Leaders from Cleveland Water Alliance, Great Lakes BioMimicry, Canalway Partners, and Moen helped navigate the vast ocean of ideas, waves of inspiration, and visions that are on the horizon in a way that only true captains of industry can at The Foundry, rowing and sailing center with EDGE InnoQuest participants.

Almost all companies in the InnoQuest program deal with water in its many facets – from plumbing to faucets to water purification to roofing and building materials to pigments-for-mulch to sand for hydraulic fracturing, etc. – sometimes referred to as the “blue economy.” Every company relies on water somehow for production or simply biological needs. Water is necessary for life, and water and nature are powerful metaphors for business as well.

Key Takeaways:

• Loved the depth of support for Cleveland’s natural resources.
• Innovation: New technologies in manufacturing and products that now exist.
• Gained a better sense of the importance of water & benefits of conducting business in a fresh water region.
• How a list of products around me are inspired by nature.
• Appreciated the large bandwidth of attendees.

Testimonials from the session:

• “Great introduction to new opportunities for innovation partnerships within NE Ohio.”
• “I made some great connections and had several thought-provoking conversations.”
• “I am perpetually amazed at how vibrant and how diverse Cleveland is from both a corporate and entrepreneurial point-of-view.”

About the InnoQuest Innovation Management Program:

A collaborative forum offered bi-monthly to leaders and innovation practitioners of mid- to large-sized companies in Northeast Ohio. Participants gain best practices in managing and guiding the innovation process, new working relations with peer companies & leading practitioners and actionable steps to improve a company’s innovation practices. Program content has included: Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing), Lean Start-Up Principles, Design Thinking and Creativity in Leadership. Each session is held at a location of interest throughout the region; past locations have included; Sherwin Williams, The Technology House, NASA Glenn Research Center, Baldwin Wallace Center for Innovation and Growth, Parker Hannifin’s New Innovation Center and the Cleveland Institute of Art.

To participate in the InnoQuest Innovation Management program contact:

Chris Keller (Chris@edgef.org; 216-346-6300) or Grant Marquit (Grant@edgef.org; 216-215-5058)