Dr. Coates taught courses on innovation management, problem solving, power/energy, and industrial controls at Kent State University’s College of Aeronautics and Engineering  prior to his retirement from full time teaching in 2011 as a tenured Assistant Professor.  He was instrumental in establishing an interdisciplinary minor in innovation in the CAE, a minor and major in entrepreneurship in the College of Business, and developing one of the first on-line Theory of Inventive Problem Solving courses in the USA.   Previously he was Vice President of Engineering at the Speed Queen Division of Raytheon, Director of Dishwasher Engineering and then Director of Primary Development at the Frigidaire Company of AB Electrolux, Director of Research for the Hoover Company of the Maytag Corporation, and Manager of Whirlpool Automatic Washers at the Whirlpool Corporation. He received a PhD and MSME from Purdue University and a BSME from the State University of New York at Buffalo.  He also received the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus and Outstanding Mechanical Engineer awards from Purdue University.  He held 38 US and international patents with another eight pending and has authored eighteen publications including a contributing author to the book Global Innovation Science Handbook by McGraw Hill.  He is member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honorary, Professional Engineer in Michigan, and the past VP of the nonprofit Altshuller Institute for the Theory of Inventive Problem Solving.  He is an active inventor and expert witness.