4th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards & Interviews - TechVenue.com Events Coverage
http://ChicagoInnovationAwards.com
Co-Sponsors Kuczmarski & Associates & Chicago Sun-Times
By: David Flint
An inspiring event - very positive and real. The venue, food, drinks and conversations were genuinely good and plenty. Pomp and circumstance replaced by humility and vision. To begin, the video greeting from Microsoft founder and CEO Bill Gates was uncanny. Why uncanny? Well, by definition it was "peculiarly unsettling" - his short talk had a refreshing humility from the west coast and a sense of bowing to the natural innovation of the "heartland" as he described Chicago. Eclipsing Bill was Mr. Casey Cowell, founder of U.S. Robotics and one of the world’s leading technology innovators, who delivered an uncommon keynote address tonight. Why uncommon? Again, by definition it's "rare, wonderful & remarkable" when a speaker can make you feel like your sitting with him and his family in their living room talking about his companies history over coffee. He also weaved in valuable bits of advice, benchmarks to strive for, and actual methods and strategies that could be practically implemented by anyone attempting to fuel innovation.
It's a testament to the heartland when speakers also sandwich their speech by mentioning their wife and family both when they begin and end their time at the podium. About family support, post event I was privileged to speak with several of the wives of the winners of these awards and it was a running half-joking comment that there could be matching "Inspiration" awards for the wives and families of these hard working "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" husbands. ;-) Finally, Mr. Cowell received the well deserved 2005 Chicago Innovation Award for Vision and Leadership.
Here are the 2005 Award Winners - in no particular order:
Motorola: RAZR V3
Abbott Labs - PathVysion - helping to provide better diagnoses and more accurate treatments to combat
breast cancer.
Novarra - nWeb Mobile Browser - democracy of access to the Internet via cell phones.
Intellext: Watson 2.0 - intelligent search engine in enabling today's business to work smarter, giving search engine technology a whole new dimension.
Solvent Systems International - Grease Gator - Aqueous parts washer 'revolutionizing' cleaning systems
by going "green" with a new paradigm of industrial cleaning.
LISC: The New Communities Program - by engaging hundreds of ordinary people LISC is harnessing public, private, and non-profit sectors to make a difference.
USG: DUROCK Tile Membrane - new thinner, stronger waterproof layer of floor protection
Vibes Media - iRadio Text Messaging Platform - creating new channels of communication between radio
stations and their audiences
Laminar Technologies, LLC - TurboTap - reinventing the beer experience, one pour at a time.
(I see this being applied to a lot more than beer - but what a great way to start! -DF)
City of Chicago: Millennium Park - Chicago reinventing itself once again to incredible levels of art, fun and function.
Way to go innovators of Chicago! - and of course, the White Sox! - both at the top of their game in the heartland.
MP3 Audio Podcast Link:
http://TechVenue.com/PODCASTS/CIA2005.mp3
(Music intro/interlude credits: Dream Academy & Sunchyme - Life in a Northern Town - Dance Mix)
