Mark Wollner

College of Saint Benedict/Saint John's University Alums

Class of 1982 Saint John's University Alumni

Product Development at 3M Company, St. Paul, MN

Mark Wollner writes:

I have been working at 3M for 13 years for a number of different groups. My career began at 3M working on the development of new materials for traffic signage. I then moved into another group and developed products for specialized imaging applications for military satellites. Some of the commercialized products that I developed are (were?) being used in microfiche and microfilm. Any of the microfiche (violet colored) being used today I developed.

I then moved into the Automotive Trades group and developed products for the Automotive aftermarket (body shops). Any product that is used in the repair of an automobile are products that this group develops. I was part of a team that has redefined the surface preparation and surface refinishing methods. This business has grown from very small to a multi-million dollar profitable business. I have also developed products for the retail automotive market and can find many of my products in any number of automotive chain stores and some of the X-mart stores.

My next challenge landed me in the Marine Trades group. This is a start-up organization within 3M (4 years old or so) that is very exciting. I was the first laboratory developer to be included in the group and have enjoyed watching the business grow. Within the next few years we should reach the $100,000,000 sales mark and reach Division status within 3M. My responsibilities as a product developer are to work closely with the boat manufacturers and develop products to make their job easier and safer. I also work on the retail segment and have developed a complete line of marine products to restore and protect any number of different substrates that are found in/on a boat. A current project is working with the designers of the mega-yachts to incorporate new technologies within 3M into the designs of the next generation yachts. This project has enabled me to see some owners yachts including Malcolm Forbes, Steven Forbes, Donald Trump etc... that words can't explain.
Anyway, my job as a product developer is both exciting and very rewarding. It is enjoyable to go into work in the morning and solve problems for people that they haven't even thought of. I would recommend this career for anyone.

My St. John's experience taught me many things that are needed to do my job. I feel that some important area's were also missed. If I had had more polymer training (everyone within 3M at one time works on polymer chemistry) I would have had more confidence in some of my projects. I also could have used Statistical Design of Experiments and Analysis classroom as designed experiments are used daily by many product developers.
Finally, a understanding of the many area in which a person with a chemistry degree can work would have been great. I've met chemists employed at 3M in areas I would have never imagined. We have chemists working in all the traditional areas (bio-chem, physical, analytical, organic etc). I have also talked with chemists employed as Product Developers, Technical Service, Technical Sales, Technical Marketing, Patent Attorneys, Product Assurance, Manufacturing Engineers, etc... The list is endless. As a chemist, the opportunities are endless.
I enjoyed my St. John's experience and how it has shaped me into the individual that I am today. I have the utmost respect for many of the professors who were kind enough to share their wisdom and knowledge with me. If I can be of any help to your program, please do not hesitate to call me.

Update, July 1998:

Took a new job in New Business Development within the Marine Trades Department. In this position I am responsible for understanding (make that attempting to understand on an elementary level) technology that will have a fit within a pre-determined number of years within the marketplace that we call upon. We then determine how to best get this technology (or product) out as soon as possible by funding, assigning people to the project or purchasing the patents, product or company. It is quite interesting work. Some of the stuff I have seen ranges from absolutely weird to mind numbing genius. The characters that I have dealt with are an even wider ranging lot than the products and technology they represent. You never really know what the day is going to bring.

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