What Does It Take to Drive Local Innovation?

Intel’s Government Programs and Technology Innovation leader, Wilfred Pinfold, coined it as “intrapreneurship,” the ability to apply entrepreneurial thinking within any organization. Pinfold has studied innovation and helped Intel, among other organizations, foster a culture of employees who see things differently.

Pinfold will be in Central Oregon to keynote the upcoming Karnopp Petersen Business 20/20 “Driving Innovation” executive breakfast seminar, Friday, May 3, 2013.

Albert Einstein once said, “If you always do what you’ve always done then you will always get what you’ve always got.” Sometimes innovation requires the littlest of changes. It’s not always as groundbreaking as that apple that dropped on Sir Isaac Newton or the one that re-imagined the PC. Finding a new way to solve an old problem can very well exist in the little things we do every day.  It’s something every one of us possesses. As Steve Jobs once said, “Innovation isn’t how many R&D dollars you have.” It’s the people, their passion and the insight to think differently.

“We picked innovation as a topic because it has to be one of the most popular buzz words in business but what does it really mean? How does it translate to Central Oregon?” said Josh Newton, a partner at Karnopp Petersen LLP. “We wanted to provide an event where leaders can be given tools to innovate, to bolster creativity in their world whether it be in business, education, government or the nonprofit sector.”

As keynote speaker, Pinfold will outline practical steps for fostering innovation in a new or established business. He will also provide a guide to defining and creating innovation, including:

• Identifying common pitfalls

• Examining how strategy changes based on a business’s size and stage
• Developing an innovative culture that can grow ideas into profitable business revenue

Dr. Pinfold has been instrumental in establishing Portland State University’s innovation program and currently teaches in the university’s MBA school.  On May 3, Dr. Pinfold will be joined by a dynamic panel of Central Oregon business leaders who will share their experiences as living case studies of local innovation. They include:

Talena Barker, Fundraising Strategist and Event Director, will speak to innovation in the nonprofit sector. She is a fundraising strategist and event director for nonprofit organizations. She is responsible for the first and wildly successful Cork and Barrel event benefiting Kids Center. Her firm, Event Divas, provides consultation services and strategic insight to a number of charities in Central Oregon.

Peter Ozolin, CEO of Manzama, will speak to innovation as an entrepreneur. Manzama was the 2012 Bend Venture Conference Winner. Peter is responsible for leading Manzama’s strategy and vision. Manzama is a business intelligence platform that has been licensed by some of the largest law firms in the world, including about half of the largest 25 firms in the country.

Bill Newman, Managing Director at Northwest Technology Ventures, will speak to innovation across industry sectors and what he’s seen as investor. Northwest Technology Ventures is an Oregon seed fund focused on technology-based startups and spinouts from the research sector in both life sciences and technology. NTV’s seed funding has provided the leverage for the companies in NTV’s investment portfolio to raise a cumulative investment of over $200 million to date, advancing businesses through growth stages into manufacturing, sales, and profitability. Bill is also a co-instructor at Portland State University’s Innovation Program.

Kris Scholl, Technical Director at Deschutes Brewery, will speak to innovation in an established business.  Kris oversees and guides all functions and activities related to brewing, cellaring, packaging, maintenance and quality control at Deschutes Brewery. He joined Deschutes after nearly 16 years with Anheuser-Busch Inbev.

Learn more about Karnopp Petersen’s Executive Breakfast series at www.kpbusiness2020.com or follow them on twitter @KPBusiness2020.

The event is scheduled Friday, May 3 at the Tower Theatre in Bend.  Doors open at 7:15am for networking and breakfast.