Michael Michalko, author of the best selling book, "Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Business Creativity," will be the featured speaker March 11 at the third annual Trendmasters Conference sponsored by DePaul University and The Northern Trust Company. Michalko will discuss "Cracking Creativity in Business."

The free, invitation-only event includes a reception and luncheon beginning at 11:45 a.m. Michalko will speak at 12:30 p.m. in the Assembly Room of the Northern Trust, 50 S. LaSalle St. The Trendmasters conference is an annual event presenting speakers on business trends. Last year's conference focused on eldercare issues, while the first event in 1997 featured changing family values and communication trends.

A leading creativity expert, Michalko specializes in providing creative thinking workshops and seminars on fostering creativity. He facilitates think tanks for clients around the world, from Fortune 500 corporations to government agencies.

Michalko got his start as an officer in the U.S. Army organizing a team of NATO intelligence specialists and academics to research, collect and categorize all known inventive

thinking methods. His team applied these methods to various NATO military intelligence and political problems, producing a variety of breakthrough ideas and creative solutions.

After leaving government service, Michalko applied these creative thinking techniques to problems in the corporate world, helping clients such as DuPont, Microsoft and General Motors.

His creative thinking techniques were published in the highly acclaimed 1991 book "Thinkertoys." He also is the author of "Thinkpak: A Brainstorming Card Set," a creative thinking tool designed to facilitate brainstorming sessions. Michalko’s new book, "Cracking Creativity: Secrets of Creative Geniuses," was released by Ten Speed Press in 1998.

The Trendmasters Conference is sponsored by DePaul’s Center for Professional Excellence, which was established in 1996 to provide meaningful business development courses and programs to executives of various levels at Chicago area firms. The center’s goal is to sponsor activities that contribute significantly to the corporate growth and financial success of companies in a global economy. This year, the center became part of DePaul’s Driehaus Center for International Business. Henry H. Rodkin, an Executive-in-Residence at DePaul’s College of Commerce, is director of the Driehaus Center and has organized all three Trendmasters conferences.

The center also sponsors The Executives' Circle Program, a certificate course designed to meet the educational needs of Chicago business people. The center also disseminates pre-publication data from faculty on issues of consumer buying behavior research.

Note to Editors: Reporters interested in covering the Machalko presentation should make prior arrangements with Kerrie Webber, Director of Events, The Northern Trust, at 312/444-7056.