Thinking Outside the Box
August 3, 2012 — As technology and business practices evolve, companies and organizations and even towns find themselves searching for ways to do things better and more effectively. South Bend gained an integral tool in this process when the Pfeil Innovation Center opened its doors in downtown in May 2011. A leader in creative thinking, the Pfeil Innovation Center states its mission “is to serve as a platform to change the trajectory of our regional economy that will lead to job creation and an improved quality of life for all.”
Located at 420 N. Niles Ave. on the Memorial EPWORTH Center Campus, this initiative by Memorial Hospital & Health System aims to help both for-profit and non-profit organizations “develop innovation as a core competency” – a goal it aims to achieve through its Innovative Leadership Immersion workshops. The Center is open to groups ranging from non-profits, government, education, faith-based and for-profit organizations across St. Joseph, Elkhart, Berrien, LaPorte, Cass and Marshall Counties. The cost of the two day workshop, including four meals and an evening reception, is $150 per participant.
The Innovative Leadership Immersion workshops are offered monthly, with the next date set for August 8 & 9. Matt Krathwohl, Lead Faculty at the Pfeil Innovation Center, explains that the Center hosted eleven workshops in its first year, worked with thirty-five organizations and produced two hundred and fifty alumni. When explaining what attendees are asked to bring to the workshops, Krathwohl adds that everyone is encouraged to bring curiosity, energy, passion and an open mind. Participating groups are asked to “think of the Pfeil Center as the starting point for innovation revolution as they work towards becoming more creative and successful.” Attendees are encouraged to submit and bring a specific project to work on.
The Pfeil Center, named for President of Pfeil, Inc., Richard J. Pfeil, promotes a unique vision of reaching out to five thousand community and organizational leaders through their Innovation Immersion Workshop. After implementing this new approach with their respective organizations, the result could be an “innovation revolution”, ultimately making our region known for innovative education and leadership.
The Pfeil Center’s presence in downtown puts South Bend at the epi-center of this approach to local re-invention. Through this genuinely creative endeavor, the Pfeil Center is allowing end encouraging local groups to reinvent themselves and focus on innovation as more of a necessity and less of an option, which in many businesses, it often is.
For more information on the Pfeil Innovation Center, visit WakeUpAndSmellTheInnovation.com.
