John Spirk: We Have to See the Invisible and do the Impossible

In a few weeks, John Spirk, along with 300+ innovators, executives, and elected officials, will take the stage at the Reinventing America Summit, Forbes' inaugural event designed to "bring together leaders of the next industrial revolution for a non-partisan discussion about the role of heartland innovation in the U.S. economy’s recovery."

While Spirk prepares for this groundbreaking event, he spoke with Forbes.com about the state of the US economy and the future of innovation and American industry.

When asked to rank on a scale from 1-5 how optimistic he is that the American economy is rebounding, Spirk said, "I have to be a 5. As innovators, we need to always be reaching for the moon. We have to see the invisible and do the impossible. Of course it is with a close partnership with our client companies that we undertake these challenges. Where others only see problems…we see the opportunities, and looking ahead, they are very significant."

Spirk also had some advice for President Obama about supporting innovation and small businesses. "I’d also ask him to issue challenges to innovators to solve real world problems, and support them with proper resources. Small businesses are the engine of the economy and employs over half of all private sector employees. It has generated over 64% of net new jobs over the past 15 years and is responsible for more than half of innovations developed during the 20th Century (i.e., zippers, airplanes, helicopters, personal computers, insulin, artificial heart valves, pacemakers). The U.S. is the world’s leading economy because of entrepreneurs who took great personal risks."

To read the original article on Forbes.com, click here.

To learn more about the Reinventing America Summit, click here.