"K-C Watch: Consulting works for former Kimberly-Clark exec Perkins " is a story in today's Post-Crescent about a former senior executive of Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Cheryl Perkins (as Chief Innovation Officer, she was over the intellectual property and innovation area where I work). Cheryl has started her own innovation consulting business, Innovation Edge, a new firm in the Valley aiming to help inventors bring their products to market and to help companies that need to strengthen their innovation system.

While there are dozens of innovation companies in the world, Innovation Edge has the advantage of having a CEO who is incredibly well connected with a lot of expeience in innovation and IP strategy. People in the Valley know Cheryl as a very visible force locally, but many don't realize that Business Week named her as one of the World's Top 25 Champions of Innovation in 2006, and many don't realize that her connections with innovators around the world has led to the honor of being the lead organizer for the "CoDev 2008" international conference on open innovation. What that means for inventors and companies is that Cheryl can quickly make key connections that can increase the chances of success. Innovation Edge looks like an interesting addition to the Fox Valley. Best of luck, Cheryl!