The Spark
News, insights and commentary from NS
Thriving Through Turbulence: The Importance of Innovation in Today’s Tariff Environment
In today’s rapidly shifting global economy, businesses face a complex web of trade policies, fluctuating tariffs, and geopoli...
Should AI Be Used for Consumer Insights? Nottingham Spirk’s Perspective
What happens when you invite AI into the insights process? You get faster framing, bolder brainstorms, and the occasional Spi...
Is the Halted Effort to Put Wind Turbines in Lake Erie Being Revived?
Peter Krouse | cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio — Could the once-ambitious plan to install wind turbines on Lake Erie be resurre...
Nottingham Spirk: Fascinating Facts About the Cleveland Disruptors
During a visit to NS, members of the Greater Cleveland Partnership took a tour with Co-Founder and Co-CEO John Nottingham and...
Study Finds pro2cool Reduces Adolescent Concussion Symptoms
Research led by Akron Children’s Hospital finds that pro2cool’s hypothermic therapy reduces symptom severity after concussion...
Ditto’s Cutting-Edge Innovations Receive Industry Recognition
This new pattern projection system brings sewing into the digital age Ritupriya Basu | Fast Company Backed by Joann and Singe...
Innovation Remodeled: Why Digital and Product Now Go Hand-In-Hand
Lisa Caldwell | Forbes Right now, most manufacturers are focused on growth and, in particular, capturing new markets at home ...
John Nottingham & John Spirk Inducted into the Dealmakers Hall of Fame
The conclusion of the Cleveland Smart Business Dealmakers Conference earlier this month marked the induction of the inaugural...
Little Tikes: Transforming a Business Through Product Innovation
In the children’s toys category, the long partnership between Nottingham Spirk and Little Tikes ensured a competitive edge. N...
Mission Possible: Game-Changing Invention in the Fashion World
WKYC visits Nottingham Spirk for a look at our Innovation Center and a game-changing innovation in sewing. Jeff Reidel | WKYC...
Five Reasons to Innovate in an Uncertain Economy
We’ve identified five reasons why an uncertain economy is an ideal time to double down on innovation. Nottingham Spirk 1. Lea...
NS Retains Ohio IoT Talent to Grow Connected Capabilities
Following AVID Technologies’ Shutdown, 12 Former Employees Join Nottingham Spirk, Creating New IoT Enablement Team CLEVELAND ...
Ditto, Developed with NS, Debuts the “Future of Sewing” During NYFW
Ditto’s digital projection system brings the first change to paper patterns in over 160 years. NEW YORK — Feb. 10, 2023 — Unv...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Featured in Middle Market Growth
Sue Ter Maat | Middle Market Growth How GP, LP and Family Office Work Together Most Effectively Building relationships is the...
TecTraum Announces Completion of Clinical Trial
TecTraum Announces Completion of Multisite Clinical Trial Using pro2cool® Device for the Treatment of Concussions CLEVELAND —...
Improving the Product Development Process
Vertical Innovation® offers a comprehensive product development process resulting in breakthrough products. Nottingham Spirk ...
Profile: Nottingham Spirk — creativity is where family offices have the edge over private equity
Michael Foster | Family Capital Katherine Hill Ritchie, strategic director at Nottingham Spirk Family Office respects private...
John Nottingham Featured on The Lay of the Land
Jeffrey Stern | The Lay of The Land “I always say the impossible just takes a little longer.” Nottingham Spirk Co-Founder Joh...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Featured in CFO Dive
Making family offices your go-to source of capital Ted Kunston | CFO Dive An estimated $6 trillion to $7 trillion is availabl...
How to Prepare for Medical Device Regulations
Regulations in medical device production are costly but necessary. They are established by commissions like the FDA and EPA t...
How Product Packaging Solves Problems
In product development, packaging solves consumer problems Nottingham Spirk An innovative product idea needs the right packag...
Amanda Beacher Featured in Clinical Trials Arena
Nottingham Spirk’s Director of Insights Amanda Beacher was quoted by Clinical Trials Arena regarding the FDA’s new guidance o...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Judges 2022 Full Court Pitch Competition
TPIxNBWA All-Star Full Court Pitch Competition 2022 Hosted by The Players' Impact and the National Basketball Wives Associati...
Media Roundup: Medical Device Innovations
How The Cleveland Inventors Behind Nottingham Spirk Went from Consumer Products to Medical Devices Amy Feldman | Forbes Cleve...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Featured in Smart Business Dealmakers
Adam Burroughs | Smart Business Dealmakers Stay Ready: The Benefit of a Perpetual Data Room When Andy Panos, COO of Cloudbrea...
NS Client-Partner Sterifre Medical Granted EPA Registration
Sterifre Medical Granted EPA Registration for Automated, Point of Care Disinfectant System to Help Combat COVID-19 and Other ...
Nottingham Spirk: 2021 In Review
As year number 49 comes to a close, the team at Nottingham Spirk has so much to celebrate and be thankful for. Recognitions, ...
Hampton Bay Filter Fan Available In-Store
Nottingham Spirk The Hampton Bay Air Filtering Ceiling Fan — a Nottingham Spirk and Home Depot product innovation — is now av...
Miracle Brands Sense & Dispense Available In-Store
Nottingham Spirk Sense & Dispense — a Nottingham Spirk and Miracle Brands product innovation — is now available in-store ...
Cleveland Magazine’s 30 Great Cleveland Inventions & Innovators
Cleveland Inventions: How John Nottingham & John Spirk Turn Patents into Products Kevin Carpenter | Cleveland Magazine Si...
Step Away From Your Desk: Innovation Requires Focused Relaxation
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Social media is full of posts extolling the virtues of constant work. Searc...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Featured on NextWave Private Equity Podcast
Why family offices are playing in PE’s sandbox EY | NextWave Podcast Nottingham Spirk’s Director of Strategic Development and...
John Nottingham Featured on Industrial Talk
An interview with Nottingham Spirk co-founder John Nottingham Scott MacKenzie | Industrial Talk Podcast “I always have my fut...
Plastic Waste: a Growing Challenge the Circular Economy Can Combat
Nottingham Spirk The world is awash in plastic, and the problem is getting worse every year. More than half of the estimated ...
TecTraum’s pro2cool Receives FDA Designation as Breakthrough Device
TecTraum’s pro2cool provides revolutionary point-of-care treatment for concussions CLEVELAND — (BUSINESS WIRE) — TecTraum Inc...
TIKI® Brand Named as CES 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree for NS Supported Product
TIKI® Brand BiteFighter™ String Lights with Proven Mosquito Repellency* Named as CES 2022 Innovation Awards Honoree MENOMONEE...
Lindsey Tufts: Associate Spotlight
Nottingham Spirk Lindsey is a graduate of the Ohio Diesel Technical Institute (now Ohio Technical College) and the Cleveland ...
Diverse Teams Can Bring Balance to Your Natural Assumptions
Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland Humans are prone to cognitive biases. As our brains evolved, nature prized speed o...
Media Roundup: EY-Nottingham Spirk Innovation Hub
Crain’s Cleveland Crain’s Cleveland Business For Ernst & Young, opening up an Innovation Hub as it did last week in Cleve...
Bill Nottingham Featured on The Fifth Dimensional Leadership Podcast
Passion, Learning and Riskless Innovation with Bill Nottingham Ginny Clarke | Fifth Dimensional Leadership Podcast "I had my ...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
Nottingham Spirk We are thrilled to announce that Nottingham Spirk Director of Strategic Development and Board Member Katheri...
Lessons Businesses Can Learn from the Success of “The Office”
Nottingham Spirk What can innovators learn from a sitcom? In the case of The Office, quite a lot. In 2020, seven years after ...
John McKenzie: Associate Spotlight
Nottingham Spirk John is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Art. Prior to NS, he worked at Lear Corporation, which manu...
Bill Nottingham Featured in The Landscape by Crain’s Cleveland
The Landscape podcast: Bill Nottingham chronicles rise of Nottingham Spirk The Landscape | A Crain’s Cleveland Podcast “Innov...
Bill Nottingham Selected as a Judge for CES 2022
Nottingham Spirk We are thrilled to announce that Nottingham Spirk Managing Partner and VP of Growth Bill Nottingham has been...
How a Startup Learned to Compete Directly With Mainstream Giants
Hayden Grover Marketing & Sales Operations “Dread it. Run from it. Destiny still arrives.” – Thanos In early August, San ...
Katherine Hill Ritchie Featured in Business Insider
A new generation of wealthy families are competing with venture capital and private equity for direct deals — and they’re hir...
Does Brainstorming Work? Only As Part of a Larger Strategy.
Nottingham Spirk “Brainstorming” is one of the most misunderstood and misapplied concepts in business. The term remains in hi...
Give It to Me Straight: Five Words That Are Overused in the Office
Hayden Grover Marketing & Sales Operations The workplace can be a buzzing hub of “I hate Monday” jokes, gallons of coffee...
Katherine Hill Ritchie at Healthcare Impact Investing Summit
Nottingham Spirk This 30-minute panel discussion is moderated by Katherine Hill Ritchie the Director of Strategic Development...
Subtractive Thinking
Sometimes the best way forward is a step back… Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland The expression, “A camel is a hor...
Remote or In-Office: Does One Promote More Innovation Than the Other?
Nottingham Spirk During the pandemic, companies that offered limited or non-existent remote working opportunities were forced...
John Nottingham at Innovation Intersection
Nottingham Spirk “People say innovation is risky, but the riskiest thing is not to innovate.” Nottingham Spirk Co-CEO John No...
Measure Your Innovation Capability
“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” ― W. Edwards Deming Nottingham Spirk When it comes to organizatio...
NS and Club Car Tempo™ Walk Featured In Global Design News
Nottingham Spirk and Ingersoll-Rand’s Club Car Tempo™ Walk Robotic Caddie — a new stylish, autonomous technology that deliver...
Listen, Work, Repeat
Long-term planning has never felt more like guesswork… Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland I’ve had more conversations...
6 Habits of the Most Innovative People
The reality is, most people struggle to be innovative more than once, but these practices lead to sustained inspiration. Wins...
Our New Reality is Augmented
Emerging technologies are creating portals for moving between the Physical and the Digital. Bill Nottingham Managing Partner ...
The Special ‘Ops’ Approach: Tips for Creating Multidisciplinary Teams
Relationships, trust, and common purpose are the fundamental elements of business innovation. Bill Nottingham | Innovation ...
Medical Device Product Development: Don’t Overlook Documentation
Rebecca Blice Biomedical Engineer Developing medical devices involves complexity typically not present when it comes to a con...
Embrace Culture to Overcome “Zoom Fatigue”
Maintaining culture when everyone is scattered and stressed is difficult, but not impossible. Nottingham Spirk The bouts of p...
Keeping Innovation Alive: The Road Ahead [Recap]
Business leaders talk to NS about the future of innovation in the third installment of our popular webinar series. Nottingham...
Navigating Turbulence
Keeping innovation alive with your ‘growth mindset’ Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland We typically work with compani...
NS Named to Fast Company’s “The 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators”
Nottingham Spirk joins notable companies like Alibaba, Dell, Etsy, Google and Nestle Nottingham Spirk Fast Company announced ...
Northeast Ohio Playing Sizable Role in New Disinfectant Product
Rachel Abbey McCafferty | Crain’s Cleveland Business When Washington-based Sterifre Medical Inc.’s new disinfection system co...
XR Could Be the Future of Socially Distanced Collaboration
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Before the coronavirus pandemic, most of us probably didn’t spend much time...
The Disruptive Power of Collaboration
Bill Nottingham | Candy & Snack Today In the mid-1950s, Japanese restaurateur and inventor Yoshiaki Shiraishi toured a br...
Innovation in the New Normal Webinar Recap
Business leaders talk to NS about how they’re navigating unprecedented disruption Nottingham Spirk For the second installment...
Keeping Innovation Alive: Webinar Recap
Nottingham Spirk It’s difficult in the best of circumstances to maintain momentum on innovation projects. Nottingham Spirk is...
NS Leverages Partnerships to Produce Face Shields for Hospitals
Collaboration will produce up to 5,000 face shields per day through injection molding that can be mass produced for a fractio...
What to Consider Beyond “How Long Should a Focus Group Last?”
Nottingham Spirk At Nottingham Spirk (NS), our Insights team fields a lot of questions from client partners who are intereste...
Security in Connected Products is Now Everyone’s Concern
Nottingham Spirk Consumer Reports recently published an open letter to 25 companies that make connected home cameras, DIY sec...
Five Myths About Transformative Innovation
John Nottingham Co-Founder & Co-CEO In our five decades, Nottingham Spirk has worked with companies of every conceivable ...
Thaw the ‘Frozen Middle’ of Leadership for Creativity to Flow
Bill Nottingham | SmartBusiness Cleveland “Frozen middle” is a dismissive and frankly unfair term for middle managers who sup...
Open Innovation Requires a Mindset Shift
Nottingham Spirk NASA’s Human Health and Performance Directorate is tasked with mitigating the risks to humans in spaceflight...
The 95% Commercialization Solution
Nottingham Spirk This commercialization article was originally published by the National Academy of Inventors in Technology &...
Biomimicry: The Future of Innovation
Nottingham Spirk Northeast Ohio has long been known as a center for medtech innovation. But there’s another sector in which G...
John Nottingham at TEDxAsburyPark
Nottingham Spirk “I’d like to have you remember the last time you saw something that made you say the word ‘Wow.’” So begins ...
Innovation is an “Infinite Game”
Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland Swimmers Michael Phelps and Chad le Clos appeared in one of the most memorable ima...
Empower Teams with Purpose
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Every three years, Lottery League brings together musicians from across Gre...
3 Key Takeaways from Front End of Innovation’s Brightest Minds
A Recap of Bill Nottingham’s Trip to the Exclusive Innovation Festival Nottingham Spirk Andrew Joyce and Bill Nottingham vent...
Five Scenarios Suggesting You Need a New Category Strategy
Nottingham Spirk’s PathFinder™ white space analysis program helps companies launch new businesses — and it isn’t just for tho...
TEDxAsburyPark Preview with John Nottingham on “Getting to Wow”
Nottingham Spirk John Nottingham will take the Paramount Theater stage in Asbury Park, New Jersey on May 18 for the 7th editi...
For True Disruption, Be “Gritty” in Your Approach
Nottingham Spirk You don’t have to be a hockey fan to have heard of Gritty. Released into the wild in September 2018, the fur...
Don’t Stifle Cognitive Diversity in the Workplace
Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland Not long ago, we interviewed someone for a position at Nottingham Spirk. His resum...
Partner, Innovate, Commercialize, Disrupt: NS at CES 2019
Nottingham Spirk The Consumer Technology Association (CTA) bills its massive, annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES), as “the...
Innovation Due Diligence: Looking Ahead, Not in the Rearview Mirror
John Nottingham, Co-CEO at Nottingham Spirk, shares his thoughts on what companies must do to reach their innovation potentia...
3 Tips for Perpetual Disruption and Increasing Innovation Success
Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland Richard Fiorelli, one of my design professors at the Cleveland Institute of Art, t...
NS Biomedical Engineers: “It’s About Making People’s Lives Better”
These are some highlights from a roundtable chat with our biomedical engineers: Jason Ertel, VP of Engineering; Ed Barber, Se...
Seize the Moment Between Meetings, That’s When Ideas Take Shape
Nottingham Spirk Fast Company reported recently on General Motors’ policy against using a cell phone while walking. That mean...
Technology Empowers Innovation
Nottingham Spirk We preach the “soft science” of products that just work — the first time and every time — no matter how comp...
What innovators and musicians have in common
Bill Nottingham | Smart Business Cleveland The first time they jammed together, in 1980, the members of R.E.M. wrote six song...
A Little Empathy Goes a Long Way — and Trust Goes Even Farther
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Innovation requires risks. Does your culture encourage or discourage people...
The Business of Play: Bill Nottingham and Brent Bushnell
Brent Bushnell is CEO of Two Bit Circus, which creates “entertainment that is imaginative and interactive, blurring the line ...
Boundary Crossing with The Marvel Method
Nottingham Spirk John Nottingham has a saying: “Innovation is not something we do on Thursday.” His point is that creating is...
Musings: Where Do Ideas Come From? Part 3
Nottingham Spirk We’re asked all the time, “How do you come up with new ideas?” The truth is, there’s no one answer. We’ve as...
Nottingham Spirk Out and About
Nottingham Spirk At Nottingham Spirk, we believe in engagement — in industries, in academia and in our community. Here are a ...
Get Out for a New Perspective
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Clients and prospective clients ask us all the time about trends in various...
CES 2018: A Viewpoint from NS
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Autonomous vehicles were the headline-grabbers at the 2018 Consumer Electro...
Your Not-To-Do List: More Phrases That Stifle Innovation
Nottingham Spirk A recent post at FastCompany.com, titled “These Three Phrases Are Killing Innovation at Your Workplace,” gen...
Musings: Where Do Ideas Come From? Part 2
Nottingham Spirk We’re asked all the time, “How do you come up with new ideas?” The truth is, there’s no one answer. We’ve as...
Lessons from Google’s “Moonshot Factory”
Nottingham Spirk We highly recommend the recent Atlantic article “Google X and the Science of Radical Creativity,” which prov...
Biomimicry, the Ancient, Cutting-edge Science
Nature is the ultimate innovator, but learning from it requires a new kind of thinking Nottingham Spirk Many creatures can ch...
Musings: Where Do Ideas Come From?
Nottingham Spirk We’re asked all the time, “How do you come up with new ideas?” The truth is, there’s no one answer. We’ve as...
If I Knew Now What I’ll Know Then: Data-First Innovation
Vikki Nowak VP of Strategic Growth This article first appeared in Innovation Leader Magazine, Issue No. 3, Fall 2016. Reprint...
The Business of IoT: What’s Your Hardware Strategy?
The “Big Data” era still needs devices, but developing and releasing them requires new ways of thinking. Nottingham Spirk Jui...
Close the Innovation Gap: Strategic Alignment vs. “Random Acts of Innovation”
Survey reveals that many companies grasp concepts but still struggle with implementation Nottingham Spirk We appreciate repor...
Disrupt Markets, Enhance Lives
Technology that changes everything really just gives us more of what we already love. Bill Nottingham | i3 Magazine Disruptio...
Let’s Change the World
Bill Nottingham is often asked to provide a tutorial to companies on how to be more innovative. If only it were that simple. ...
Design is Collaborative & Relentless: A (360) Round Table Discussion
“My work has been constantly involved in the struggle between fine arts and their development into some functional form of wh...
SXSW: A “Mini-CES” in Austin
Nottingham Spirk There is so much happening at the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin that it can feel a bit over...
Leadership By Design: Views from the Montgomery Summit
To foster innovation, executives need to be responsive as well as decisive. Nottingham Spirk Spencer Rascoff at the Montgomer...
Open Innovation: Insights Provide Roadmap from Ideation to Innovation
Nottingham Spirk Our Vertical Innovation® process relies heavily on market and consumer research — not just at the outset, bu...
New Year: Resolve to Innovate More in 2017
Want to disrupt markets? Start by disrupting yourself. Nottingham Spirk The “Eureka!” moment is a real thing, but it’s widely...
Connected Mobility: CES 2017 Was Filled with Moving Experiences
Nottingham Spirk The annual Consumer Electronics Show is so vast that everyone who attends can come away with different impre...
MIT Sloan: Working Together Management
Bill Nottingham Managing Partner & VP, Growth Last month I attended an MIT Sloan Executive Education program called “Buil...
The Back End of Innovation is Critical
Trevor Jackson Manufacturing Program Director We work with a lot of client-partners who want to expand their offerings — some...
Microinteractions in Packaging Design: Detail-Oriented Design Pays Off
Recently we asked some associates to discuss packaging design innovation and trends. The informal roundtable discussion remin...
Disruptive Product & Business Innovation Go Hand in Hand
Ideating is just the start. Can you identify and overcome the internal obstacles in the complex, winding path to market? Nott...
From “It Can’t Be Done” to “Best of Show”: SmartMouth Package Design
Nottingham Spirk Packaging World, the leading trade publication for the packaging industry, recently praised the Triumph’s Sm...
Cleveland a Top Center for Medical Innovation & Design
Nottingham Spirk The CardioInsight EC VUE™ vest, the first electrocardiographic mapping (ECM) device, represents a major step...
Innovation Perspectives: Designing for Seamless Care with Chronic Health Conditions
Rebecca Blice Biomedical Engineer Innovation Perspectives is a series of viewpoints from key members of the Nottingham Spirk ...
Top 5 Consumer Product Innovation Trends
Nottingham Spirk We’re asked all the time, “What’s next?” That’s a hard question to answer; there are too many factors involv...
Disrupt Yourself Before Someone Else Does
Nottingham Spirk Industries change so fast now that it’s not enough to stay ahead of current competitors. Businesses have to ...
Troy-Bilt FLEX Wins Edison Awards Gold
The TroyBilt FLEX, a revolutionary, modular yard care system developed in collaboration with MTD Products, took home a 2016 E...
Virtual & Augmented Reality: The Real Potential through Soft Science
Nottingham Spirk We’ve been hearing for decades now that Virtual Reality (VR), the fully immersive experience that tricks you...
For Product Disruption, Try Disciplined Style of Out-There Thinking
Sonja Carberry | Investor’s Business Daily Idea people think inside and beyond the lines. How they structure creativity: Prac...
SXSW Interactive: The Front End of Innovation
Nottingham Spirk If the annual Consumer Electronics Show represents “The Back End of Innovation,” then the Consumer Technolog...
Innovation Insight: SmartMouth™ Mouthwash Delivery System
Plenty of companies talk about “customer-centered design,” but often what they mean is “designed to suit what we want custome...
Bloomberg Advantage: IoT Benefits Every Market
Bill Nottingham, VP of Growth, recently spoke to the hosts of the Bloomberg Advantage podcast. Here are some highlights. On t...
Innovation Navigation: An Interview with John and Bill Nottingham
John and Bill Nottingham were guests on Innovation Navigation, a SiriusXM satellite radio show from the Wharton School of Bus...
What Does Customer Service Have to Do with Innovation? Everything.
Nottingham Spirk You return to your car and find that you’ve locked the keys insides, or lost them — what do you do? Most lik...
Creative Collisions: The Spark of Inspiration for Vertical Innovation®
Nottingham Spirk Hackathons are popular, but are they useful? In an essay titled, “Why Hackathons are Bad for Innovation,” a ...
Innovation is Not a Thing We Do on Thursday
Nottingham Spirk co-founder John Nottingham and Vice President Bill Nottingham spoke about innovation recently at Cleveland’s...
2016 CES Highlights & Trends: Displays Transformed
Nottingham Spirk Virtual reality grabbed the most headlines at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — and it wa...
2016 Edison Awards: Three Client Collaborations Nominated
Three products designed by Nottingham Spirk are in the running for 2016 Edison Awards, which recognizes innovation. Two of th...
MTD Named A 2015 Lowes Innovation Partner of the Year
The Troy-Bilt FLEX outdoor power equipment system, which Nottingham Spirk developed with MTD Products, keeps winning accolade...
Millennials Are Changing Corporate Structure — for the Better
Millennials are prompting more companies to reconsider the traditional corporate hierarchy, according to Entrepreneur.com: “W...
A Mammoth Undertaking
Massive sculptures of a mastodon and a mammoth that once graced the walls of the Cleveland Zoo’s old pachyderm building will ...
Designing a $93M Medical Technology: A Behind the Scenes Look
Excerpt from the Qmed Article: While working a Case Western Reserve University, Yoram Rudy, PhD had the idea for a game-chang...
Innovation factory — An inside look at how John Spirk and John Nottingham take ideas from mind to market
Staff | Smart Business Network You may have heard of writer’s block — when the words just won’t come to mind. There’s also in...
Biomimicry is “Natural” Innovation
Every nature shows you’ve ever seen has featured some marvel of evolution that puts human innovations to shame. The cheetah’s...
Freedom and Responsibility Culture
As soon as Netflix announced its unlimited parental leave policy for new parents, doubters were quick to predict that the pol...
The Relentless Pursuit of Information and “Insights”
We’ve written about the importance of hiring creative people and fostering a culture that promotes risk-taking. But these sho...
Innovation and Education: We Need More “STEAM”
An op-ed about the value of high school shop classes got us thinking and reading more about education’s role in innovation. T...
Troy-Bilt FLEX: Modular Outdoor Power Equipment
MTD Products, owner of several lines of outdoor power equipment (OPE) products, approached Nottingham Spirk with an unprecede...
CardioInsight Technologies Acquired to Advance Heart Mapping
The recent acquisition of CardioInsight Technologies Inc., a privately held, Cleveland-based medical device company, will fur...
Learning To Innovate By “Making”
We were impressed with Westlake, Ohio teacher K. Scott Kutz’s recent op-ed in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, “In Defense of Shop...
The “Open Office” Trend is Not a One-Size-Fits-All Solution for Innovation
Reorganizing your office into one massive conference room could do more harm than good. In the 1990s, “cubicles” became symbo...
Maintaining The Culture of Creativity
“Organizational Charts” by Manu Cornet Cartoonist Manu Cornet created a series of “organizational charts” for some of the big...
Cub Cadet HAULER: Innovative Versatility
MTD (Headquartered in Valley City, OH), owner of Cub Cadet lawn and garden tractors, is partnering with NS to develop new pro...
CWRU & Nottingham Spirk Partnership for Innovation
Case Western Reserve University is already one of the top 20 schools in the nation for research funding. But the expanding th...
Shattered Glass: The Value of a “Soft Launch”
In May 2013, Bloomberg News declared that Google was “winning the innovation war against Apple.” Google is winning this war b...
Engineer Opportunities: Elsie’s New Car
Innovation changes the world — and changing the world of just one person still counts. We were reminded of this by the above ...
2015 CES: Emerging Innovation
As usual, the gravitational pull of the tech giants at the recent Consumer Electronics Show was nearly inescapable, but we we...
Hiring for Creativity
MIT recently published a previously unknown essay on creativity written by Isaac Asimov in 1959. The Science Fiction icon had...
Commentary: “Goodbye, TiVo?” via Verge.com
This is a commentary piece based on an article found on theverge.com and written by Chris Ziegler. Chris is a longtime TiVo f...
HALO Bassinest: Innovative Solution for Co-Sleeping with Infant
HALO, the inventor of the SleepSack wearable blanket for infants, was founded by a couple who lost a child to Sudden Infant D...
Forbes Reinventing America: Invest In The Midwest
INDIANAPOLIS (November 13, 2014) — Ohio was well represented at the Forbes Reinventing America Summit. Featured speakers incl...
Seeing the Possibilities
Kris Pickel | NBC WKYC TV Cleveland KRIS PICKEL: Welcome back everyone. There is a lot to be excited about here in Northeast ...
BioInnovation Partnership
CLEVELAND (April 21, 2014) – Leaders of the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron (ABIA) and Nottingham Spirk, a national i...
Taming the Unruly Reciprocating Saw
For versatility and portability, no power saw can compare to the reciprocating saw. Held like a shotgun, the reciprocating sa...
Vertical Innovation®
For over 50 years, we’ve honed a unique process we call Vertical Innovation® – the alignment of resources and culture. Resour...
Successful Partnerships Get Innovations to Market
AdvertisingAge asked Nancy Hill, president of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, for her thoughts on improving...
Relentless Innovation in 2014: Commentary
Relentless Innovation is Simultaneously Continuous and Disruptive In this month’s issue of Inc., Steve Blank spoke to the gra...
Empowering Innovators Intel Film Series
Intel teamed up with Vimeo to develop a film series called Empowering Innovators. The series explores the ways in which Intel...
Engineering Program Director: Nick Stanca
Under the Nottingham Spirk Innovation Center’s roof is a bevy of talented employees. Some are outdoor adventurers and some ar...
Zurn Aquasense: Sometimes the Best Technology is Hidden
Zurn tasked Nottingham Spirk to create a visually modern sensor faucet that would elevate Zurn's product portfolio above othe...
Master Of Invention John Spirk On Why Small Businesses Need Less U.S. Regulation
Vanna Le | Forbes On March 26–28, Forbes will host its first Reinventing America Summit in Chicago, Illinois, a congress of m...
The Invention Machine
John Nottingham and John Spirk are the most successful inventors you’ve never heard of, with a can’t-lose business model that...
Design Team Project Manager: Carolyn McNeeley
Nottingham Spirk Under the Nottingham Spirk Innovation Center’s roof is a bevy of talented employees. Some are outdoor advent...
Create a Culture of Innovation
Nottingham Spirk At the core of Nottingham Spirk's business is a culture rooted in innovation. After 42 years in business, co...
A New Year’s Greeting from Nottingham Spirk
John Nottingham & John Spirk Co-CEOs & Co-Founders Capitalizing on Core Strengths As we approach the New Year, we are...
Creating Ways to Make an Impact: 70-20-10 Rule
First, you can't focus 100% of your research and development efforts only on your core product lines. Crains Cleveland Busine...
Keep Big Ideas From Eating Your Core Business
Chuck Soder, from Crain’s Cleveland Business and host of Tech Talk Podcasts met with John and Bill Nottingham of Nottingham S...
Dual Saw Recognized on Uncrate.com
The Dual Saw Reciprocating Saw is an example of a successful product collaboration between Infusion Brands and Nottingham Spi...
Spur Innovation, Go All In
R&D Innovation Quotes Investors.com, powered by Investor’s Business Daily, includes R&D quotes from John Nottingham, ...
Rug Doctor® Launches Portable Spot Cleaner
Rug Doctor® recently introduced the Portable Spot Cleaner, the next generation in floor care. Nottingham Spirk partnered with...
Key to Success: Innovation
Key to Success: Two of Nottingham Spirk’s latest innovative products have been featured in Crain’s Cleveland Business. Nottin...
25 Most Innovative: Urgent Rx
Forbes’ 25 Most Innovative Consumer and Retail Brands Urgent Rx is known for their fast acting, over the counter, single-use,...
LED Bulbs Pay Off in the Long Run
Dan Friedell | USA Today If the next light bulb you buy is an LED, it may be your last. The technology behind light-emitting ...
Nottingham Spirk: The Church of the Game Changer
Although Nottingham Spirk is not your typical office space, the atmosphere drives inspiration, creativity, and game changing ...
Exploradio Visits Nottingham Spirk
A Cleveland company housed in a historic church is refining the art of product design. Over the past four decades Nottingham ...
RainX Perfect Dose Car Wash Now Available
Are you tired of the large jug of car wash solution sitting on your garage self? The at-home car wash process is now simple a...
NorTech Innovation Award: Nottingham Spirk & CardioInsight
NorTech Innovation Award received by CardioInsight and Nottingham Spirk. NorTech recognizes companies in Northeast Ohio for t...
Easing the Water Burden
Nottingham Spirk In an era when complex innovations continually make our lives healthier and better, it’s easy to forget that...
Innovation and Risk
Nottingham Spirk Boeing’s troubles with the new 787 Dreamliner provide a painful reminder of the risks often associated with ...
In Innovation, Less is More
Nottingham Spirk What if there were five or six Beatles? Would the band still have changed music forever? Maybe. Lennon and M...
Your Smartphone Will Become the Hub of Your Digital Lifestyle
Over the next two to three years, I believe we will see thousands of sensor-based products tied to apps on our smartphones. T...
Ninja Innovation by Gary Shapiro Features Nottingham Spirk
Consumer Electronics Association President and CEO Gary Shapiro released his new book “Ninja Innovation: The Ten Killer Strat...
In the Idea Kitchen, Too Many Cooks Can Spoil the Broth
Adam Bryant | The New York Times This interview with John Nottingham and John Spirk, co-presidents of Nottingham Spirk, an in...
PackH2O Receives Popular Science Award
A water backpack, PackH2O, designed in collaboration with Greif, Inc., has been honored with a 2012 Best of What’s New Award ...
Business Hall of Fame Inductions
The Northeast Ohio Business Hall of Fame recognizes John Nottingham and John Spirk’s innovative work over the last 40 years. ...
CEA Industry Forum Feature
Nottingham Spirk SAN FRANCISCO — The annual Consumer Electronics Association Industry Forum took place on October 14–17, 2012...
Innovation Leadership Keynote Address
John Nottingham and Steve Cashman co-present Open Innovation Leadership Keynote PHILADELPHIA, PA — The third annual NineSigma...
Medical Device Partner Featured
Nottingham Spirk medical device partner CardioInsight was featured on August 19, 2012, in the Cleveland Plain Dealer as part ...
5 Keys to Warp Speed Innovation
Innovation is a messy, unpredictable process. And creativity and new ideas need time to germinate. But time is often an unaff...
Behind the Scenes at Nottingham Spirk: Bringing Concepts to Life
As anyone who has ever innovated knows, identifying a great concept is only half the battle. Testing and refinement are vital...
Nottingham Spirk Celebrates 40 Years of Innovation
In August 1972, two award-winning graduates from the Cleveland Institute of Art decided to pool their talents and prize money...
Innovation Awards for Scotts Snap System
Nottingham Spirk Spring was a rewarding season for Scotts Snap System, as its innovation and design elements were recognized ...
ViewRay MRI System Gets FDA Approval
The ViewRay MRI System, a client of Nottingham Spirk, has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Draw...
Sales Growth Driven by Innovation
Nottingham Spirk Scotts credits their new Snap fertilizer system — developed by Nottingham Spirk — with helping to drive a 14...
Walk of Fame Plaque Design
Nottingham Spirk The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame unveils the first plaques for the Walk of Fame in Cleveland outside the Publi...
Revolutionary Lawn Spreader
One of our business inventions is now available at national retail stores. The Scotts Snap™ System is a combination self-seal...
Bill Nottingham Carries on Inventive Spirit at Nottingham Spirk
Bill Nottingham's father, John, and John Spirk founded the company Nottingham Spirk in 1972 after graduating from the Clevela...
Cleveland Arts Prize
The oldest award of its kind in the United States, the Cleveland Arts Prize is a testament to the standard of excellence and ...
CamelBak Performance Bottle Makes It to Primetime
Nottingham Spirk In NBC's TV hit series, Parks & Recreation, Rob Lowe is featured using one of Nottingham Spirks' very ow...
Toothbrushes in Need!
Jeff Taggart Engineering Program Director During a recent trip to visit my sister-in-law who was serving in the Peace Corps i...
Lawn Care Innovation with Scotts
Nottingham Spirk What makes a lawn care innovation desirable? There are plenty of lawn care opinions, but we think our client...
Open Innovation Partner
What is an Open Innovation Partner? ...when a company goes outside of their own walls for breakthrough design and engineering...
Made in America
Nottingham Spirk There’s been a lot of discussion recently about a resurgence in US manufacturing. Terms like “onshoring” and...
Medical Device Innovations in Cleveland
Nottingham Spirk is featured in a USA Today article profiling the revival of innovation in Cleveland. Nottingham Spirk has in...
Open Innovation Summit
At the recent Open Innovation Summit in Washington DC, featured speaker, John Nottingham shared best approaches for how compa...
NineSigma and Nottingham Spirk Partner
NineSigma and Nottingham Spirk are teaming up to provide a new end-to-end solution that allows companies to take a product fr...
Freon Free Cooler Saves Energy
After a client complained that sales of their regional juice products were lagging because of poor placement in the back cool...
If Sustainability is the New Religion, Maybe it Belongs in Church
Design partners John Nottingham and John Spirk thought so. Saving a beautiful old church and rehabbing it as a den of creativ...
Ideas Made Here
The designers at Nottingham Spirk take their inventions from scratch pad to store shelves. You probably own a few. Fortune’s ...