Testimonials
Bruce has been there. The insight he brings to clients through Breakthrough Innovation Advisors, LLC is built on years of practical application as an innovator and innovation executive in industry. Not merely academic, but actionable insight tested in the marketplace. Further, his experience as an innovation advisor and board member spans a broad range of mature companies and industries. From small- and medium-sized companies to the largest corporate entities, he has proven himself a contributor who understands what it takes for organizations to both survive and thrive.
What clients say
John Veleris (Chairman and Partner, JVA Partners)
” … as a leading authority on the subject, he has assisted our group in broadening and accelerating our knowledge and adoption of best practices in Breakthrough Innovation. His people and relationship-building skills earned the trust and respect of our team in short order and helped us develop and validate learning and development objectives.
We are delighted to have Bruce on our team.”
Nancy Dawes (Research Fellow and Victor Mills Society, Procter & Gamble)
“I personally experienced how Bruce’s research and insights on Breakthrough Innovation influenced R&D at P&G in multiple ways, including:
Inspired the creation of a year-long class taught by VMS “professors” to hand-selected young innovators, taught across US/Europe/Asia. The backbone of the course is material delineated in their book; Bruce was often a featured presenter as he is knowledgeable and articulate about the content, examples, and application to P&G. During the time Bruce was involved with the class, it was consistently highly rated and had a strong track record of promoted Technologist-track individuals as graduates.”
Steve McShane (Founder and CEO, Midtronics)
“Bruce helped us to institutionalize our cultural commitment to innovation as our mission and to recognize that encouragement of risk taking and willingness to allow failure encourages curiosity and creativity that have become the hallmarks of our company. During his time on our board, Bruce was highly engaged and committed to the success of our company, and we were proud to have him as a colleague. His fellow board members as well as our executive team valued his knowledge of how engineering leadership can help solve challenges in the world of battery management, as the importance of energy storage increases with the world’s extensive reliance vehicle electrification.
I highly recommend Bruce Vojak.”
John Metselaar (Leader of the Global Innovate & Transform Institute and the Innovation Leadership Councils of Europe and Asia, The Conference Board)
“Bruce has served The Conference Board for nearly a decade, first as an Advisory Board member and, more recently, as a Senior Fellow.
Bruce’s contributions are greatly valued in each forum in which he participates. I am particularly taken by his deep insight into the role of Serial Innovators in mature enterprises, something I personally observed to be powerful throughout my long career in industry.
Bruce’s proven track record of bringing impactful, actionable insight to every conversation makes it a pleasure to recommend him.”
Nat Sattler (Division President Dexter/MCE – Permag)
“I brought Bruce in across several innovation engagements over time, each building on the last.
He began by introducing key innovation concepts, then worked with my team to assess and strengthen our innovation capabilities. Later, he met individually with high-potential team members to help them better understand their role in driving innovation within the organization.
What stood out across all of this was his ability to strengthen both the system and the people within it. That made the work especially valuable for our team. The team really enjoyed working with Bruce, and his insight and guidance helped to strengthen our innovation culture.”
Christian Eitel (Head of Global Product Management, Bucher Hydraulics)
“I have engaged Bruce on multiple occasions, beginning as a participant in a series of workshops for rising executives.
What stood out immediately was his ability to translate deep expertise into clear, actionable insights grounded in practical application. Based on that experience, I brought him back to lead additional workshops for our team.
Each engagement provided a fresh perspective that was directly relevant to our work.”
Renjie Fu (Director of Design Engineering, Micron Industries Corporation)
“Bruce served as a fiduciary board member at Micron during my time as Director of Design Engineering.
Beyond formal board interactions, he took the initiative to connect with me 1-on-1 periodically, outside of board meetings, to share perspective and better understand the organization from my point of view. Those conversations were both professionally valuable and personally meaningful.
Our work together has had a lasting impact on how I think about driving innovation.”
John Pruban (President and CEO, Level 10) and Courtney Stone (COO, Level 10)
“We engaged Bruce as an advisor to help us develop a true strategic plan, not just undertake a planning exercise.
He guided our process with clear context and guardrails, helping us develop our own strategic insight rather than simply providing answers. In particular, he challenged our thinking on the difference between strategy and goal setting, which fundamentally changed how we approached the work.
The result was a plan tailored to our business, along with a practical path to implementation. Our board has approved the strategy, and we are now actively executing against it.
We are pleased to recommend Bruce as a strategic advisor.”
Andrew Blake (CEO, Exacto)
“I engaged Bruce as an innovation advisor to help our leadership team develop a stage-gate process for new product and process development initiatives.
He guided the team through the work, providing the right level of context and structure while ensuring the process fit our culture and needs. Rather than delivering a prepackaged solution, he helped us develop a system we could own and sustain.
That work continued to shape how we approached product and process development well beyond the engagement.“
Beth Ladd (Vice President of Innovation, American Supply Association)
“I invited Bruce to serve as a plenary speaker at our American Supply Association Innovation Summit, where we brought together industry leaders and forward-thinking executives.
Bruce defined and made a compelling case for innovation. He underscored the necessary balancing act between current operations and the hunt for renewal, as well as the commitments required from senior leadership as a practical investment in a company’s long-term health and performance. His message connected with our audience because it was both considered and grounded in real business relevance.”
Darryl Farber (College of Engineering and School of International Affairs, The Pennsylvania State University)
“In my role at Penn State University, I work on strategic foresight and analysis of engineering systems—technology, management, and policy related to security and resilience to support our national defense. Bruce Vojak has made valuable contributions through participation in workshops that bring together an interdisciplinary and international group of students and academics with industry, government, and NGO professionals and senior leaders (see link).
Bruce’s perspective on how small and medium-sized mature enterprises can innovate while managing strategic and enterprise risk opens a new direction when the conversations tend to focus on the large defense contractors and start-up companies. But innovation ecosystems are larger and more complex, which we have learned through Bruce’s extensive knowledge and experience. We have deepened and broaden our understanding of innovation and risk management through Bruce’s theoretical and practical insights.”
Gary Camarano (Economic Development Director, Whiteside County Economic Development; Board Member, Illinois Chamber of Commerce)
“I’ve engaged Bruce on multiple occasions to speak on innovation as part of our economic development efforts.
What I appreciate most is his ability to tailor the message to, and connect with, the audience in front of him, whether business owners or high school students.”
Dennis Gilbert (President, Innovative Manufacturers Center)
“We invited Bruce to meet with several of our constituent groups across Central Pennsylvania over the course of a full day of sessions.
His impact was felt at every level. Students and faculty were highly engaged, corporate leaders participated in what they saw as meaningful discussions, and his large-group presentation brought everything together in a way that resonated broadly.
We appreciate the depth of insight and energy he brought to each session.”
Robert Graf (Corporate Vice President, Research & Development, Lubrizol)
“Bruce Vojak’s keynote at our annual Tech Symposium hit on all the right themes and generated many follow-up conversations for some time afterward. And I loved the carrot peeling demo! The visual of carrot peelings falling on the floor, only to be usurped by an illustration of Breakthrough Innovation, was truly great.
When you invite someone to speak at an event, you are not always quite sure exactly what you will get. Plus, there are always variables around the event itself that are hard to control or predict. For our Tech Symposium, all the planets aligned. Bruce was great. Our CEO and the rest of the leadership team were there. And the venue worked. A hit on all counts.”
Deb Polcyn (R&D Director, Newly Weds Foods)
“Based on feedback gathered from participants in our triennial company-wide technical symposium, Bruce’s presentation ranked among the top two in both scores and comments. It was a bit of a risk to include his topic, as past symposia had focused entirely on technical issues. However, this human side of innovation hit a chord with the attendees. In fact, one of our technical managers actually thanked me for inviting him to present. Personally, I, too, very much enjoyed his presentation and add that he did a great job of tying together comments from prior presenters to further strengthen his message to the audience.”
Jeff Beavers (Chief Operating Officer, RECSOLU LLC)
“Bruce delivered a plenary presentation at our annual User Conference, attended by HR professionals from more than 120 top employers, helping to frame the importance of Breakthrough Innovators in successful organizations. It was great! Following his presentation, we received many positive comments from the attendees and requests for access to his book. It was obvious they appreciated the research-based content and the application to both entry-level and professional staffing. Not only did they value his message, but his presentation also inspired group discussion and exceeded all our expectations.”
Brody DeYoung, PhD (Scientist, BASF)
“We received overwhelming positive feedback on Bruce’s keynote presentation at our annual technical retreat. It was widely received as an intriguing topic, and several commented that this was much more engaging than previous years’ retreat presentations. It definitely sparked a conversation within the company.”
Reviews of Bruce’s books
Vojak & Herbst, No-Excuses Innovation: Strategies for Small- and Medium-Sized Mature Enterprises (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2022)
“As a retailer, it was always evident that those who don’t constantly innovate with new product, new merchandising, and store design eventually failed. This book shows how change and innovation are crucial for any success in business.”
—Gordon Segal, Founder, Crate & Barrel
“With over 3 decades of buying and building over 50 companies in consumer and commercial markets, I can attest that this book should be mandatory for anyone wanting success in growing their business.”
—Keith Jaffee, Chairman of Middleton Partners, CEO of Banyan Acquisition Corp (NYSE)
“It is a real treat that the authors provide valuable insight not only into their own creative genius, but that of others as well. ‘No-Excuses Innovation’ illustrates that innovation is the most important factor underlying economic growth and prosperity.”
—Morton Schapiro, Professor and President, Northwestern University
“‘No-Excuses Innovation’ shows how consistent innovative development can help business leaders enhance value, set themselves apart in the minds of investors, create better employee engagement, and, as a result, generate higher business valuations. A must-read for business owners considering ownership transition.”
—Kenneth Serwinski, Chairman, Prairie Capital Advisors, Inc.
“Both grandmasters in the field, Vojak and Herbst bring a confluence of wisdom in their understanding of the pathways to innovation and the barriers to renewal for small and medium-sized companies. A brilliant business book that will compel fresh dreams and unpack the secrets towards a company’s sustainable growth.”
—Robert T. Schwartz, FIDSA, DMI, Dean, Schools of Arts, Design and Business, Mount Mary University
“‘No-Excuses Innovation’ simply “revs-up” the reminder of our role in innovation. This is a quick “go-to” guide, helping to steer the vital evolutionary process of our company in today’s “disruptive” world. Pick it up and GO!”
—Rick Delawder, President, SWD Inc.; past Chair of the Illinois Manufacturing Association
Griffin, Price & Vojak, Serial Innovators: How Individuals Create and Deliver Breakthrough Innovations in Mature Firms (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2012)
“Griffin, Price, and Vojak truly have written a love letter to all who pursue breakthrough innovation. By shifting our focus from an impersonal, controlled process to the many personal acts of discovery and relationships characteristic of serial innovators, the authors refreshingly bring us back to the heart of the matter: experts with the passion to overcome technical and organizational hurdles to solve real-life challenges.”
―Mary McDowell, Executive Vice President, Mobile Phones, Nokia
“Wow! A book that explains what I do and how I do it! By ‘making the implicit explicit,’ ‘Serial Innovators’ not only validates my personal approach, but also gives me new ideas on how to strengthen it, enroll others, and nurture future innovators. Here’s to giving me the courage to deliver once more!”
―Nancy C. Dawes, Serial Innovator and Research Fellow, Victor Mills Society, Procter & Gamble
“Written by three undisputed experts in product innovation and management, this book is extremely well researched and executed. It presents a model that perfectly complements our traditional understanding of product innovation. In ‘Serial Innovators’ managers will find a refreshing perspective and clear guidance on how to locate, reward, and retain serial innovators within their organization.”
―Anthony Di Benedetto, Temple University
“This book is fascinating. The concept of the serial innovator, distinct from the serial inventor or serial entrepreneur, is important. Serial innovators are a rare breed and we need to learn more about them. This book provides a first look into their nature and how to manage them. It will be extremely useful for readers who think about and work on breakthrough innovation in established companies―and who struggle with how to do it better.”
―Ginna C. O’Connor, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and author of Grabbing Lightning: Building a Capability for Breakthrough Innovation
Current and former clients include
