Judging innovation

There’s little question that judging a competition such as the Innovation in Business
Awards is a daunting task. That’s why Smart Business assembled an all-star panel of
judges, comprised of regional business leaders and former Innovation honorees.

Smart Business provided each judge with the complete nomination packages and asked
them to find six Visionaries and three Rising Stars based on the following criteria.

 

  • Scope of innovation. What was the new product or service, management style or corporate outlook, and what is its potential or staying power?

     

     

  • Impact of innovation. How did the innovative product, process or technique impact
    the individual organization?

     

     

  • Origin of innovation. Where did the idea come from, and how did management foster
    it?

     

THE 2007 JUDGES ARE:

Ray Leach, President,
JumpStart

(2006 Visionary honoree)

Neil Adelman, President and CEO,
BlueBridge Networks

(2006 Rising Star honoree)

Jim & Andrea Zeilinger, co-owners,
BrandCastle

(2005 Rising Star honoree)

Dustin Klein, executive editor,
Smart Business Network

Frank Bloomquist, group sales regional vice president, Anthem
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ohio

Mark Goldfarb, managing partner,
SS&G Financial Services