CHICAGO INNOVATION AWARDS

Radio Flyer

Ultimate Family Wagon

For more than 90 years, the company whose name is synonymous with 'wagon' has given generations of children fun and fond memories. Now Radio Flyer has reinvented the wagon with its Ultimate Family Wagon "The Most Versatile Wagon Ever." A patent-pending five-way flip allows for five different configurations.

• 2 children in seats with parent access storage
• 1 child in seat + covered storage area
• 1 child in seat + extra large storage area
• 1 child in seat + tray table + storage area
• Seats fold flat for flatbed wagon

S&C Electric Company

TripSaver Dropout Recloser

Developed for large electric utilities, the S&C TripSaver Dropout Recloser senses when a power outage can be repaired by itself or when an outage is so serious due to a downed or severed wire, for instance that the utility must send out a repair crew. This enables utility companies to more efficiently deploy resources after a storm or other incident that causes power outages. This innovation is also excellent for remote, hard-to-reach areas where sending crews unnecessarily can be costly and time-consuming.

Aon Risk Services

Wired for Growth

Aon provides insurance and risk management guidance for emerging technology, pre-IPO companies battling to thrive in the New Economy. Wired for Growth is the first Web-enabled virtual risk manager, which provides growth-cycle specific insurance products and services through an electronic platform to emerging technology startup companies. Aon Risk Services is the only large player so far that has developed a way to successfully service a niche market while elevating the quality of decision-making by investors and company managers through tools that provide access to Aon's vast benchmarking database.

Aircell

Gogo® Inflight Internet Service

Aircell’s Gogo® Inflight Internet is making plane time ‘me time’ by turning a commercial aircraft into a flying Wi-Fi hotspot, providing at 35,000 feet the same high-speed Web experience travelers once only enjoyed on the ground.
Since its launch in August 2008, the service has been phenomenally successful, add- ing seven more major airlines to the roster and delivering a robust Internet experience to more than 22 million passengers via their own laptops and mobile devices. Already, the Itasca-based company has equipped nearly 600 commercial planes crisscrossing the United States, and has contracts to equip many more.
Well on its way to becoming a ubiquitous feature of domestic air travel, Gogo Inflight Internet spreads the love beyond just business and leisure travelers.