Pushing Boundaries: Innovation Focus Introduction
What is innovation, exactly?
While the word itself may be difficult to define, we certainly know it when we see it. The truth is that innovation — the pursuit of new ideas — is happening all around us all the time. But it often goes unnoticed.
For every blockbuster gadget like an iPhone, there are millions of other inventions that break ground, yet never get attention outside their industry.
In preparation for this special issue, I spoke to a man who has innovation in his job description: Patrick Larkin, director of the John Adams Innovation Institute. He’s been at the helm of the Westborough-based organization since it was created by act of the Legislature six years ago.
So he’s uniquely positioned to give a reading on how innovation is faring in the state given current economic conditions.
The good news, according to Larkin, is that innovation is “alive and well.” In fact, Larkin suggests that the Bay State’s ability to recover from the Great Recession has been aided in large part by the innovative culture in many companies today.
“This recovery has been made mostly on the backs of the innovative economy,” he said.
And that assertion is certainly backed up by the companies we’ve profiled in this special focus section of the Worcester Business Journal.
Sharing Stories
Here at the WBJ, we understand that innovation is a key driver of the Central Massachusetts economy. Identifying companies where innovation is occurring and celebrating the people behind those bright ideas are central to our mission.
To help discover these untold stories from the local business community we put out a call for nominations. We received an impressive number of contributions from a diverse number of industries.
But with the help of judges — John Rainey of the Small Business Development Center at Clark University and Gary Vaillancourt of Vaillancourt Folk Art in Sutton — we narrowed the field to the five companies you’ll find profiled on the next several pages.
What all five of these companies share is an understanding that innovation is an absolute requirement for survival.
And what’s heartening to see is that many of the innovative ideas come directly from listening to customers.
Take the work being done at Phillips Precision in Boylston (page 22). Steve and Catherine Phillips, the married couple that owns the business, were staring down the barrel of a difficult economy like all businesses.
But the team there turned the tough times into an advantage by developing a set of precise clamps that are cheaper and more efficient than anything else on the market.
The story is much the same at Hyde Tools in Southbridge (page 20) and MagneMotion in Devens (page 17). All three are examples of how manufacturers are staying competitive — and keeping jobs in America — by staying nimble.
We’ve also selected two health-care related fields to profile in this special section. In both examples (pages 18 and 21), the organizations have turned to innovation to solve problems for their customers — and lower costs.
We hope you enjoy these stories of innovation and find inspiration in them to push for more creativity and growth at your business.
- Christina H. Davis, editor, Worcester Business Journal
Innovation Focus Table of ContentsBlue Sky Biotech
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