There's a very nice article in the May/June issue of SkyWest Magazine, the nation's largest regional in-flight magazine. It highlights our highly livable community, our proud traditions of parades (we were the first to offer a Flag Day parade, for example), and several aspects of our healthy economy - including the work of my company, Innovationedge, and Fox Valley Tech's awesome Fab Lab.

The article is "Appleton, Wisconsin: A Parade of Possibilities" by Tony Banning, pp. 50-53 of the May/June 2008 issue.

Here's the excerpt that mentions my boss and her company:

Cheryl Perkins is a prime example of Appleton's inventive spirit. The former Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer at Kimberly-Clark, Perkins now heads Innovationedge, a company dedicated to helping both upstart [sic] inventors and established corporate leaders define effective strategies and enhance capabilities. She is also a major booster of the company's home turf and waxes enthusiastic about the FAB LAB--part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Global Innovation Network. Based at Appleton's Fox Valley Technical College, the program helps inventors and other big thinkers create product prototypes and gain expert insight into business development. It is the only facility of its kind in the state.

Perkins said, "As a long-time champion of innovation, I can tell you that those who leverage FAB LAB to spark new ideas, create new products and services and change people's lives are people who are truly innovative, intuitive, fearless and most of all, life-long learners. We're not only teaching these innovators, the 'what'; we are empowering them with the 'how'--the knowledge they need to determine market viability and the state-of-the-art equipment and tools to make it happen."

The enterprise is among the means Appleton is pursuing to further advance its healthy economy.

I understand another article about Appleton is coming out in the Fall. If you'd like to get an ad placed in this magazine, let me know. An acquaintance of mine handles the ads for magazine. Lawrence University took out a beautiful and persuasive full-page ad in this edition. Nice!