Six years ago, Thomas Kuczmarski, founder and chief executive of consultants Kuczmarski & Associates, teamed up with veteran Chicago business journalist Dan Miller to celebrate innovative entrepreneurs and companies by crowning 10 of them annually with a Chicago Innovation Award. Since then, the contest's judges have occasionally become worried that interest would slack off. Far from it. In 2008, organizers received a record 307 nominations. That's up from 254 last year and 90 in 2002.
This year's winners are as impressive as ever, ranging from Abbott Laboratories (ABT)—metro Chicago's biggest company measured by stock value—to PrepMe, a 2005 startup with only 10 full-time employees. The winners' creations include Internet services, of course. Just as impressive, they've also discovered ways to improve gear or processes that go back centuries.
