Nick Muscavage

@nmuscavage

City and company officials are looking forward to the museum's role in New Brunswick.

You can visit the virtual museum at www.ourstory.jnj.com.

NEW BRUNSWICK - Have you ever wondered who invented the first aid kit? Or perhaps you've speculated on the story behind the Band-Aid?

These questions, and many more, were answered at the grand opening of Johnson & Johnson's Our Story at the Powerhouse.

The museum is inside the original powerhouse on the campus of Johnson & Johnson's global headquarters in New Brunswick. Built in 1907, the powerhouse still had original glazed tile and the same ceiling it had a century ago when it housed the machines that created electricity to power the health science company's manufacturing operations.

It served many uses over time, but on Thursday at its grand opening and ribbon cutting, it stood as a reminder to all of the life-changing inventions Johnson & Johnson has created and the lives the company's innovations have shaped.

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"It's the oldest standing building on the campus and it's the last one that remains from the earlier days," said Alex Gorsky, CEO of Johnson & Johnson. "Today, we get to open up and really tell the story of Johnson & Johnson the Powerhouse to give us a great appreciation for a pretty remarkable past, reflect a little bit on the present but even more about the exciting future we have here at J&J."

Gorsky touched on the company's history and key figures, including Fred Kilmer, who transformed the surgical industry by introducing new standards of sterile cleanliness and also was the man responsible for first-aid kits, and Earle Dickson, a cotton buyer for Johnson & Johnson who invented the Band-Aid after his wife accidentally cut herself on multiple occasions while cooking in the kitchen.

Inside the museum, which is brightly lit and has an open floor plan, are 3-D interactive displays, archival photos and historic artifacts such as early Band-Aid containers, battlefield medical supplies and notebooks kept by scientists such as Paul Janssen, who founded Janssen Pharmaceutica, a pharmaceutical company now owned by Johnson & Johnson.

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Also on display are items from different parts of the world that Johnson & Johnson has impacted in one way or another with its medical advancements, as well as a scent simulator that allows for aromatic adventurers to step inside and take a whiff of various Johnson & Johnson scents over time. Baby shampoo and baby powder were two distinct smells.

Corporate and city officials are looking forward to the Powerhouse's role in New Brunswick.

"The 130-year-history of Johnson & Johnson here in the City of New Brunswick and its growth from here to its impact around the world is a remarkable story," said Mayor James Cahill. "In New Brunswick, we couldn't be more pleased about the legacy of J&J, and its story will be shared with the rest of the world right here where it all began in the City of New Brunswick."

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Although the museum will not be open regularly to the public, visits can be arranged by contacting the healthcare company. The Powerhouse also houses archives detailing the company's history.

Work began on the Johnson & Johnson Our Story at the Powerhouse four years ago to showcase the history and heritage of the company, according to Alex Holland, enterprise and strategy leader at Johnson & Johnson.

"We know we have a great story to tell, this is just the beginning of how we're bringing the story to life," she said. "We're also looking in the future to how we can bring this experience globally to our employees all around the world and also to consumers and external audiences."

Margaret Gurowitz, the chief historian at Johnson & Johnson, started working at the company as a research assistant after she graduated from Rutgers University and she has been there ever since.

Her first project at the company was to assist in researching for a biography on Robert Wood Johnson II, the son of Robert Wood Johnson I, who was one of the three founders of Johnson & Johnson. On Thursday, she gave a guided tour of the museum at the Powerhouse to visiting guests.

Gurowitz moved from exhibit to exhibit with an eagerness and described each display with a confidence that only comes from a deep understanding of each item's history and years of research.

She strolled past the 10-foot-tall colorful display of different Band-Aids from over the decades and motioned toward a cupboard of plasters and medical adhesives.

She smiled, turned to the touring visitors and said, "Every single one of these artifacts tells a story."

Watch the J&J story at www.ourstory.jnj.com.

Staff Writer Nick Muscavage: 908-243-6615; ngmuscavage@gannettnj.com