Capitalize on Intellectual

If money talks, then no one has more credibility to speak on the subject of intellectual capital management than Gordon Petrash. Indeed, Dow Chemical, the $21 billion company that has elevated him to the position of global intellectual asset director, has witnessed first-hand the power of knowledge. As a result of his group’s strategic efforts to manage intellectual assets, the Midland, Mich.-based manufacturer of everything from adhesives to polymers to polystyrene has already heightened …

…should care about patents — much less something as elusive as intellectual capital. “I thought it could all happen much faster,” he says. “But it just takes time.” Having survived and thrived for a hundred years of business turbulence and transformation, Dow Chemical is quite capable of taking the long view. And if it continues to integrate the concept of intellectual capital management into its business decisions, it just may thrive for another century — or more.