Latino Resource Group

The Latino Resource Group provides opportunities for personal and career development, participates in community outreach activities to support the fast-growing Latino population in the United States, aids recruitment and retention of Latinos, and promotes cultural awareness.

Group activities Helping to build a stronger community through volunteerism and outreach is a primary goal for the group. Members help assemble and deliver school supplies for students’ first day of school each year through 3M’s Stuff for School program. They host fund-raising events for Friends of the Orphans-Nuestro Peqeino Hermanos and volunteer as lunch buddies at a St. Paul Public School. Recruitment and retention of talented Hispanic engineers is another goal pursued in conjunction with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

How we make a difference
The Latino Resource Group helps make the future brighter for neighbors and students through community outreach efforts. It helps 3M recruit and retain Latino employees, while members serve as mentors for student summer interns working at 3M. For its more than 150 members, the group provides many opportunities for personal and career development.

Meet a member

	“The 3M Tech Forum is a huge way to grow at 3M and get feedback from other researchers.” John Product Development Specialist 3M Automotive Aftermarket Division 3Mer since 2001

I was recruited by 3M at a Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) conference. I joined an enticing 3M rotational program called Optimized Operations that offers experience over two years in various 3M settings including manufacturing and plant operations in several states.

Coming out of college you never know for sure what you want to get into. I have a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in engineering, so it was nice to get a flavor of different areas. At the end of the rotation, I chose a job in research and development in the Automotive Aftermarket Laboratory.

The 3M Tech Forum is a huge way to grow at 3M and get feedback from other researchers. 3M also offers a wide range of development classes for employees, including leadership development and project management. I belong to the 3M Men’s Golf League and the 3M Rod and Custom Car Club.

Proud of his product
3M makes many products that can reduce health and environmental hazards for customers. One of the products I work on is the 3M™ PPS™ Paint Preparation System used by paint shops in the automotive and aerospace industries. It requires less solvent use so body shop workers breathe cleaner air and there are less greenhouse gas emissions.

I am currently chair of the Latino Resource Group. This year we are making more strides in community outreach. For example, we recently invited four nonprofit organizations seeking volunteers and donations to serve the local Latino population to display at 3M.