The Best of Killer Innovations: The Ubiquitous Nature of Innovation
b'Continuing our Best of Killer Innovations series, we look at one manufacturer\'s innovative use of resources. This company\'s story is a testament to how innovation can unexpectedly occur anywhere, with any resource, and at any moment. Innovations\' ubiquitous nature is evident in every corner of our rapidly evolving world.
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\\nWe firmly believe in the limitless potential of innovation, as anyone can ignite it, and it can ignite in any realm imaginable.\\xa0Silicon Valley and other recognized innovation hubs do not have a lock on innovation or a secret sauce that cannot be modeled or improved upon.\\xa0 It takes a willingness to put aside time, use your resources, explore the unknown, and expand your\\xa0creativity\\xa0(we all have it) beyond where you are today to see the\\xa0non-obvious.\\xa0 When you do, you will be like our Kentucky guests, revolutionizing in a non-traditional innovation hub and creating a\\xa0non-high-tech innovation.
\\nAs part of our Innovation Across America tours, we ventured across the country in our\\xa0new mobile studio\\xa0to Paducah, Kentucky.\\xa0During the tour, we actively sought individuals pushing the boundaries and innovating “Beyond the Obvious.” In our show this week, we had the opportunity to interview the founders of\\xa0Fin Gourmet Foods.\\xa0 Started in 2010,\\xa0Fin Gourmet is a Kentucky Proud Producer\\u2122 of wild-caught Asian Carp products.\\xa0 So why Asian Carp? It has the highest source of healthy, clean protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, on par with wild-caught salmon.\\xa0 Nowhere else in the world but the USA are Asian Carp wild-caught, and those from western KY are of the best quality. But more importantly, this innovation story is unique.\\xa0\\xa0Fin\'s mission and vision\\xa0are that the Asian Carp provide economic opportunities for communities, fostering job creation and revitalizing the inland fishing industry.
\\nDefining and Tackling a Problem Statement
\\nThe team at Fin Gourmet defined the problems and challenges they encountered and engaged in disruptive ideation.\\xa0 As an integral part of their innovation process, they considered some basic assumptions of innovation to create value, including:
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\\n* Turn other people\'s trash into a product:Fin took the Asian Carp, an invasive species taking over the Mississippi and Ohio river systems, and he innovated a way to turn it into an excellent food source.
\\n* Give opportunities to people overlooked:In addition to locating in a rural part of the country, Fin works with local halfway houses to offer jobs to former prison inmates and others down on their luck.\\xa0 Training, teaching, and building a culture\\xa0that values and leverages the abilities of all.
\\n* Breathe life back into an industry overlooked\\xa0by others: Fin pays a premium price for what many consider “trash” to help local independent fishing families to transition to this new species of fish and the