Ann Hand is CEO of Project Frog, a manufacturer of smart building systems. She was recently ranked No. 32 in Fast Company’s “100 Most Creative People in Business” list. Before joining Project Frog in 2009, Hand was senior vice president of global brand marketing and innovation for BP, where she was responsible for developing new ways for consumers to engage with the BP brand and oversaw $300 million annually in marketing initiatives worldwide. Hand has also held marketing, finance and operation positions at Mobil Oil and McDonald’s Corp. She is now is putting her marketing and operational expertise to work at Project Frog, growing markets, developing products and increasing brand awareness for its smart buildings. Her goal is to make the construction industry – the largest consumer of energy, natural resources and landfill space – a great deal greener. Hand received a B.A. in economics from DePauw University and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

On Tuesday, Ann Hand discussed her company, Project Frog, with Dave on Innovation Navigation. Project Frog is a company that is disrupting the construction business. Founded in 2007, their mission revolves around a group of people who they care a lot about- education. The occupiers of public schools are our future, and the proliferation of portables in schools throughout the country provides poor learning conditions. Frog looked to the outside to solve this problem. There are other industries that have gone through industrial revolutions. They put together a unique team with builders, architects, product designers, energy and manufacturing, to create a unique innovation engine to design an optimal building from the users perspective. Once Frog has designed the product, they break it down into components (flat-pack) and deliver the “kit” to job site that is built in half the time and 20-30% cheaper than traditional construction.