Albany, N.Y. – “Innovation is no longer optional” is the rallying cry for an Innovation Engineering Leadership Institute (IELI) workshop designed to help businesses, agencies and organizations not only survive but thrive in challenging economic conditions.
The IELI event, held June 13-15, 2011, at The Desmond Conference Center in Albany, NY, and sponsored by The Center for Economic Growth (CEG) and the New York Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NYMEP), is a hands-on program for senior management and key players. The program is built around a proven system to create, communicate and successfully commercialize innovative products and services that can help a company remain competitive or regain a competitive edge. Space is limited and early reservations are recommended by going to www.innovationengineering.info/newyork.
Leading the event is Doug Hall, nationally known expert on innovation and the founder and chief executive officer of Eureka! Ranch International, a research consulting group to leading national and international companies. The system he developed is supported by research on the successes and failures of over 6000 innovation teams and 26,000 innovations.
Included in the program are tools and processes to create a culture that fosters innovation; generate and valuate innovations; increase the speed of developing innovative products and services; understand how to choose, prioritize, and commercialize successful innovations; decrease risks and increase the benefits from “creative failings”; avoid the dangers of low-margin commodities; and ramp up profit margins and sales through unique and innovative products or services.
The IELI has taken place in several states around the US over the past year and the June event marks the first in New York State.
“Increasingly, research has shown that companies and organizations that are reactive lose out to those that are proactive and develop innovative business strategies,” said Jeffrey Lawrence, Executive Vice President of the Center for Economic Growth“ so this is a critical opportunity for New York-based businesses and organizations. And Hall’s system integrates easily with other project management systems including Six Sigma, Stage-Gate Design, Compression Planning and others.”
Joe Perroto, CEO of Country Home Products, a manufacturer of light-duty lawn and garden equipment in Vermont has attended the IELI twice in Vermont with teams from his company. “At first I was fairly skeptical of the 3-day commitment it would take for so many people from our company…But I can say it’s been transformational in our view of the importance of innovation…and our ability to create interesting new products and great marketing in the future.”
By implementing this system, in less than 12 months Country Home Products has reduced the time it takes to make go/no-go innovation decisions from 6 months to under 4 weeks.
For more information on the event, visit www.innovationengineering.info/newyork or call Erick James at the Center for Economic Growth at 518-339-8690.
