As we close out 2024, and we are in the season of celebrations, this one makes the list of good news. With Win at Innovation as one of five Must Wins, ACCO Brands made Crain’s Chicago Business Annual List of Most Innovative Companies this year. The recognition is based on an evaluation of patents awarded to Chicago-based companies. The Chicago area is the location of ACCO Brands home office and is the third largest city in the United States.
ACCO Brands has made the list of top twenty-five innovative companies, which includes Fortune 500, privately held and venture-backed startups, a number of times over the past decade – 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2024. This year ACCO Brands ranked number 19 spot on the list, based on an evaluation of patents awarded to Chicago companies in 2023 or the year prior to the announcement.
The publication Crain’s reports that Chicago is a city that thrives on innovation, with its companies making significant strides across various industries, including health care, food, fashion, shopping, and technology. This year's list of the Most Innovative Companies highlighted the diverse and dynamic nature of Chicago's business landscape. The list features prominent Fortune 500 companies like AbbVie and Baxter International, privately held firms such as Elkay Manufacturing, Hollister, and RTC, as well as venture-backed startups like The Fynder Group.
Ocean Tomo, a firm specializing in intellectual property advisory, investment banking, and consulting conducted the evaluation. Ocean Tomo, now part of J.S. Held, uses a scoring system that averages the scores of individual patents received by each company. To qualify for the list, a company must have been awarded at least three patents.