The 2009 i xchange event last May combined the presentation of Ben Franklin’s fifteenth annual Innovation Awards and executive networking sessions with a keynote address by Jeff DeGraff. DeGraff is known as the “guru to the innovation guru” at Fortune 500 companies, having created a broad array of widely used tools and methodologies for implementing innovation.

Before the event, Lehigh Valley Entrepreneur interviewed DeGraff about the current state of the innovation in the United States. This is Part One of the interview. Click here for Part Two.

Degraff is a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He is also the managing partner of Competing Values Company, a consulting firm that assists leaders in facilitating change, and the executive director of the Innovatrium Institute for Technology.

3M, Apple Computer, American Express, GE, Johnson & Johnson, LG, Pfizer, Toyota, and Yahoo are a few of DeGraff’s representative clients. Besides being a charismatic and in-demand speaker, DeGraff is a thought leader at top innovation incubators and think tanks such as the Aspen Institute. His advice is frequently sought by the investment community on how to choose, manage, and harvest winning ideas and successful business enterprises.