be g i n n i n g s at Or on o
by Margaret Lukens
40
SUMMER 2012
Doug Hall graduated from UMaine in
Chemical Engineering in 1982 and went to work for
Procter & Gamble, inventing products. By the end of
a decade there, he had led teams of people to create
scores of new products, and decided to go out on his
own to make a business out of the process of leading
innovation. His company Eureka Ranch International
saw great success working with Fortune 500 companies,
national and international corporations, as well as small
businesses and startups. Doug Hall had developed a set
of tools and methods to help organizations create and
implement innovative ideas.
In around 2004, plans had begun at the
University of Maine in Orono to create an innovation
center on campus, to incubate student ideas and startup
companies. The department of Chemical Engineering
contacted Hall, their successful alumnus, who agreed
to deliver a convocation speech to the first year students
in fall 2004. He inspired them with an oration about
how to create their future, and wowed the audience,
including some faculty and administrators. Doug was
excited, and began conversations with the president of
the University, Robert Kennedy, about what it would
take to bring what he had to teach to undergraduate
students.
President Kennedy invited Doug back to
campus in spring 2005 to give a workshop specifically
for faculty, to see who would be drawn to the prospect
of incorporating principles of innovation in curriculum.
Three faculty members from disparate backgrounds
stepped up: an English professor, a Chemical
Engineering professor, and a flute teacher from the