William E. Coyne, retired senior vice president of research and development for 3M, devoted his entire career to innovation. Coyne will speak on "Encouraging and Maintaining a Culture of Innovation." His long and distinguished experiences at 3M make him uniquely positioned to speak on how to "institutionalize rebellion" and create what couldn't be done before. Coyne was responsible for 30 technology platforms, and was the senior architect of research and development during a time when 3M invested more than $1 billion a year in research. 3M now markets 50,000 products.
Louis J. Foreman, founder and chief executive of Enventys, started his company to help other companies turn their ideas into reality. During his presentation, "Results-Based Innovation," Foreman will discuss how to develop a habit of innovation. Foreman has created five successful start-up companies, and has participated in the creation of more than 10 more. He holds nine registered U.S. patents, and his firm has developed and filed more than 150.
Foreman is executive producer of the PBS TV program "Everyday Edisons," a reality show that takes new inventors through the product creation process. Most recently, he was appointed by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez to a three-year term on the nine-person Patent Public Advisory Committee of the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Alasdair Carmichael, president for the Americas for PCI Fibres, will share his market expertise during his presentation, "Global Information for Innovative Decision Making." Carmichael has more than 35 years of experience in the synthetic fibers industry, and has been based in Europe, Asia and the U.S. He joined the PCI Group in 2000, adding to its focus on market research and consulting in the petrochemical industry. Carmichael is a vice president of the Synthetic Yarn & Fiber Association and a past president of the Textured Yarn Association of America.
Every year, leaders in the specialty fabrics industry gather at the Outlook Conference to hear respected speakers, network, and discuss important issues -- including trade and legislative actions -- and innovations in the industry. Download Outlook registration materials at www.usifi.com.
The Outlook Conference is organized by the United States Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) and the Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), both divisions of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI).
