Innovation and Creativity in Business at NIC on Monday
A program on "Innovation and Creativity in Business" is set for Monday at North Idaho College.
"In light of our times it would be a most helpful discussion for our community to gain some learning," said Bill Jhung, director of the Idaho Small Business Development Center, who will be the event's moderator.
In this global economy, competition is intense, Jhung said.
"Stories of RIM, Kodak, Yahoo remind us that yesterday's success is no indicator of tomorrow's performance," he added.
Jhung said Zappos, Shutterfly, Redbox, Facebook and many other recent businesses are upending solid global businesses that have been around for decades.
"The pace of change is accelerating and competitors are coming not just from traditional industries but from seemingly unrelated industries, all through innovation," he said.
North Idaho, he added, is a beautiful place and it's easy to think the area is insulated from the rest of the country.
That would be a serious misunderstanding, he said.
"For businesses to thrive even in North Idaho it's crucial that they deeply engage in the journey of innovation and creativity," he said. "Which is why we wanted to engage our business community in this important dialogue.
So how can businesses not only survive but thrive in this intensely competitive environment?
Jhung said they can hear from four North Idaho businesses "that are not just surviving, but thriving and making a mark in the national market by leveraging innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship."
Panel members are:
* Allen Mangum, founder of Timbersled, builder of lightweight, agile, fun snowmobile and snow bike products designed and engineered for the Mountains.
* Elizabeth Turley, founder of Meesh & Mia - Meesh & Mia takes the latest cutting edge fashions and combines them with your favorite school colors and logos. They provide a unique, fashion-forward approach to University apparel for women for work or play. In a very short time they have established national presence in the college sports and professional sports markets.
* Charles Manning, founder of PLAYXPERT - a boutique custom software development consultancy firm specializing in helping entrepreneurs build their vision. PLAYXPERT has extensive experience and presence in many industries including the gaming industry.
* Ben Toews, co-owner of Bullet Tools - which designs and manufactures innovative cutting tools for the professional tradesman and do-it-yourselfer for the construction industry. They are a global player with 50 percent of their sales in international markets.
The panel will take place from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. at the NIC campus in the Lake Cd'A room in the Student Union building.
Jhung said the impact of global competition and innovation is not only impacting national companies but also regional and even local businesses.
To build a business that will not only survive today but thrive for years to come it is no longer good enough to be competitive with local or even regional businesses, Jhung said.
"It must compete with businesses that do not yet even exist. One must continuously innovate - or die," he said.