Cheryl Perkins to Chair 8th Annual International CoDev 09 Conference on Building Open Innovation Capabilities

NEENAH, Wis., (January 12, 2009) Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin, will be this year’s conference chair at the 8th Annual International Congress on Open Innovation and Co-Development. The conference is sponsored by Management Roundtable (MRT) and the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) and will be held from January 26-28, 2009, at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.

This year’s program, CoDev ’09: Building Open Innovation Capabilities for Higher Value Business Opportunities, will bring together top experts and advanced practitioners. They will discuss how companies can foster environments that allow open innovation to thrive and integrate multiple business models to achieve greater returns on their open innovation investments.

Prior to the conference, Perkins is also conducting an interactive CoDev ’09 Open Innovation Interview Series where leading industry practitioners are discussing the value of open innovation and co-development.

News Facts
•    Cheryl Perkins, founder and president of Innovationedge (www.innovationedge.com), was named one of the Top 25 Champions of Innovation by BusinessWeek magazine.
•    The 8th Annual International Congress on Open Innovation and Co-Development is sponsored by Management Roundtable (MRT) and the Product Development and Management Association (PDMA) and will be held from January 26-28, 2009, at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
•    The program will explore specifics such as key components for successful open innovation capabilities, effective strategies for senior management support, tools and approaches necessary to effectively break down cultural barriers, determining the right open business model(s) for your company, developing effective open innovation metrics, and more.

Quote
“In today’s market, it’s important to help business executives determine the best business strategies for their organization to achieve maximum return on investment,” said Cheryl Perkins. “This conference will help professionals determine, plan and build the appropriate culture to foster the open innovation necessary for an increased ROI.”

Blog: www.innovationedge.com/blog

About Innovationedge
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit www.innovationedge.com.

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Media Contact:
Abby Gutowski
920.731.2771
agutowski@weidert.com

Cheryl Perkins of Innovationedge to give keynote address at The Future of Wipes Conference in Atlanta

Neenah, Wis., (November 12, 2008) Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin, will be speaking at The Future of Wipes Conference, sponsored by IntertechPira, a subsidiary of Pira International. The conference will be held from December 10-11, 2008, at the Doubletree Atlanta Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta. Perkins’ presentation, “Don’t Be Left Behind: Partnering Delivers Disruptive Innovation,” will highlight how entrepreneurs and inventors can successfully deliver disruptive innovation.

News Facts
•    Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge (www.innovationedge.com), was named one of the Top 25 Champions of Innovation by BusinessWeek magazine.
•    The Future of Wipes Conference is sponsored by Intertech Pira and will be held from December 10-11, 2008, at the Doubletree Atlanta Buckhead Hotel in Atlanta.
•    The topic of Perkins’ keynote presentation will be “Don’t Be Left Behind: Partnering Delivers Disruptive Innovation.”
•    The presentation will include specifics such as where disruptive innovation comes from, how to get started to deliver immediate results, how to invite inventors and entrepreneurs into your innovation network, where to find the right partners to deliver disruptive innovation, and how to engage internal stakeholders in your efforts.

Quotes
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my experience on disruptive innovation with some of the leading consumer goods companies, nonwovens converters, packagers, and raw materials suppliers. In today’s market, it’s important for the entire wipes supply chain to discuss new ways to innovate and understand future thinking to pull ahead among competitors,” said Cheryl Perkins.

Blog
www.innovationedge.com/blog

About Innovationedge
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit www.innovationedge.com.

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Media Contact:
Abby Gutowski
920.731.2771
agutowski@weidert.com

Cheryl Perkins of Innovationedge to present at Consumer Goods Technology Growth and Innovation Forum

Neenah, Wis. (September 18, 2008) Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin, will be speaking at the Consumer Goods Technology Growth and Innovation Forum. The forum will be held from September 24-26, 2008, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Miami, Florida. Perkins will moderate a panel titled “A Cross-Functional Approach To Innovation” from 3:40-4:30 on Thursday, September 25.

News Facts
•    Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge (www.innovationedge.com), was named one of the Top 25 Champions of Innovation by BusinessWeek magazine.
•    Perkins was named as a top executive driving vision within the consumer goods industry (Visionaries 2006) by Consumer Goods Technology magazine.
•    Panel speakers for this session include Hal Carper, SVP of R&D, Tyson Foods Inc.; Rob Everett, Global Director of Emerging Technologies, Kimberly-Clark Corporation; Mary Beth Robles, Vice President External Development, Colgate-Palmolive Company; and Nik Modi, Associate Director/Senior Analyst, USB Equities.
•    With companies striving to foster a culture of innovation, top down support is critical. The panel of executives representing marketing, IT and finance will discuss how each function touches the innovation process and what affect it has on success.

Quotes
“It’s important for senior-level executives to build capabilities and an innovative culture to deliver new products, services and customer experiences on an ongoing basis,” said Cheryl Perkins. “This panel will discuss how to innovate by reaching outside their function, company and industry to achieve a sustainable innovation pipeline.

Blog: www.innovationedge.com/blog

About Innovationedge
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit www.innovationedge.com.

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Media Contact:
Abby Gutowski
920.731.2771
agutowski@weidert.com

Michael Italiano Joins the Innovationedge Team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Appleton, Wis. (August 13, 2008) — Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy, has announced the addition of Mike Italiano to their innovation strategy team. As Director of Business Development, Italiano will help clients create new products, services and business models by leveraging structured open innovation techniques to discover, analyze and define new partnerships, alliances, and business propositions.

“As a new leader on the Innovationedge team, Michael will provide an in-depth understanding of our clients’ needs, market trends, and innovative business propositions that generate outstanding experiences for their customers,” said Cheryl Perkins, president and founder of Innovationedge. “We are pleased that his expertise and excitement for new inventions, brokering, and deal structuring will broaden our market reach and positively impact our current and future clients.”

Italiano is an experienced professional with over 16 years of leadership experience in strategic business, cross-functional team leadership, deal-structuring, negotiation and execution, and strategic alliance management. He is passionate about creating value through business development and open innovation.

Prior to joining Innovationedge, Italiano held many senior management positions, including leading Kimberly-Clark’s Business Development, Global Alliances and Technology Acquisitions team. Prior to his tenure with Kimberly-Clark, Michael was Director, Corporate Development with Schwarz Pharma, Inc. where he was involved in a series of high-value transactions leading up to the ultimate sale of the Schwarz Group. Italiano began his career with Deloitte & Touche and subsequently spent several years in various financial positions with Cooper Power Systems, Inc., a division of Cooper Industries.

Italiano earned his MBA from the University of North Carolina and his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting, Magna cum Laude, from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Although no longer currently practicing finance and accounting any, he is both a Certified Pubic Accountant and a Certified Management Accountant.

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit Innovationedge.com.

World business leaders to uncover new innovation strategies at ‘Innovation Leader Summit’

Appleton, Wis. (August 20, 2008) The first ‘Innovation Leader Summit’, developed by partnering innovation consultant companies Pure Insight and Innovationedge, will take place on November 3-4, 2008 at the Copthorne Hotel Slough Windsor, UK. The summit has attracted a global faculty of session leaders as well as a senior ‘Global Practitioner Panel’ from the likes of Kraft Foods, Bayer Innovation, Alliance Boots, Unilever and WD-40.

“With today’s uncertain economy, some firms are relying on a cost-cutting strategy to ride out the storm. Other firms are taking advantage of the current environment to exploit new markets, win greater market share, and spur organic growth. The faculty for this Summit will provide you with up-to-the-minute strategies you can use to turn today’s uncertainty into competitive advantage,” says Robert Tucker, author and internationally recognized leader in the field of innovation. Tucker will deliver the Summit’s opening keynote session and comments on the first day of the Summit.

The two-day event will focus on the challenges of tomorrow’s innovation leadership, looking deeply at culture, organizations, new business models, communications, open innovation and the generation of new breakthrough products and services.

“When companies like Procter & Gamble, once famous for going it alone, claim that “half of the company’s ideas must come from the outside,” it’s clear that connecting well with others, both within and outside your organization, dictates a new route for successful innovation policies in global organizations” notes Cheryl Perkins, president and founder of Innovationedge.

The event has been carefully designed to meet the challenges of the worlds fastest moving and demanding industry sectors including healthcare, food, consumer products, electronics and services. The leaders and panelists will deliver a true inside track on how companies in these industries and more have made specific changes in their innovation process to increase productivity and performance. Learning lessons from proven innovation models used by some of the world’s most admired companies, the summit will take account of the complexities of the issues to deal with by giving delegates practical insights into how other companies have made specific changes in their innovation process and increased both productivity and performance.

For further details about the Innovation Leader Summit, please contact 920.731.2771 or visit www.innovationleadersummit.com.

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About Innovationedge
Innovationedge is a management-consulting firm founded by Cheryl Perkins that specializes in strategic innovation and growth. They are committed to providing the most comprehensive, innovative and targeted solutions to business challenges — internally and externally — through partnership, objectivity and creativity. The principals at the firm will analyze your situation and develop strategic plans to meet your goals and objectives.

The team’s champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success.

www.innovationedge.com

New Wipe Dispenser Receives Innovation Award for Modern Style and Ease of Use

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Appleton, Wis. (July 7, 2008) — Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy, assisted in the development of KlenzPod™ which recently won the inaugural Innovation Award at the annual World of Wipes (WOW 2008) Conference. Mick Gordon, the inventor of KlenzPod, was honored for his innovative approach and elegant solution to the lack of efficient wet wipe disposal facilities on the market. This award-winning new system was developed for offices and public buildings to provide employees and customers easy access to single wet wipes.

“I am truly delighted that KlenzPod has won the Innovation Award at WOW 2008. KlenzPod and the related suite of products have received numerous top awards at some of the biggest inventors shows in the world. However, this accolade is particularly important because it has been awarded by those directly involved in the non-woven industry who understand the industry and the commercial impact that KlenzPod could have,” says Gordon.

The stylish new KlenzPod system introduces a suite of patent-pending innovations to many industries, including consumer use, industrial applications, food service and health care. The key innovation in the KlenzPod system is the NippleNozzle™, which allows only one wipe to be pulled from the dispenser every time. This provides easy use, prevents moisture loss and eliminates unnecessary waste. The elegant dispenser can also be mounted securely to walls, medical trolleys, bathroom stalls and changing stations in office facilities, hotels, or restaurants.

“We have purposely designed the system to not only be easy to use, but also look great. The KlenzPod is receiving enthusiastic acceptance from those who would like to install them where appearance is of critical importance in addition to functionality,” says Mick Gordon, inventor of KlenzPod. “Everyone who sees them loves them, so we hope we can come to an agreement with a major manufacturer in the near future and get the product out to a very eager public as soon as possible.”

Also attending WOW 2008 was Cheryl Perkins, CEO and founder of Innovationedge, who along with her colleagues, assisted with the development of the product. Innovationedge is continuously dedicated to assisting in the development of new and innovative products, including new ways to improve hygiene.

“We are thrilled to be part of an award-winning innovation that will add value across many industries and provide businesses with a stylish, fast and easy solution to keep their employees healthy,” said Perkins. “At the end of the day, business is important, but if your business can improve the lives of others, it’s a great feeling.”

The WOW 2008 Conference, held in Chicago from June 16-18, was organized by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry and devoted solely to wipes. The WOW Awards recognize and reward the industry members who bring innovative and value-added processes and product enhancements to the wipes market. KlenzPod was among five other products nominated by the industry earlier this year.

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit Innovationedge.com

Cheryl Perkins to be keynote speaker at The Invention & New Product Exposition

NEENAH, Wis., (June 10, 2008) Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin, will be speaking at The Invention & New Product Exposition (INPEX) conference from June 11-14, 2008. Cheryl’s presentation will address “The Keys to Sustainable Innovation,” which highlights her background on topics such as holistic innovation, the innovation imperative, innovation opportunities and more.

News Facts

•    Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge (www.innovationedge.com), was named one of the Top 25 Champions of Innovation by BusinessWeek magazine.
•    The Invention & New Product Exposition (INPEX) (www.inpex.com) takes place June 11-14, 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pa.
•    The topic of Perkins’ presentation will be “The Keys to Sustainable Innovation.”
•    The presentation will include specifics such as holistic innovation, the innovation imperative, innovation opportunities, the Lifecycle of innovation, innovation model and principles, and case studies of the most innovative companies.
Quotes
“To have to opportunity to talk about open innovation with some of the nation’s top inventors at INPEX is an honor. Open innovation is such an important practice in today’s business, I’m excited to see the ideas that will come from the innovation leaders in attendance,” said Cheryl Perkins.

About Innovationedge
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit Innovationedge.

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Media Contact
Abby Gutowski
920.731.2771
agutowski@weidert.com

Julie Gerstle joins Innovationedge team

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Appleton, Wis. (May 20, 2008) — Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge, is pleased to announce the addition of Julie Gerstle to her team.

As Innovationedge’s Business Development Leader, Gerstle leverages her expertise in strategy development and marketing to help clients identify and execute innovative change, enabling them to harness disruptive innovations to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.

Gerstle brings more than a decade of experience in marketing and strategic planning for hi-tech and consumer companies. She is also a graduate of Princeton University and received her MBA (with distinction) from Oxford University Said Business School. Prior to moving to the Fox Cities area, she was an account executive for BBDO where she led advertising campaigns for Wrigley’s Spearmint. Gerstle also conducted in-depth competitive analysis as a Market Intelligence Analyst at IBM, which resulted in leading and implementing growth plans as a product manager for IBM’s WebSphere Portal.

“Julie brings a dynamic excitement to our team and our expanding list of clients,” says Perkins. “Her valuable expertise helps clients to identify market gaps and opportunities, research competitive trends, and develop business plans that focus on turning great ideas into executable actions.”

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit Innovationedge.com.

Innovationedge’s Jeff Lindsay to discuss how to Complete the Circuit of Innovation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Appleton, Wis. (April 14, 2008) — Learn how to complete the circuit of innovation with Jeff Lindsay of Innovationedge as he presents “Bridging the gap between corporations and external inventors: Completing the circuit of innovation” at the April 17 WIN-Northeast meeting.

The event will be held at the D J Bordini Center, 5 Systems Drive, near the Fox Valley Technical College campus in Appleton. Registration and networking begin at 4:45 p.m. The cost is $5 for WIN members, $10 for non-members and included with WIN corporate memberships.

Innovationedge is a firm that helps companies strengthen their innovation and intellectual asset strategy, and helps inventors get their products to market. Inventors and entrepreneurs often face puzzling barriers when seeking to tap into the power of major corporations to commercialize their products or services. Lindsay, the company’s director of solution development, will explore some of these barriers, including several “innovation fatigue factors” and strategies for overcoming them.

Lindsay will also explain tailored marketing strategies and development of an intellectual asset portfolio, including low-cost intellectual assets other than patents, that tells a story in synch with the marketing story.

Prior to joining Innovationedge in 2007, Lindsay spent 13 years with Kimberly-Clark Corp., where he was corporate patent strategist and senior research fellow.

The event is hosted by Fox Valley Technical College through the Bordini Center.

WIN is the membership subsidiary of the Wisconsin Technology Council, the independent, non-profit science and tech policy advisers to the governor and the Legislature. To join WIN, go to www.wisconsintechnologycouncil.com or contact Liz Katz at 608-442-7557, ext. 27 or e-mail Liz.

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit Innovationedge.com.

Cheryl Perkins receives “Excellence in Innovation Award” in Mumbai

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Mumbai, India (February 15, 2008) — Cheryl Perkins, Founder and President of Innovationedge and former Chief Innovation Officer of Kimberly-Clark has received the “Excellence in Innovation” Award in recognition of her innovative contribution and leadership. The ceremony honored Perkins as well as other industry leaders at the Asia Pacific Congress, “Indira India Innovation Summit,” in Mumbai India.

The two-day extravaganza attracts more than 60 countries and 900 delegates for knowledge sharing and to help CEOs, Innovation and HR professionals from various organizations to learn the latest trends. The highlight of the summit is the Global Excellence Awards ceremony.

“It’s an honor to receive this award that recognizes my leadership and contributions to innovation,” said Perkins. “It is especially gratifying to receive this honor in a country that consistently demonstrates passion and commitment for innovation.”

“Cheryl’s leadership and contribution to the field of Human Resources is well known, and the position she occupies in the fraternity is strategic and iconic,” said Tom Hilton, Global Chairman of the Asia Pacific Conference. “As a thinker and a doer, Cheryl is a role model and a believer in change.”

Perkins was also a featured speakerat the summit in Mumbai, and focused her presentation on fostering and promoting a culture of innovation to drive revenue and growth and deliver high impact, sustained innovation that successfully capitalizes on new markets and consumer expectations.

The first-ever Indira India Innovation Summit is sponsored by the Indira College of Engineering and Management (ICEM), Pune. The summit exposes academia to the world’s leading-edge innovation practices and to create a platform for intellectual exchange of ideas to drive future innovation in Industry. For more information, click here.

About the Indira College of Engineering and Management

With one of the finest infrastructures in the Mumbai region, ICEM’s residential campus spreads over 20 acres and comprising of modern hi-tech laboratories in a wi-fi computing environment. The learning philosophy of ICEM has a strong emphasis on application oriented learning, with an attempt to inculcate innovative thinking among the aspiring engineers of tomorrow.

About Innovationedge:
Innovationedge is a global strategic innovation consultancy based in Wisconsin. The team’s fearless champions of innovation break barriers to help executives define their business strategy, develop new capabilities, design a winning organizational structure, and deliver breakthrough innovations through a robust growth pipeline of solutions and new-to-the-world innovations. The company also gives inventors an edge by crafting winning business propositions and creating strategic corporate partnerships that deliver commercial success. For more information, visit Innovationedge.com.