Innovative Model

Charles H. Duell was a bad, bad man. No doubt you've heardhis famous quote: "Everything that can be invented has beeninvented." Duell made that statement in 1899, insisting thathis office be shut down just before he resigned as the U.S.Commissioner of Patents. You can't help but wonder how ourworld would be if his words had been true. In what would have beena much less wonderful life, think of what wouldn't have beenborn: E-mail. Television. Paper towels. The microwave oven. Catlitter. Defibrillators. Viagra. And Joey Reiman would never havecreated BrightHouse.

BrightHouse is one of those companies where innovation is therule, not the exception. Because many businesses get bogged down inbusiness, CEOs and management teams hire Reiman and his 12employees to come up with everything from new products to newmission statements. Because most of the ideas are confidential,exactly what Atlanta-based BrightHouse has done since its foundingin 1995 will have to be left to our imaginations, but clientsinclude Coca-Cola, Georgia-Pacific Corp., Home Depot andMcDonald's. Reiman, 49, and his team are paid big money--half amillion for a 10-week brainstorming session, and $50,000 for afour-hour quickie. BrightHouse is poised to bring in $10 million inrevenue this year, simply by doing what all entrepreneurs and theiremployees should do.