I read Scott Kirsner’s Innovation Economy column every Sunday in The Boston Globe. Not only has he reported on Boston news for well over a decade, but Scott provides excellent insight into the future of up-and-coming technology companies in Massachusetts.

His article on ITA Software this weekend was a bit of an eye-opener. ITA, which has roots pre-dating the Internet, is now in contention to be acquired by Google for $1 billion. Without going into too many details, ITA created technology that we, as the consumer, now take advantage of – they write computer code for airline search engines that help us sort through airfare options.

What seems simple (and mundane) to us now, was actually pretty novel at the time. In fact, Kirsner hit the nail on the head when he described the founder, Jeremy Wertheimer as “someone who is motivated mainly by the opportunity to solve what he considers to be ‘ridiculously hard problems.’”

Wertheimer had the forethought to find a better way for the consumers to travel, which was a lofty task to undertake.

The services industry is another area that is extremely hard to penetrate. This article resonated with me, as OnForce – and all its employees – is motivated to empower our customers to provide excellent IT and CE service, while offering additional work opportunities to service professionals to increase their income.

While OnForce is creating a new revolution on how companies deliver on-site services, there are additional trailblazing companies such as Guru and eLance who are empowering individuals by placing them into jobs that fit their specific skill-sets. In this economy, that should make all of us happy.

In this day and age, we can all take a page out of ITA’s handbook and look for ways to empower people and solve hard problems. I’m always interested in learning about innovative business methods and leaders who are helping to boost this economy. Please share your ideas here.

And Scott, if you ever want to take a short trip up to Lexington, my door is always open.