I met Bob Gore back during those first few Inc 500 conferences.  Both of our firms made the grade.  And, Bob was also a PhD ChemE, earned at the University of Minnesota.

Bob’s claim to fame (and, well deserved, I might add) was his modification of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene, what DuPont called Teflon).  Back then, its biggest use was to wrap around pipes (in the labs and in production plants) to make sure the seals didn’t leak.  He was trying to find ways to stretch it out (and, therefore, cut the costs needed).  But, when he got ticked off and yanked the stuff one evening, he found it could become a sturdy membrane- porous, to boot.

How porous?  The expanded PTFE (8-10X) has some 1 billion pores per square centimeter!  The pores let gases transfer out (water vapor is a gas, folks), but kept water from crossing the material.

And, that’s how Gore-Tex became a product for W.L. Gore & Associates (in Delaware, founded by his parents).   Bob’s dad, Bill,  was also a ChemE, who worked for DuPont, before starting the eponymous W.L. Gore firm.  Bob found ways to use the waterproof, breathable material in clothing, in footwear, in computer cables, and medical devices.  Among a slew of other applications.

Bob was not only a talented techie- he made sure his firm was a fantastic place to work. Bob’s motto (OK, Gore’s motto) was “our products will do what they say they will do”. Never ascribing to the Friedman doctrine, W.L. Gore & Associates catered to its stakeholders.  (Gore runs itself like a democracy [a real one, not like the one Trump has distorted], without the need to deal with short-sighted investors.)   It’s been recognized as a “Great Place to Work-Certified™” in the U.S. – and also in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden.

Here’s hoping Bob finds a lot to invent where he is now.

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