1,000 Innovation Champions and Counting

Innovation Champions are pictured along with Dick Pfeil, founder of Pfeil Innovation Center; Phil Newbold, CEO of Beacon Health System; Matt Krathwohl, Pfeil Executive Director of Innovation and Lead Faculty; Rob Koehler, Pfeil Sales and Social Media Coordinator; and Jewel Abram-Copenhaver, Pfeil Operations Coordinator and Faculty.

Beacon’s Pfeil Innovation Center recently celebrated its 40th Innovation Leadership Immersion. These intensive, two day Immersions have helped more than 900 individuals from 100 businesses and organizations put innovation at the center of how they do business. One Mishawaka business that took advantage of solutions that emerged from the innovation training was Valley Screen Process and Olee Creative. “The innovation immersions helped us be more disciplined in our approach to our business and sparked renewed enthusiasm to embrace change and adapt to the changing times,” says Karen Barnett, president and CEO.

Some organizations are less open to change and new ideas because of their culture. But South Bend Police Chief Ron Teachman believes even a regimented culture like the police department can benefit from exposure to innovation training.

“It’s local; it’s affordable; and it makes sense,” Chief Teachman says. “For the South Bend Police Department to be able to serve people to its greatest capacity, we have to create a more hospitable environment in which new ideas can take hold. We have to be more collaborative and recognize and reward ingenuity, then bring those new ideas to fruition.”

An Innovation Immersion gathers teams and individuals from business, government, education and non-profit organizations seeking to learn how to use innovation to drive growth and prosperity for their companies. These Immersions teach skills gleaned from nationally recognized innovation experts and from observations during site visits at dozens of innovative companies around the country.

“I’m thrilled with the landmark achievement of the Pfeil Innovation Center’s 40th Innovation Immersion,” exclaims Matthew Krathwohl, executive director of Innovation and Lead Faculty at the Pfeil Innovation Center. “It represents more than 13,000 hours of individual development that we’ve put into our communities. These experiences are helping organizations of all types develop the crucial competency of innovation to grow and achieve breakthrough results.”