Acco Brands, Inc. has created an easy storage solution for students in an industry where innovation has been lacking. The Wilson Jones Big Mouth Filer is a first-of-its-kind product in the student supplies field. The filer literally turned the industry on its head by providing a new look to the traditional three-ring binder – a trapper-keeper that opens from the top instead of the side, creating an instant filing cabinet inside any book-bag or satchel. The product had competitors scrambling to catch up and has captivated its target audience, proving that innovation can be as simple as looking at an old idea from a new angle.

The Patient Navigation Services Program is the first of its kind to provide reliable direction and information for cancer patients through all stages of a difficult journey. The American Cancer Society’s Patient Navigation Services program is a comprehensive network that guides cancer patients through their experience, from diagnosis to treatment to support, with the goal of reducing cancer mortality and improving the quality of patients’ lives. The program is the first resource for patients that single handedly takes them through all parts of the process. In 2010, the Patient Navigation Services team provided free services and resources to nearly two-thirds of Illinois cancer patients who either had no health coverage or depended on Medicaid. The program will support an estimated 33,000 newly diagnosed individuals in 2011. Illinois has become the role model for patient services.

The Bioryx Platform has allowed the science of nanotechnology to enter into global manufacturing that will revolutionize the limits of commercial products. Arryx’s Bioryx Platform is a major advance in the rapidly expanding field of nanotechnology. The platform allows for the manufacture and processing of unlimited numbers of micro or nanoscopic components. This enables nanotubes to be manipulated for widespread commercial use, and to move from the area of scientific curiosity to a major industrial tool. The platform has made possible entirely new categories of products in every area from cosmetics to nanoelectronics. In 2006 Arryx was acquired by Maemonetics, the leader in blood management.

The Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Board of Trade have created a new trading paradigm in Chicago, one that saves money through a shared innovation on a very old relationship. Two of the world’s oldest financial institutions took a dramatic step in 2004 to remain at the top of the global trading industry and to revolutionize the way business is thought of in Chicago. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade, two bodies that had been separate, competing entities for over a century, formed a common clearing link to improve efficiency and save billions of dollars each year for investors.

BrandTheatre delivers a new level of personal connection in advertising, allowing consumers to truly experience a brand rather than just hear about it. Digital Kitchen’s BrandTheatre is an entirely new type of marketing. It blends entertainment with interactivity, allowing companies to produce complex and highly differentiated messages and films with which their consumer audience can identify and interact. The product’s motto, 30 minutes, not 30 seconds, demonstrates Digital Kitchen’s commitment to connecting with customers in a new way with an entirely different kind of advertising, one evocative of Hollywood-level entertainment, but with a marketing goal in mind.

After teaching at New York University, Ratner proposed a significant new theory in chemistry, becoming a pioneer of the new field of molecular electronics. He is distinguished professor of Chemistry and Materials Science at Northwestern University, and has won numerous prestigious awards for his scientific contributions.

The WOW! Pizza Oven has broken new ground in defining the capabilities of commercial ovens, saving time, energy and money for its customers. The Middleby Marshall WOW!  Conveyor Oven has set a new industry standard in the pizza business. Using highly-patented technology developed in Elgin, Ill., the WOW! Oven is the fastest cooking pizza oven in the world. Today, the WOW! Oven has expanded into 52 countries and cooks 2.4 million pizzas a day.

The WOW! Oven was used in July, 2010 to set a new world record for the number of pizzas made and baked in one hour by the Glutton for Punishment TV Show on the Food Network. The two WOW! Ovens cooked more than 168 pizzas at a mere 3 minutes each to shatter the previous record. Not only does the oven cook fast, it is energy efficient going into a “sleep mode” to save energy when not in use. The WOW! Oven is in use by Pizza Hut, Papa John’s and Domino’s and most of the top pizza chains in the world. Not only do they get speed, but they save up to 40% on energy bills due to a much lower energy consumption. Restaurants can serve more customers quickly, enhancing the sales per store and growing the bottom line.

nPhase’s Machine-to-Machine Solutions is enabling business solutions and monitoring capabilities across almost countless industries on a scale that was never before possible. nPhase’s Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Solutions is stretching the limits of what automated technology can achieve. nPhase provides its customers with a comprehensive software platform that monitors data over a range that humans cannot cover due to distance or volume. The device gathers information via wireless networks, landlines, computer networks or satellite communication machines. These M2M networks can control anything from air-traffic lights atop cell-phone towers to the deep freezers in a fast-food restaurant, giving updates on failed parts and maintenance, as well as having the ability to collect intelligence useful for management decision-making. In 2006, nPhase was acquired by Qualcomm and became Global Smart Services, and in 2009 engaged in a joint venture with Verizon Wireless to create a single solution that leverages the largest wireless network in North America with nPhase’s expertise and Qualcomm’s wireless innovations.

With a simple pricing model and top-notch service, Orbitz for Business offers companies an efficient, cost-effective way to manage their travel. Orbitz for Business is a unique service that has enabled an entirely new era of business travel. Orbitz for Business allows individual employees to automatically take advantage of industry discounts and advantages when booking their own travel online. By combining the user-friendly features of the well-known Orbitz consumer brand and online network with a comprehensive money-saving travel plan, Orbitz has created a whole new category in the corporate travel industry, one which reduces customer travel budgets by up to 20% and has competitors frantically trying to follow suit. Orbitz’s customer base numbers in the hundreds and ranges from early-stage businesses to Fortune 100 companies, boasting client retention and tool adoption rates above 90 percent.

The TriTeq Lock has drastically improved the vending industry’s forty-year-old locking system, using new technology and a fresh perspective to revamp an obsolete industry standard. The TriTeq Lock is an electro-mechanical lock and key control system for vending machines. It is a revolutionary development in the vending machine industry, replacing the outdated “T-handle” lock that had been the standard in the field for over forty years. TriTeq’s lock is entirely internal and provides no point of attack for theft or vandals. In addition, it implements an infrared contact-less key that requires no physical labor from operators. TriTeq’s lock will save major soft drink retailers billions of dollars over the next several years.