2023 Innovator Awards
Judging Process
Nominated companies were then evaluated by an six-person judging committee on four criteria:
Quality of Innovation: Does the company’s approach represent a truly new way of integrating business strategy and social purpose?
Depth of Impact: Has the company’s approach led to deep and measurable impact?
Scalability of Innovation: Does the innovation provide valuable best practices for other companies who seek to lead business for good?
Commitment of Leadership: Does the company’s leadership show a deep and authentic commitment to harnessing the positive power of business?
Meet the Judges
- Garry Cooper (2022 Winner), CEO and Co-Founder, Rheaply
- Mike Evans, CEO and Co-Founder, Fixer
- Jason Feifer, Editor-in-Chief, Entrepreneur Magazine
- Robert Parkinson, Sr. Partner, Investor Relations, Vistria
- Nancy Tuchman, Founding Dean, School of Environmental Sustainability, Loyola University Chicago
- Ivy Tzur (Baumhart Scholar Alum), Sr. Consultant, Sustainability and ESG Services, Deloitte
Celebrating our 2023 Award Winners!
Parkinson Award Winner
Levi Strauss & Co. is a global leader in jeans. They’ve operated with a guiding philosophy of “profit through principles” for about 30 years now according to Jeff Hogue, the company's Chief Sustainability Officer. They have continued to evolve how their products are produced, enhancing the sustainability of the materials used and strengthening the livelihoods of those who produce them.
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Social Impact Award Winner
Cara Collective was founded in 1991 by Tom Owens, who wanted to help reduce poverty in Chicago by connecting quality jobs with the people who needed them. Cara Collective has built on that original mission, and today sees the incredible talent pool in our country, one comprised of individuals often experiencing homelessness and poverty, and helps those individuals to unlock the strengths they already have.
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Environmental Stewardship Award Winner
LanzaJet is working to make safe, sustainable aviation fuels around the world. The raw material needed to make their ethanol is widely available and accessible globally – disrupting a massive industry responsible for more than 2% of global carbon emissions. LanzaJet’s technology is making what seemed like a far-reaching aspiration a possibility, and they’re doing it today. This award is co-presented with Loyola's School of Environmental Sustainability.
Watch VideoThe Innovator Awards recognize companies who are at the forefront of social innovation in business.
The awards celebrate companies across three categories of innovation: social impact, environmental stewardship, and marrying purpose and profit.