The introduction of something new
"The drive for innovation is burning brightly in the Chicago area," said Tom Kuczmarski, name partner in new-product consultancy Kuczmarski & Associates and co-founder of the award along with the Chicago Sun-Times. "We've seen hundreds of innovative ideas over the past five years of the Innovation Award program, but this year's crop truly was stunning."
The 10 Innovation Award honorees are profiled in this special section of the Chicago Sun-Times, and will receive their awards next Monday evening in a special ceremony on the main stage of the Goodman Theatre.
Dan Miller, business editor of the Sun-Times, said, "Since the award's debut in 2003, we've discovered that the key ingredient in innovation is the Chicago area itself. It provides the combustible material for innovators who make the flame and for the spark-makers in the companies who nurture it."
Kuczmarski consultants, Sun-Times business staffers and former honoree Ray Geneille Jr. of QuesTek Innovations sifted through the record 227 nominations, and selected 10 for the honor. The panel sought successfully developed and marketed ideas that met the following criteria: - Created a new category of business activity. - Provoked a "me-too" response from competitors. - Solved unmet customer and consumer needs. - Generated revenue -- not necessarily profits.
The Chicago Innovation Awards received strong support from all sectors of the Chicago business community, and especially these sponsors: The Chicago Board of Trade, InterOcean Financial Group, Microsoft Corp., Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, the Goodman Theatre, Maggiano's Little Italy, Market Strategy Group, Slack Barshinger, and WBBM Newsradio 780. For more information about the Chicago Innovation Awards program and the 2007 program, go to chicagoinnovationawards.com
Kuczmarski & Associates and the Chicago Sun-Times established the Chicago Innovation Awards in 2002 as an annual program to honor significant innovations introduced by Chicago-area companies. Each year the Chicago Innovation Awards honor 10 winners who have introduced products or services that uniquely fill unmet needs, generate a competitive response in the marketplace, exceed market expectations and achieve financial success. For more information, visit www.ChicagoInnovationAwards.com.
Kuczmarski & Associates is a leading management consulting firm specializing in helping companies accelerate growth through innovative new product and service development and branding, positioning and marketing strategy. Founded in 1983, K&A has been recognized by Consultants News as one of "North America's 100 Leading Management Consulting Firms," serving companies ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations, in a broad range of industries. K&A specializes in consumer-based consulting and assists clients in developing strategies, building frameworks, outlining processes and designing training programs to enhance management performance. For more information, visit www.kuczmarski.com.