VBSR board member Frank Sadowski, left, presents the 2021 VBSR Innovation & Inspiration Award to Mel Baiser and Kate Stephenson of HELM Construction Solutions. (photo by JAM Creative)
NOMINATE SOMEONE FOR VBSR’S INNOVATION AND INSPIRATION AWARD AWARD
Nominations
Nominations will be accepted through Monday, August 1, 2022. Self-nominations are welcome and encouraged. The Nominating Committee will review nominations and select an awardee for approval by VBSR’s Board of Directors based upon the criteria below. The award will be given at the 21st Annual VBSR Awards Ceremony in October 2022.
Eligibility
The VBSR Innovation and Inspiration Award recognizes organizational achievement using the criteria below. All VBSR Members in good standing are eligible. The award is given in two categories:
- Small VBSR Member (15 or fewer employees)
- Large VBSR Member (16 or more employees)
Criteria
Awardees are VBSR members who have accomplished an innovative and/or inspirational achievement within the past three years* in two or more of the following areas:
- Planet (Environmental Impact)
- People (Social Impact)
- Prosperity (Economic Impact)
*More recent achievements will be given preference.
Definitions
Innovation – The process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that
creates value or for which customers will pay. To be called an innovation, an idea must
be replicable at an economical cost and must satisfy a specific need. Innovation involves
deliberate application of information, imagination and initiative in deriving greater or
different values from resources, and includes all processes by which new ideas are
generated and converted into useful products. In business, innovation often results when
ideas are applied by the company in order to further satisfy the needs and expectations of
the customers. In a social context, innovation helps create new methods for alliance
creation, joint venturing, flexible work hours, and creation of buyers’ purchasing power.
Innovations are divided into two broad categories:
Evolutionary innovations (continuous or dynamic evolutionary innovation) that
are brought about by many incremental advances in technology or processes
Revolutionary innovations (also called discontinuous innovations) which are
often disruptive and new.
Inspiration – the power of something extraordinary or pioneering to motivate others to
reach for a higher standard or goal.
