How has he transformed the scene?
Bakken and Palmer J. Hermundslie (his brother-in-law) co-founded Medtronic in 1949 in a northeast Minneapolis garage. Now a global giant in the medical technology industry serving markets in 120 countries, Medtronic Inc. continues to maintain its world headquarters in Minneapolis. Bakken served as CEO and Chairman of the Board at Medtronic from 1957 until 1976. He retired from Medtronic in 1989 upon the occasion of his 65th birthday, and continued to guide the corporation as an active member of its board until 1994. In retirement, Bakken remains a prominent, respected, (and much beloved) figure at Medtronic.
“A dreamer who makes things happen.”
Kate Rubin, President, Minnesota High Tech Association
A trained electrical engineer, Bakken designed the first wearable, external, battery-powered transistorized pacemaker. He was spurred by a request from Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, a University of Minnesota Heart Surgeon who was seeking a better alternative to the existing technology: bulky units that ran on AC power and sustained patients only for a matter of weeks. Among the many accolades Bakken received for his role in the innovative design was the Engineering for Gold award granted in 1984 by the National Society of Professional Engineers, which honored the cardiac pacemaker as “one of the ten most outstanding engineering achievements in the last 50 years.” The device, as initially designed and later modified over time, has vastly improved the quality of life for countless thousands of people coping with cardiac disease. It also rocketed Bakken’s fledgling Medtronic into the corporate stratosphere (taking Minnesota’s high-tech industry along for the ride).
Earl Bakken has had a lifelong fascination with all things electric (as a boy, he was inspired by the movie Frankenstein), and an enduring enthusiasm for sharing his interest with others. In his role as Medtronic CEO, he worked to establish Bakken Education Centers around the globe, where medical professionals visit state-of the-art facilities to gain hands-on experience with the latest technologies. Closer to home in Minnesota, he established the popular Bakken Library and Museum in 1975, which continues to “turn kids on” to electricity, magnetism, and their applications in medical and life sciences.
Bakken has been instrumental in advancing Minnesota’s stature as a leader in medical technology through promotion of the Medical Alley concept and related nonprofit trade association of the same name (now known as LifeScience Alley). “Medical Alley” referred to a concentration of medical device manufacturing firms and health-related industries located within a 300-mile corridor extending north from Rochester, MN, through the Twin Cities. Promoted as a “hot-bed” of innovation, Medical Alley did for Minnesota’s medical high tech industry what the artist Prince did in the 1970s for the Minnesota music scene with the “Minneapolis Sound”— it created a focal point for international attention and spurred greater innovation and growth.
Earl Bakken presently lives with his wife, Doris, in Hawaii, where he is a guiding force in a movement toward what he refers to as “blended medicine:” integrating the finest in Western medical practices with many other healing traditions focused on mind, body and spirit. He continues to maintain strong ties to Minnesota through Medtronic as a Director Emeritus, as well as the Bakken Museum and Library, and multiple initiatives that foster a culture of innovation. Though retired from Medtronic, Bakken’s personal legacy lives on through the ideals articulated in the enduring mission of the corporation he founded, which remains a trans-global industry leader: “To contribute to human welfare by application of biomedical engineering in the research, design, manufacture, and sale of instruments or appliances that alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life.”
