3M
A conglomerate corporation owning popular adhesive products such as Post-It Notes and Scotch Tape, 3M didn’t see much success in its early years. It started off as five men setting up the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company, or 3M for short. They began work at Crystal Bay in the 1900s to mine corundum, a mineral rumored to be very tough. Instead, they discovered it was a very soft mineral with weak abrasive properties.
With not much more to lose, 3M went into supporting experimental products by adopting the mantra “listen to anybody with an idea.” They made a breakthrough with Scotch tape in 1923 after hearing the woes of a car engineer who wanted a tape that didn’t react with paint on a car. Along with other creative inventions, 3M slowly built into the company we know of today.
I wish I knew just how many miles of this tape I've used over the years wrapping gifts. More than I can imagine, I'd bet!
Coffee out on the patio again today!
