Innovation.  It's a key ingredient behind the success of most products or services.  As the economy continues to struggle, customers are becoming even more budget-conscious, making innovation more important than ever before. 

In a recession, the smart business owner knows that the only way anxious customers will buy is if you give them something they're never seen before, a product that makes them say; "Oh my God, I have to have this!"

That sentiment captures the essence of the UNIVATOR Awards. Created five years ago by UniformMarket, the awards showcase the best programs, ideas and innovations that the uniform and promotional products industries have to offer. And while we recognize there are many awards programs out there, we know of no other that honors the manufacturers and distributors of uniforms and their contributions to further their company's bottom line.

This year, UniformMarket has handed out eight awards, representing the creative works of seven different companies.  A summary of their winning concepts is presented below.

The winners of the 2009 UNIVATOR Awards are:

In her book; "Intelligent Business Alliances," Larraine Segil describes an approach she invented called the Mindshift Method. When forming a partnership or alliance, diagnostic needs to be performed as to the stage of the business and the complimentary personalities associated with each stage. Trying to form a successful relationship without regard to these facets will be difficult at best and probably lead to a breakdown for reasons that could have been averted. The risk of not analyzing the factors can be loss of money, opportunity and continual stressful relationships in the workplace. If you have experienced any of these negative outcomes possibly there were some key points that may have been overlooked prior to forming the business entity.