- Office Supplies and Innovation — A Contradiction in Terms? Quill Says No
- 06.18.2007
How do you in instill a culture of innovation into a 50-year-old company that deals in printing cartidges and post-it notes? Quill Corporation, a $1 billion-plus office products supplier in Lincolnshire, is trying to do just that via company-wide brainstorming sessions and various incentive programs.
These include a series of Lunch & Learn sessions, where ideas are exchanged and creative thinking is fast-tracked. Also: a "Big Idea" program gives employees cash rewards for innovative thinking, which has created ideas that have saved Quill $100,000 + in overhead expenses. A recent winner of the Big Idea contest was an employee from Lincolnshire who recommended a way to increase Quill’s e-commerce capabilities through selling online advertising to vendors.
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