Nottingham Spirk: Fascinating Facts About the Cleveland Disruptors

During a visit to NS, members of the Greater Cleveland Partnership took a tour with Co-Founder and Co-CEO John Nottingham and uncovered some fascinating facts.

Laura DeMarco | Greater Cleveland Partnership 

Nottingham Spirk may not be a household name — but their inventions are likely in your home.

With more than 1,550 patents, the long-standing design collaborative is a global leader in growth-propelling innovation for clients in the consumer, business and health-care sectors.  

Here are 10 fascinating facts about these Cleveland disruptors:

1. The beginning: Nottingham Spirk was founded in 1972 by John Nottingham and John Spirk, both graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Art.
2. Innovation Center: Founded in a small carriage house, Nottingham Spirk is based in a 62,500 square-foot Innovation Center located in a renovated, 1929 landmark church, overlooking Little Italy on the East Side.
3. Innovation: The firm is known for developing numerous successful products, including the Arm & Hammer Spinbrush, the Swiffer Sweep + Vac, the Sherwin-Williams Twist & Pour™ paint container, and the Dirt Devil hand-held vacuum.
4. More patents than Thomas Edison: Nottingham Spirk holds more than 1,550 commercialized patents.
5. Vertical Innovation®: They follow a proprietary process called Vertical Innovation®, which integrates all stages of product development from consumer insights to commercialization.
6. Collaborations: Nottingham Spirk has collaborated with numerous Fortune 500 companies, including P&G, Unilever and Sherwin-Williams.
7. Award-winning designs: The company has received numerous awards for their innovative designs, including multiple Edison Awards and IDEA Awards.
8. Industry impact: Their innovations have generated over $100 Billion in sales for their clients.
9. Diverse expertise: Nottingham Spirk’s team includes experts in industrial design, engineering, consumer insights, and commercialization, allowing them to tackle a wide range of projects.
10. Commercial success: With a 95% commercialization success rate, these Cleveland disruptors are global leaders in growth-propelling innovation.  

Nottingham Spirk “Dream Factory” billboard created by Greater Cleveland Partnership for their “Big Ideas. Bold Ventures.” campaign promoting Greater Cleveland businesses.

About Nottingham Spirk
Nottingham Spirk is a world-class product innovation firm with an unrivaled record of developing and commercializing disruptive consumer products, medical devices, digital IoT products, and connected industrial products. We collaborate with Fortune 1,000, middle market, and funded venture companies to discover, design, and execute product innovation programs and strategic business platforms that will delight customers, grow markets, and generate new revenue streams. Learn more about our approach to new product development.