3M Cottage Grove Center

Hastings United States The largest of five 3M plants in Minnesota is the Cottage Grove Center, on the Mississippi, south of the Twin Cities. It was established in 1948, and has around 35 buildings on its 1,750 acre site. It is a Research and Development, as well as a production center, and developed many of the company’s widely used coatings and films, such as Scotchguard, window coatings, reflective sign coatings, and the adhesives used on Scotch Tape and Post-it Notes. 3M, one of the most Minnesota-esque companies, with the three Ms representing Minnesota, Mining, and Manufacturing, is based in Maplewood, a suburb of St. Paul, and operates 40 plants around the USA.