3M Company
Company History
3M History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 1902 in Two Harbors, United States
When was 3M founded?
3M was founded in 1902 in Two Harbors, United States by J. Danley Budd, John Dwan, Henry S. Bryan, Hermon W. Cable and William A. McGonagle, making it 124 years old.
- Founded
- 1902
- Founding place
- Two Harbors, United States
- Founders
- J. Danley Budd, John Dwan, Henry S. Bryan, Hermon W. Cable and William A. McGonagle
- Headquarters today
- Maplewood, Minnesota
- Milestones documented
- 14 (1902–2024)
- Current CEO
- William M. "Bill" Brown
- Acquisitions
- 6
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1902 | Company Founded in Two Harbors, Minnesota |
| 1910 | Relocation to Saint Paul and First Laboratory |
| 1921 | Wetordry Waterproof Sandpaper Introduced |
| 1925 | Masking Tape Invented by Richard Drew |
| 1930 | Scotch Transparent Tape Commercialized |
| 1962 | Headquarters Moves to 3M Center in Maplewood |
| 1976 | 3M Added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average |
| 1980 | Post-it Note Launched Nationally |
| 1996 | Imation Spin-off |
| 2002 | Legal Name Changed to 3M Company |
| 2020 | Record N95 Respirator Production During COVID-19 |
| 2023 | Landmark PFAS and Combat Arms Settlements Announced |
| 2024 | Solventum Healthcare Spinoff Completed |
| 2024 | William Brown Appointed CEO |
- Where was 3M founded?
- 3M was founded in Two Harbors, United States in 1902. wikidata.org
- Who founded 3M?
- 3M was founded by J. Danley Budd, John Dwan, Henry S. Bryan, Hermon W. Cable and William A. McGonagle.
- When did 3M start?
- 3M was founded in 1902.
- How old is 3M?
- 3M is 124 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
It's hard to believe, but 3M started as a notable failure. Five businessmen in Two Harbors, Minnesota pooled their money to mine corundum for grinding wheels. When they realized the mine was full of useless rocks instead of corundum, they were on the brink of bankruptcy. Instead of giving up, they pivoted to importing materials to make sandpaper. That early failure forced them to be adaptable, which set the tone for the next 120 years of experimentation.
Founders
J. Danley Budd
Budd was the doctor among 3M's five founders. The others were attorney John Dwan, meat market owner Hermon W. Cable, and railroad men Henry S. Bryan and William A. McGonagle. The deposit they bought near Two Harbors turned out to be anorthosite rather than corundum, the mining plan failed, and in 1905 St. Paul investors Edgar Ober and Lucius P. Ordway took control of the company, which moved to Duluth and then, in 1910, to St. Paul to make sandpaper. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
John Dwan
John Dwan was one of the five original founders of 3M, contributing his legal expertise and local Minnesota business connections to the venture's organization in 1902. His role was primarily administrative and organizational rather than technical or financial, and he was less central to 3M's survival during its difficult early years than Lucius Ordway, who provided the critical capital infusions. Dwan's primary legacy in 3M's history is his contribution to the company's legal and organizational establishment during its founding period. He represents the entrepreneurial optimism that characterized resource extraction ventures in early twentieth century Minnesota, when mineral discoveries along the Lake Superior shore regularly attracted speculative investment from local businessmen seeking to participate in the region's industrial development. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Henry S. Bryan
Bryan was one of the two railroad men in the founding group, alongside William A. McGonagle, and joined physician J. Danley Budd, attorney John Dwan and meat market owner Hermon W. Cable in incorporating the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company on June 13, 1902. The deposit they bought near Two Harbors turned out to be anorthosite rather than corundum, the mining plan failed, and in 1905 St. Paul investors Edgar Ober and Lucius P. Ordway took control of the company, which moved to Duluth and then, in 1910, to St. Paul to make sandpaper. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Hermon W. Cable
Cable was the merchant of the founding group, which also included physician J. Danley Budd, attorney John Dwan and railroad men Henry S. Bryan and William A. McGonagle. The deposit they bought near Two Harbors turned out to be anorthosite rather than corundum, the mining plan failed, and in 1905 St. Paul investors Edgar Ober and Lucius P. Ordway took control of the company, which moved to Duluth and then, in 1910, to St. Paul to make sandpaper. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
William A. McGonagle
McGonagle and Henry S. Bryan were the railroad men of the founding group; the others were physician J. Danley Budd, attorney John Dwan and meat market owner Hermon W. Cable. The deposit they bought near Two Harbors turned out to be anorthosite rather than corundum, the mining plan failed, and in 1905 St. Paul investors Edgar Ober and Lucius P. Ordway took control of the company, which moved to Duluth and then, in 1910, to St. Paul to make sandpaper. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Key Milestones
Company Founded in Two Harbors, Minnesota
Five Minnesota businessmen incorporate the Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company with the intention of mining corundum abrasive mineral from a deposit on the Lake Superior shore. The mineral deposit proves to contain the wrong stone anorthosite rather than corundum immediately invalidating the original business plan.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRelocation to Saint Paul and First Laboratory
3M relocates its operations to Saint Paul, Minnesota, establishing the geographic base that it would maintain for the remainder of the twentieth century. The company hires its first dedicated laboratory researcher, reflecting William McKnight's conviction that technical expertise must become an organizational core competency rather than an improvised response to product problems.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgWetordry Waterproof Sandpaper Introduced
Researcher Francis Okie develops Wetordry waterproof sandpaper, the first 3M product to achieve significant commercial success by offering genuine technical differentiation from competing products. The product finds immediate acceptance in automotive body shops and establishes 3M's identity as an innovator in surface preparation materials.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgMasking Tape Invented by Richard Drew
Richard Drew, a 3M laboratory researcher who observed automotive painters struggling with imprecise color boundary masking, develops a pressure-sensitive masking tape that allows clean paint line definition without surface damage upon removal. This product launches 3M's adhesive tape technology platform, which would become one of its most enduring and commercially significant technical domains.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgScotch Transparent Tape Commercialized
Richard Drew extends his adhesive tape work to create a transparent, pressure-sensitive tape initially called Scotch tape. Introduced during the Great Depression, the product finds immediate consumer acceptance as an economical repair and packaging solution, generating the mass consumer brand awareness that 3M would build on for decades. Scotch tape remains one of the most recognizable brand names in the American household products market more than ninety years after its introduction.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgHeadquarters Moves to 3M Center in Maplewood
After 52 years in St. Paul, 3M outgrew its campus and moved its headquarters to 3M Center in Maplewood, Minnesota, where it remains.
Source: en.wikipedia.org3M Added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average
3M is added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average, reflecting its status as one of the defining companies of American industrial manufacturing. Inclusion in the Dow a price-weighted index of thirty major American companies places 3M alongside the most well-known corporations in U.S. Business history and substantially increases its institutional investor profile and index fund ownership.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgPost-it Note Launched Nationally
After a limited test market launch in 1977 and a national rollout beginning in 1980, Post-it Notes become one of the most successful new product launches in 3M history. The product's repositionable adhesive discovered accidentally by Spencer Silver in 1968 and applied to a bookmark concept by Art Fry in 1974 generates billions in cumulative revenue and creates an entirely new office products category. The Post-it story becomes the defining illustration of 3M's innovation culture philosophy.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgImation Spin-off
3M spun off its data storage and imaging businesses as Imation Corporation, shedding about 20% of its sales in product lines such as removable storage media and photographic film.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLegal Name Changed to 3M Company
On April 8, 2002, 3M's centennial year, Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company changed its legal name to 3M Company, adopting the abbreviation it had long used as its brand.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgRecord N95 Respirator Production During COVID-19
3M expands N95 respirator production capacity at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ultimately producing more than 2.5 billion respirators between January 2020 and year-end 2021. The company becomes a central figure in federal and state government procurement discussions as healthcare worker protection becomes a national priority. The episode demonstrates both the genuine public health value of 3M's safety product portfolio and the reputational risks of operating in critical supply categories during national emergencies.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgLandmark PFAS and Combat Arms Settlements Announced
3M announces separate landmark settlements addressing its two largest litigation liabilities: a $10.3 billion settlement with municipalities across the United States over PFAS water contamination, to be paid over thirteen years, and a $6.01 billion settlement resolving Combat Arms earplug defect claims from more than 250,000 military veterans. The combined $16.31 billion in settlement obligations represents the largest concurrent litigation burden in American industrial manufacturing history and significantly reshapes 3M's financial profile.
Source: investors.3m.comSolventum Healthcare Spinoff Completed
3M completes the spinoff of its healthcare business segment into a separately listed public company named Solventum Corporation in April 2024. The transaction distributes Solventum shares to 3M shareholders on a pro-rata basis and creates a new public healthcare company with approximately $8 billion in annual revenue. 3M retains a minority equity stake in Solventum following the spinoff. The transaction reduces 3M's complexity, allows independent valuation of the healthcare business, and focuses the remaining 3M on its industrial and consumer materials science capabilities.
Source: investors.3m.comWilliam Brown Appointed CEO
William M. Brown, former chair and CEO of L3Harris Technologies, becomes 3M's Chief Executive Officer on May 1, 2024, succeeding Mike Roman, who became executive chairman. Brown's appointment signals the board's desire for external perspective and manufacturing operations expertise in leading 3M's restructuring and strategic refocusing. Brown begins implementing portfolio prioritization, operational simplification, and manufacturing network rationalization programs aimed at restoring investor confidence and improving organic revenue growth in priority industrial end markets.
Source: investors.3m.comMajor Acquisitions
Aearo Technologies
20083M acquired Aearo Technologies in 2008 for approximately $1.2 billion to significantly expand its personal protective equipment portfolio, particularly in hearing protection, eye and face protection, and respiratory protection. Aearo was a well-established PPE manufacturer with strong market positions in hearing protection products sold under the EAR brand and other safety brands. The acquisition was intended to strengthen 3M's position as a comprehensive personal protective equipment supplier and provide cross-selling opportunities with 3M's existing safety product portfolio across industrial and construction customer segments.
Cogent Systems
20103M acquired Cogent Systems in 2010 for approximately $943 million to add biometric identification technology including fingerprint recognition, iris scanning, and facial recognition systems to its portfolio of government and law enforcement solutions. The acquisition was part of 3M's strategy to expand into security and identity verification technology markets that were experiencing rapid demand growth from government agencies implementing biometric passport programs, border control systems, and law enforcement identification databases.
Capital Safety Group
20153M acquired Capital Safety Group in 2015 for approximately $2.5 billion to add fall protection products including harnesses, lanyards, self-retracting lifelines, and anchoring systems to its Safety and Industrial segment's personal protective equipment portfolio. Capital Safety was a market leader in fall protection, a rapidly growing segment driven by heightened regulatory enforcement of workplace fall prevention standards by OSHA and equivalent agencies in international markets. The acquisition was consistent with 3M's strategy of building comprehensive safety product portfolios that allow it to serve as a single-source safety supplier for large industrial and construction customers.
Scott Safety
20173M acquired Scott Safety from Tyco International in 2017 for approximately $2 billion, adding self-contained breathing apparatus products, supplied-air respirators, and gas and flame detection equipment to its Safety and Industrial portfolio. Scott Safety was a market leader in respiratory protection for firefighters and hazardous materials responders, as well as in gas detection products for oil and gas, chemical, and mining industries. The acquisition was designed to give 3M a stronger position in the fire service and industrial emergency response market segments where Scott's brand equity and product reputation were particularly strong.
M*Modal (technology business)
20193M completed the purchase of M*Modal's technology business in February 2019 for a total enterprise value of $1.0 billion, adding speech recognition and clinical documentation software for physicians to its Health Information Systems business.
Acelity (KCI)
2019On October 11, 2019, 3M completed the acquisition of Acelity and its KCI subsidiaries from a consortium led by Apax Partners for a total enterprise value of about $6.7 billion including debt, expanding into advanced and surgical wound care.
Keep researching 3M
3M Company History FAQ
What are the defining milestones in 3M's historical timeline?
Key milestones include the 1902 founding in Two Harbors, the 1921 invention of Wetordry waterproof sandpaper, the 1925 launch of Scotch masking tape, the 1930 invention of transparent tape, the 1980 debut of Post-it Notes, and the 2024 Solventum spinoff.
How did 3M invent Scotch masking tape in 1925?
In 1925, 3M lab assistant Richard Drew observed auto painters struggling with two-tone paint lines and invented pressure-sensitive crepe-paper masking tape, creating 3M's well-known Scotch brand.
What is the origin story of the Post-it Note in 1980?
In 1968, 3M scientist Dr. Spencer Silver invented a unique, low-tack repositionable adhesive; years later, colleague Art Fry used it to create bookmarks for his church hymnal, leading to the commercial launch of Post-it Notes in 1980.
How did 3M contribute to the automotive industry in the 1920s?
3M transformed automotive manufacturing in 1921 with Wetordry sandpaper, allowing workers to sand car bodies with water, which eliminated toxic airborne lead and mineral dust in assembly plants.
What role did 3M play during World War II?
During WWII, 3M produced specialized reflective materials for military safety (Scotchlite), waterproof packaging tapes, precision abrasives for aircraft manufacturing, and overhead optical films for military intelligence.
When did 3M introduce its N95 particulate respirator?
3M developed the underlying electrostatically charged non-woven fiber technology in the late 1960s, releasing its first certified industrial dust respirator in 1972 and evolving it into the modern N95 standard in 1995.
When did Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing officially rename itself to 3M?
In April 2002, celebrating its centennial anniversary, the company officially shortened its legal corporate name from Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company to 3M Company.
Why did 3M decide to phase out PFAS manufacturing by 2025?
In December 2022, 3M announced it would exit all PFAS manufacturing by the end of 2025 due to tightening global environmental regulations, accelerating remediation litigation, and a shift toward non-fluorinated materials.
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