The Plaque in the Gore Foyer reads “Of all things precious to mankind, Freedom to Dream is the Ultimate Value.” By Bill

1. The Plaque in the Gore Foyer reads “Of all things precious to mankind, Freedom to Dream is the Ultimate Value.” By Bill and Vieve Gore Presentation by Gaylen K. Bunker

2. organizes ” “A man is known by the company he . Ambrose Bierce, Forbes Magazine, Jan 9th Issue 2006 Let’s look at Bill & Vieve Gore

3. Timeline 1912 – Wilbert L. Gore was born in Meridian, Idaho, near Boise. He grew up in Salt Lake City on 10th East and Emerson Avenue, a few blocks from Westminster College. 1914 - Genevieve "Vieve" W. Gore was born in Salt Lake City, she spent her childhood on a cattle ranch in Wyoming.

4. Timeline Vintage Car

5. Timeline 1935 - Vieve married Bill Gore beginning one of the great love affairs and partnerships of all time. They eventually had five children. 1937 – DuPont obtained a patent for polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. 1940 – Bill began working for DuPont.

6. Timeline 1945 – 1957 Bill worked on a problem solving task force at DuPont to find applications for PTFE. “The task force was exciting, challenging, and loads of fun. Besides, we worked like Trojans. I began to wonder why entire companies couldn’t be run the same way.” Bill Gore

7. Timeline 1957 - Bob Gore, a sophomore at the University of Delaware, suggests the use of PTFE tape to insulate wire. Tests by Bill Gore show that the tape offers significant advantages over earlier insulation methods, but DuPont fabricated PTFE into “Teflon,” shuts down the task-force.

8. Timeline 1958 - On Jan. 1, Bill (45) left DuPont and with his wife Vieve began their enterprise in the basement of their home. “If we mortgaged our house and took $4,000 from savings, we could make a go of it for two years. From the very beginning we were using the principles of the lattice. After all, there was just Vieve and me, and we had been using them for years.”

9. Timeline 1960 - “We came very close to calling it quits, but help was on the way.” The company received its first major order: 7½ miles of insulated ribbon cable worth $100,000. “That order put us over the hump and we took off from there.” Bill said.

10. Mission Statement “Money is essential,” Bill Gore said. “Without it, you don’t have an enterprise.” Someone said this seemed incompatible with Gore’s rarified ideas about human relationships. Bill replied: “That’s because there’s something wrong with your education, sir. Actually, making money is a creative activity. It means people are applauding you for making a good contribution. In fact, it gives us the freedom to be what we are.” The Gore mission “Have fun, make money.”

11. Timeline 1963 – Bob completed a PhD in chemical engineering and it was clear the wire and cable business had taken hold. 1960s – Ginger Gore was a student at Westminster College where she met her husband John Giovali

12. Timeline 1965 – One summer day Bill was strolling through his plant when suddenly he realized he didn’t know everyone’s name. The company had grown from an interactive group to almost 200 employees. The rules had changed---big organizations required hierarchies and management. So Bill changed the rules: No location over 200 people.

13. Timeline 1969 – Astronauts Edwin Aldrin, Jr. and Neil Armstrong installed seismographic equipment connected to the moon lander with small, light-weight, high-temperature cable manufactured by Gore. The Gore-NASA relationship began with the use of Gore cables in NASA's ground control equipment.

14. Timeline 1969 - Bob Gore wanted to stretch PTFE and introduce air into the molecular structure, but everything he did failed. Finally, in frustration he grabbed a PTFE rod from the oven, in his asbestos gloves, and yanked it apart. It stretched nicely. Word spread rapidly the Bob had discovered a Miracle Product, GORE-TEX®

15. Timeline 1975 - Gore makes its first sale of vascular grafts to a surgeon in Virginia. 1976 - Gore Microwave Coaxial Assemblies (GMCAs) are introduced for the space, military and test markets.

16. Timeline 1976 - Gore receives the first commercial order of GORE-TEX® fabric, the first waterproof, breathable fabric. Early Winters is the first customer. The 1977 Early Winters catalog advertises its GORE-TEX® rainwear as "possibly the most versatile piece of clothing you'll every wear."

17. Products GORE-TEX® GORE-TEX® membrane filter bags GORE-TEX® Vascular Grafts INTERING Vascular Grafts PROPATEN Vascular Grafts WINDSTOPPER® GLIDE® floss EYE-OPENER® CLEANSTREAM® ONE-UP® pump diaphragm ELIXIR® guitar strings GORE-TEX® PACLITE GORE-TEX® Coastal fabric WINDSTOPPER® SUPPRESCENT® fabric GORE-TEX® XCR fabric WINDSTOPPER® N2S AIRVANTAGE® Adjustable Insulation fabric REMEDIA® catalytic filter system STA-PURE® peristaltic pump tube GORE-TEX® antistatic workwear VIABAHN® Endoprosthesis EXCLUDER® Bifurcated Endoprosthesis

18. Timeline 2000 - Chuck Carroll becomes president and CEO of Gore. Bob Gore remains chairman of the board of directors “Our associates are what differentiates Gore as an enterprise and fuels our growth. Their knowledge, expertise, talents, creativity and hard work are what lead to unique, valuable and profitable products. It is for this reason that attracting, growing, energizing and retaining the best talent is critical to our success.” Chuck Carroll

19. W.L.Gore and Associates Inc. Forbes top 200 best private companies Worldwide sales of $1.84 Billion. Bill and Vieve in Business Hall of Fame 2004 Gore is “America’s Most Innovative Company” (Fast Company Magazine) 2nd in “100 best companies to work for in America”

20. Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, East Coast (17) Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, United States. Arizona New Zealand, Poland, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, California W.L.Gore and Associates Inc. 7,000 associates in over 40 locations worldwide:

21. W.L.Gore and Associates Inc. Proprietary technologies with the versatile polymer polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or “Teflon” have resulted in numerous products electronic signal transmission; fabric laminates; medical implants; as well as membrane, filtration, sealant, and fibers technologies for diverse industries.

22. Imagine a Place… No bosses No job titles No “employees” No organizational chart Communication is direct Arguments are heated “Making Mistakes” is encouraged Everyone thrives on chaos!

23. Four Guiding Principles: Fairness to each other and everyone with whom we come in contact Freedom to encourage, help, and allow other associates to grow in knowledge, skills, and scope of responsibility Commitment – make and keep Consultation with other associates before undertaking actions that could impact the reputation of the company. (Waterline)

24. “Words are Important” Sponsors not Bosses Leaders not Managers Personal Commitments not Job Titles Guidelines not Rules Investments not Expenses Associates not Employees

25. “Leadership Defined by Followership” Teams organize around opportunities and leaders emerge Leadership is not a “position” but an activity Leadership is reciprocal and fluid Associates manage themselves

26. “Good judgment comes from experience… Experience comes from bad judgment” Risk taking is encouraged At Gore associates are safe to make mistakes The only bad thing is doing nothing at all!! “The things we learn to do we learn by doing” (Aristotle)

27. Bill Gore’s “Yes Yes” Principle If we succeed, will we celebrate? If we fail, can we stand it?

28. “Seize the Moment” Planning is important BUT some things are better left to chance…

29. “Small is beautiful” No more than 200 associates per plant First name basis with everyone in plant Individual effectiveness over corporate efficiency Team in action vs. crowd in motion

30. “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things” Unleash full human potential Greatness exists in everyone, not just a few Sponsors help chart course for “sponsees” Trust associates more than outside experts

31. “If all we do is agree, the corporation will make more money by firing one of us” Argue passionately because you care Only be offended if someone does not speak up Learn to deliver direct messages constructively

32. “How lucky we are!” Good fortune comes with a responsibility to give back Bill and Vieve Gore spread freedom around the world through the creation of new and meaningful work Philanthropy brings much greater rewards than materialism Greed is toxic… always stay humble!!

33. Westminster MBA Way Fairness to each other and everyone with whom we come in contact Commitment – make and keep Leadership is not a “position” but an activity. Dream and make it happen. Collaborate Get to know everyone’s name and work together. Encourage and help other students.

34. …and remember 2… Maik lotts uf misteaks!!!

35. Have fun and Learn a ton

36. “Of all things precious to mankind, Freedom to Dream is the Ultimate Value.” Bill and Vieve Gore Plaque on the Gore Building Bibliography and References available upon request