. Paul Kruesi, son of inventor and Thomas Edison colleague John Kruesi, settled in Chattanooga and founded American Lava Company, a manufacturer of technical ceramics. In 1953, American Lava was acquired by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, which is now known as 3M. It was operated for the next 30 years as a subsidiary and employed as many as 1,500 workers in an early high technology industry.
Today, the building that housed American Lava and 3M has a second life as the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Business Development Center (BDC). Under the Chamber’s management, the BDC, which is the largest business incubator in the United States, continues the tradition of innovation started by American Lava and 3M by nurturing the next generation of creative companies for the Chattanooga region.
Prior to his 3M appointment in December 2005, Mr. Buckley served as chairman of the board and CEO of Brunswick Corporation, corporate owner of Sea-Ray Boats in Knoxville. Previously he was with Emerson Electric Co. in St. Louis, serving as president of the U.S. Electric Motors Division and the Automotive and Precision Motors Division.
Mr. Buckley received a Ph.D. from the Universities of Southampton and Huddersfield in the United Kingdom. He also holds a B.Sc. in electrical and electronic engineering and an honorary D.Sc. in engineering.
For more than 100 years, 3M has built its reputation for innovation by reshaping industry with new products and technologies. For example, microreplication has a long history in 3M, beginning in the 1960s when it was used to make overhead projectors for meetings and classrooms. In the 1980s it was extended to make highway signs more visible at night. The technology was further advanced in the late 1990s using nanotechnology to create optical films for liquid crystal displays (LCD). Today, in products ranging from cell phones to LCD televisions, displays using 3M’s Vikuiti brand optical films are significantly brighter than those without optical films.
3M science and innovation continue to enable better commercialized products for the future. 3M has developed a technical solution to address the bottlenecks that exist in our nation’s overhead transmission grid – a new high performance composite conductor that carries twice the power and can be used on the existing towers. 3M also makes the heart of fuel cells—membrane electrode assemblies—which provide critical power for extended periods using pure hydrogen and oxygen from air to make electricity and water. 3M membrane electrode assemblies enable a cleaner and more efficient power source for dependable, clean power in critical telecommunication, aviation, and security applications
3M’s technologies have applications for Chattanooga-area industries including floorcovering, electrical transmission, abrasives and safety products for heavy industries, and the emerging concentration in alternative energy and fuel cells.
3M’s wide range of innovative products and technologies will be on view at the 3M Innovation Fair, a new feature of the 2006 Spirit of Innovation event.
For more information about the Spirit of Innovation Luncheon or to make a reservation, please contact Mandy Taylor at (423) 763-4366 or mtaylor@chattanoogachamber.com or visit the Chamber website at www.chattanoogachamber.com.