Richard G. Drew

• Born: June 22, 1899
• Birthplace: St. Paul, Minnesota
• Died: December 14, 1980
• Place of death: Santa Barbara, California

American engineer

Drew, an engineer at the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), invented transparent adhesive tape in 1930. His work evolved into a line of pressure-sensitive tape products numbering over nine hundred and generating $24.5 billion in sales by 2007.

Primary field: Household products

Primary inventions: Scotch tape; masking tape

Early Life

Richard Gurley Drew was born on June 22, 1899, in St. Paul, Minnesota. After high school, Drew attended the University of Minnesota to study engineering. For three semesters, he studied engineering during the day and paid his college expenses by playing banjo in various Twin City dance orchestras at night.

Drew found this schedule grueling, however, and quit the university. He continued to play the banjo and spent his afternoons on a correspondence course in machine design. He was twenty-two years old and had not yet found his career path, but that would change when Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M) decided to increase the size of its research laboratory in 1921.

William Vievering, 3M’s first quality-assurance expert, ran a blind advertisement in a St. Paul newspaper looking for an assistant in the research lab. Drew was ready for a change and wrote back, “I realize that my services would not be worth much until a certain amount of practical experience is gained, and I would be glad to start with any salary you see fit to give.” He got a job as a lab technician and worked for his entire career at the company.

Life’s Work

Drew’s life work was with 3M. From 1921 until he retired in 1962, he continued to work on new products, earning thirty U.S. patents as a result of his inventive efforts. His first major invention was an improved masking tape for auto body workers, patented in 1925. The tape made possible the two-tone paint schemes popular at the time because it stayed on the car through the paint process but came off after the paint dried without removing any of the paint when the tape was peeled away.

In 1930, Drew invented the product that revolutionized the tape industry. It was the first waterproof, see-through, pressure-sensitive tape that also acted as a barrier to moisture. The product was such a resounding success that even though the Great Depression was soon upon the country, 3M continued to thrive and did not have to lay off workers. Called Scotch tape, the product got its name when an auto painter became frustrated with Drew’s sample masking tape (with adhesive only on the outer edges, not the middle), which fell off the car. He exclaimed to Drew, “Take this tape back to those Scotch bosses of yours and tell them to put more adhesive on it!” In his pejorative statement, “Scotch” meant “cheap.” The pressure-sensitive tape that Drew later developed was highly successful because it had many uses around the house, from repairing torn pages in books to fixing broken toys and ripped curtains.

Propelled in large part by Drew’s approach to inventing, the company culture of 3M was changed in the 1930’s. Drew and two other men who were hired at the same time in 1921, Richard Carlton and Francis Okie, formed what could be called a “dream team” at 3M. They were the early architects of innovation, independent thinkers who liked to tinker with ideas.

Over the years, Drew served as a mentor to many young engineers and inventors at the company. One of those was Paul Hansen, who worked as technical director at 3M. Hansen stated that working with Drew taught him many timeless lessons, which included these maxims: Anything worth doing is worth doing before it is perfected. Be a jack of all trades but a master of one. Put things in a nutshell. Be able to look at the broad picture and see the simple definition of the problem or task. It is easier to ask forgiveness than permission. Follow your instincts; your instincts are actually your total experience in practice. Don’t keep blinders on all the time. It is good to have goals, but look around for opportunities at the same time. Most people are not stubborn enough; too many people give up at the first sign of failure. The reward for persistence is internal. People are generally recognized for the products of the work. The satisfaction also has to come from the effort that goes into making the success a reality.

In 1943, Drew established and became director of the Products Fabrication Laboratory (later the 3M Corporate Research Laboratory). Over the next twenty years, the lab worked on products ranging from improved reflective sheeting for traffic signs to breathable surgical tapes. The lab also performed experiments that led to the development of the Post-it note forty years later.

In 1978, Drew was inducted into the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame, and in 2007 his influence and achievements were again recognized as the National Inventors Hall of Fame inducted him as a member. Drew died at the age of eighty-one in 1980. His ever-handy products continue to live on.

Impact

Drew’s place in history was firmly established by his invention of transparent adhesive tape. (More than 4.1 million miles of Scotch tape are sold every year, enough to circle Earth 165 times.) Still, Drew’s greatest impact arguably could be the role he played in changing corporate culture as it relates to the inventive spirit.

One of Drew’s first assignments with 3M was to improve the company’s line of sandpaper. It was during this time that Drew became interested in making a tape that would mask off parts of a car so that different colors of paints could be applied. It was a frustrating process trying to get the right combination of materials for the tape, especially for its backing. After some time, William L. McKnight, president of 3M, told Drew to quit his personal project and return to the sandpaper project.

Drew, however, continued to work on the tape project, even going so far as writing multiple purchase orders for $99. (Everything over $100 had to be approved by management.) Drew eventually achieved success despite management’s directives, and McKnight realized that the creative spirit should be encouraged, leading to what today is known in business as “bootlegging,” or the 15 percent rule. Under this policy, employees are encouraged to use 15 percent of their working hours on projects of their own choosing. This policy helped 3M grow into one of the most innovative and successful companies in the world, and many other corporations followed suit, establishing similar work atmospheres for research and development.

Bibliography

Raber, Linda R. “Scotch Tape: An Innovation That Stuck.” Chemical and Engineering News 85, no. 43 (October 22, 2007): 64. A short but valuable summary of the importance of Scotch tape and its designation in 2007 as an American Chemical Society National Historic Chemical Landmark. Drew’s persistence is highlighted by Raber’s citing the two years of experiments he conducted to solve the problems associated with his new adhesive tape.

3M Company. A Century of Innovation: The 3M Story. St. Paul, Minn.: Author, 2002. A comprehensive history of the company that is rich in details about Drew’s contributions. Places Drew’s work in the context of 3M’s goals and how they were modified over the years for the company to thrive in a competitive world market.

Yoder, Robert M. “Stick-Up Man.” Saturday Evening Post 221, no. 24 (December 11, 1948): 45-101. An excellent introduction to Drew that explains how he first got his job at 3M and how his inventions have affected society.