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Jeremy Wertheimer
President and CEO, ITA Software, Cambridge, Massachusetts
www.itasoftware.com
Innovation Travel search engine technology
Backstory In 1994, Wertheimer set out to create a system that
would use the Internet rather than mainframes to search for and store airline fares. Today,
his technology powers such travel sites as Orbitz and Kayak and is used by US Airways, Alitalia,
Continental, and Alaska Airlines for their own sites. This year, ITA will be the first company
to build a major airline's reservation system from the ground up. (At press time, ITA was
not able to divulge which one.) But it's Wertheimer's next undertaking that will most affect
travelers. Called Project Needle (as in haystack), it uses artificial intelligence to search
travel sites, quickly "learning" them and giving shoppers only the information they're looking
for.
Vern Raburn
President and CEO of Eclipse Aviation, Albuquerque
www.eclipseaviation.com
Innovation Democratizing private-jet travel
Backstory In the nineties, frustrated that new iterations of
light jets were becoming more expensive, Raburn developed his own. The Eclipse 500 is what
he calls a VLJ (very light jet): a highly efficient six-seat, twin-engine aircraft. At press
time, Raburn had sold more than 2,350 of the planes, which are scheduled to receive Federal
Aviation Administration certification this year. His primary customers are "taxi in the sky"
services like DayJet, which will sell seats for only a fraction more than domestic fares on
legacy carriers—allowing business travelers who want to fly nonstop between regional
airports a way to do so affordably.
Rick Hemmerling
President, ExOfficio, Tukwila, Washington
www.exofficio.com
Innovation Smart clothes for travelers
Backstory After designing the first climate-control vented shirt,
in 1987, Hemmerling moved on to create fabrics with moisture wicking and sun protection. But
his latest developments— a new line that repels insects, revolutionary knit constructions
such as superfine-mesh underwear, and "smart" clothes with electronic filaments woven through
the fabric to keep you cool—are what will really revolutionize travel wardrobes. "We're
working on fabrics that have a life of their own."
Blake Krikorian
Cofounder and CEO of Sling Media, San Mateo, California
www.slingmedia.com
Innovation Technology that lets travelers see their favorite
TV shows, no matter where they are
Backstory Krikorian and his brother Jason invented a system
that allows people to "place shift" their home television programming via the Internet. Slingbox,
which debuted last summer, redirects TV streams from a cable box, satellite receiver, or DVD
player via the Internet to a PC anywhere in the world—even one that's on a Wi-Fi–equipped
airplane. Next, the company will roll out SlingPlayer Mobile, software that will do the same
thing via smart phone or PDA.
Shankar Peerthy
Cofounder and executive director, Africa Digital Bridges Networks, Dubai and Mauritius
www.networkplus.mu
Innovation The wireless nation
Backstory Next year, when Peerthy's project to cloak Mauritius
in one wireless "hot zone" is finished, the Indian Ocean island will become the second country
in the world with complete Wi-Fi coverage. Unlike Macedonia (the first), Mauritius is using
the newer WiMAX standard, which has overlapping coverage areas. Though the service is not
free—hotels will sell pre-paid cards—travelers will be able to connect from every
inch of the island, even the beach. Next, Peerthy hopes to create WiMAX "canopies" in two
African nations.
Mel Zuckerman
Chairman and founder, Canyon Ranch, Tucson
www.canyonranchliving.com
Innovation A new wellness movement
Backstory Zuckerman and his wife, Enid, opened Canyon Ranch
in Tucson in 1979, the first spa in the United States to offer treatments, fitness classes,
and healthy cuisine—all at one property. Zuckerman's latest vision is Canyon Ranch Living,
a more permanent place for wellness disciples that throws luxury real estate into the mix.
The community will open in Miami later this year with a 70,000-square-foot spa, a 150-room
hotel, and 430 condominiums.
Willem Van Riet
CEO, Peace Parks Foundation, Stellenbosch, South Africa
www.peaceparks.org
Innovation Transborder parks
Backstory The idea of creating parks across Africa's national
borders has been in the works since the 1930's. Van Riet, who has been with the Peace Parks
Foundation since its inception, in 1997, is the man leading the organization into the 21st
century. Taking over where founder Anton Rupert left off, he is developing six more peace
parks in southern Africa, including the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, linking
Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. He is also expanding the Peace Parks concept
on other continents, working with Ted Turner's U.N. Foundation to create a park in the DMZ
between North and South Korea, among other projects.
