AKRON (May 12)—Goodyear recently recognized more than 350 of its technical associates for their inventions and innovations, including Bill Hsu, who became only the seventh Goodyear employee in company history to achieve a combination of at least 100 patents and trade secrets.
The employees, who work in the company's technical centers in Colmar-Berg, Luxembourg, and Akron as well as manufacturing locations around the world, were responsible for 215 U.S. patents and 21 trade secrets in 2004.
In addition to Hsu, a research and development associate based in Akron, Goodyear recognized five others with its Silver Coin Award, given to inventors who achieve various ingenuity milestones through their career. The five are: Dave Zanzig, Luxembourg, who has achieved 60 patents and trade secrets; and Jean Bergh and Christian Labbe, Luxembourg, and Don Gilliam and Kevin Legge, Akron, for reaching the 20 patents/trade secrets level.
The company also recognized 16 employees as 2004 "Inventors of the Year."