Jon Boggiano, a serial entrepreneur and champion of innovation thinking, has been selected to speak at North Carolina's premier manufacturing conference (MFGCON).
The conference will feature the most up-to-date and relevant topics from North Carolina's most influential manufacturing thought leaders.
Boggiano, an alumni of West Point and Stanford Business School, has co-founded and grown several mission-oriented companies. His primary focus is Everblue, an NC-based technology company that focuses on innovation, software systems, and training. At Everblue, he spearheads the Innovation division and oversees the strategic growth of the entire business.
He has led innovation workshops for Fortune 500 companies, fast-growing firms, and innovation ecosystems. Innovation experiences have included lots of laughs and wild thinking - imagine a new Mattel product called Smell-o-Vision.
Boggiano's MFGCON session will focus on innovation thinking, which involves reframing one's mindset and gaining deeper insights and creative ideas. Who doesn't like to have fun tackling some of work and life's greatest frustrations?
"I'm excited to talk about innovation with local manufacturing professionals," Boggiano said. "People assume that innovation is somebody else's responsibility, that it's limited to a specific role. But the truth is, the organizations that grow and succeed are those that encourage input from everyone, and I look forward to bringing that to MFGCON."
To facilitate the innovation thinking process, Boggiano first explains his 12-step innovation process, which was inspired by the Stanford d.school's design thinking process. Then, he organizes his participants into smaller groups so that they can bring their unique backgrounds, needs, and wants to their brainstorming. During these conversations, Boggiano also encourages the use of hands-on tools, such as Legos and Play-Doh, to help refresh the mind.
"I want participants to escape from the humdrum of their daily work lives and generally expand their minds," he said. "Studies have shown that people are far more likely to explore possibilities and build creative confidence when they're in a less stressful environment. So I introduce practical and familiar tools to help establish comfort, confidence, and an experimenter's mindset to continuously refine ideas for improvement."
Moving into its seventh year, MFGCON will be held on May 18-19, 2022 at the Durham Convention Center. Boggiano's innovation thinking workshop will take place on the first day of the convention, from 10:45 - 11:45 AM.
For more information about the MFGCON Manufacturing Conference, contact Susan Barber at (919) 515-2358 or email susan_barber at ncsu.edu.
About Everblue (https://www.goeverblue.com/)
Everblue helps create a better world by making organizations more responsive and productive through innovation, technology, and professional training programs. Its curriculum includes short-term courses focused on emerging technology fields and thought leadership.
