Three Chattanooga area companies have been named finalists for the 2014 Spirit of Innovation Award, to be presented by the Chattanooga Chamber at its 14th annual Spirit of Innovation Awards Luncheon. All finalists will be honored during the event on Nov. 12, from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Chattanooga Convention Center.
An Innovation Fair highlighting forward-thinking local businesses and previous Spirit of Innovation Award recipients will begin at 11 a.m. in the room adjacent to the luncheon hall.
Spirit of Innovation was the first regionally-based innovation awards program and remains one of the only events designed to promote and foster cutting-edge business activities in a specific geographic area. The award recognizes companies for innovative products, services and ways of doing business in the Chattanooga region. This year’s honorees are Bellhops, PriceWaiter and Variable, Inc.
Along with the Spirit of Innovation Award presentation, the Chattanooga Technology Council will present the Early Innovator Award honoring a local emerging technology-based company producing a groundbreaking prototype product or beta-stage software application representing potential for a significant competitive advantage.
Jeff Silver, chief executive officer of Chicago-based Coyote Logistics, will deliver the keynote address at the luncheon. Coyote Logistics is one of the fastest-growing third party logistics companies in North America, earning many accolades including a ranking as one of Forbes Most Promising Companies and a spot for two consecutive years on the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies.
Prior to founding Coyote in 2006, Mr. Silver pioneered the third party logistics industry in the 1980s and 90s with American Backhaulers, the second-largest North American freight brokerage at the time. He holds an MBA from University of Michigan and a masters of engineering in logistics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Silver also serves on the boards of Lake Forest Academy and Northwestern University Transportation Center in addition to being a member of the Economic Club of Chicago.
Advance registration is required for this event. To reserve a spot at the Spirit of Innovation Awards Luncheon, click here.
About the Finalists
Bellhops is a tech-based, on-demand platform providing a convenient solution to small-scale local moving through a nationwide workforce of college students who choose their own jobs from customers’ online moving reservations. Bellhops employs 25 fulltime employees in Chattanooga in addition to nearly 10,000 student bellhops who make moving easy for customers in more than 120 cities in 42 states.
PriceWaiter’s “Name Your Price” button allows online shoppers to quickly and privately negotiate with a retailer, allowing shoppers to save money and retailers to engage comparison shoppers. PriceWaiter has served more than 35,000 customers, increasing retailer revenue by more than $5 million and saving consumers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Variable, Inc. developed NODE+, a handheld wireless sensor platform that delivers information to smart phones and tablets. This palm-sized device accommodates a number of sensors which perform tasks ranging from air quality and motion detection to sophisticated color matching. The NODE+ brings the functionality of multiple handheld sensor products into a single, affordable device.