The leader the 3M Company, the global diversified technology organization whose innovative products range from Post-it® Notes to optical films, will be the keynote speaker at the Chamber’s Spirit of Innovation Luncheon May 10.

Dr. George W. Buckley, chairman of the board, president and CEO of 3M, will deliver his remarks at the Convention Center event at 11:30 a.m. During the luncheon the recipients of three 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."

Buckley’s participation is particularly appropriate because of the 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. In 1953, American Lava was acquired by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, now known as 3M.

Today, the building that housed American Lava and 3M is home to the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Business Development Center (BDC). The Chamber-managed BDC continues the tradition of innovation begun by American Lava and 3M by nurturing the next generation of creative companies for the Chattanooga region.

Prior to his 3M appointment last December, Buckley served as chairman of the board and CEO of Brunswick Corporation. 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.

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’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 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.

Finalists for the Kruesi Award for Innovation

Alstom Power, Inc. for the establishment of the Surface Technology Group which develops solutions to combat corrosion and erosion of boiler tubes to eliminate tube failures in manufacturing boilers.

Brake Tech Tools designs and manufactures high quality brake measurement instruments that assess the remaining brake lining with no wheel or brake drum removal, saving time and money and improving safety.

Clarity for Digital Clarity Power (DCP), an audio processing technique using digital signal processing and audio processing algorithms to improve telephonic communication specifically for people with a hearing loss.

General Hydrogen Corp. for a fuel cell-based power pack that replaces the conventional battery on a forklift. The power pack is refueled in less than three minutes, does not drop power like a slowly depleting battery and runs up to three times longer than a traditional battery before it needs refueling.

Shared Health, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, for its Community ConnectionTM and ePrescribe programs which speed patient diagnosis and treatment, allowing physicians and nurses to spend more time on patient care, rather than administrative paperwork.

TC Thiolon USA for a series of new fibers, or synthetic grass, used in the manufacture of synthetic turf and known as Thiolon XP (Xtended Play). The latest generation of these products, Thiolon XP Pro, was first installed in Chattanooga for the replacement of Davenport Field at Finley Stadium.

World Technological, LLC for the Kidney Dialysis Comfort Belt, addressing the needs of peritoneal dialysis patients, allowing them be ambulatory and have less pain and stress on their body created by traditional peritoneal dialysis products which typically cause skin rashes, rawness from the tape, and fear of infection.