You can feel the spirit of George Eastman in Antonio Perez’s office.
A picture of Eastman, who founded Kodak in 1880, sits among the current chief executive’s collection of family photos. The outer areas of Perez’s office, built and first inhabited by Eastman about a century ago, include some of Kodak’s Oscar and Emmy awards, along with a collection of historic photos. A large portrait of Eastman, who died in 1932, hangs near the entrance.
Perez’s surroundings serve as a constant reminder of Kodak’s hallowed history in the print and movie film industries — and of the pressure he is under to revive the ailing company.
Kodak emerged from bankruptcy protection Tuesday vastly different from the company of old. Gone are the cameras and film that made it famous. The company hopes to replace them with new technologies such as touch screens for smartphones and smart packaging embedded with sensors. Over Perez’s desk hang pictures depicting Kodak’s future — including one of the company’s ultra-fast commercial inkjet printer, the Prosper Press.
“Look for a case of a company that had to go through this kind of excruciating restructuring and kept innovating,” Perez said. “It just doesn’t happen, but we’ve done it.”
Kodak said its old stock is canceled as of Tuesday. Creditors are getting stock in the restructured company.
The week before Kodak exited Chapter 11 protections, Perez sat down with The Associated Press for a rare 90-minute interview. He spoke candidly about Kodak’s restructuring and laid out his vision for what lies ahead.