Business innovator of the year nominees: this award recognizes companies that have set trends and broken new ground in a particular industry.

Mid-Atlantic Surgical Assoc. P.L.L.C. TYPE OF BUSINESS Robotic surgery FOUNDERS Dr. John Crews and Dr. Derron Simon LOCATION Richmond, VA

This medical practice is truly space-age. Robotic surgery is a new phenomenon in the world of medicine, and Drs. John Crews and Derron Simon are two if its pioneers. They are the founders of Mid-Atlantic Surgical Associates and the first African American robotic surgery team.

In robotic or telerobotic surgery, the surgeon operates mechanical arms from a remote computer console while viewing a virtual, 3-D operating field. It was originally created by the Department of Defense to aid in the medical treatment of soldiers in wartime situations. The da Vinci surgical system is the robotic device Crews and Simon use to perform surgeries.

Technology that enables surgeons to feel tactile sensation while operating a telerobotic system has already been created and is awaiting approval by the Food & Drug Administration. Robotic surgery has been used to treat ailments common to African Americans, such as prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, and acid reflux. Among its touted advantages are less pain and trauma during the procedure, less blood loss, less post-operation pain and discomfort, and faster recovery.

Crews, 35, and Simon, 36, were trained in robotics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Maimonides Medical Center in New York, and Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore. They started their practice in 2002 with $60,000 and saw $820,000 in revenues last year.

Cultura TYPE OF BUSINESS Skin Care FOUNDERS Dr. Eliot F. Battle and Dr. Monte O. Harris LOCATION Washington, DE

Drs. Eliot F. Battle and Monte O. Harris opened the doors to Cultura, a cosmetic medical spa that specializes in the skin care needs of darker skin, in 2002. They decided to go into business to remedy what they saw as a lack of service in the cosmetic medical community for people of color. But their business strategy was unique: They decided not to advertise. The doctors had researched their potential clientele so thoroughly that they were confident their clients, the media, and the medical community would get the word out about the business.

Battle, 48, is Cultura's director of laser medicine. He graduated from Howard University Medical School and is a dermatology and laser surgery specialist. Harris, 38, is the practice's director of plastic surgery. He's a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and specializes in reconstructive and facial plastic surgery. Harris is also a clinical assistant professor in Georgetown University's department of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery and Howard University's department of dermatology.

The local and celebrity clientele is 60% people of color and mostly female, though there is a growing male component. The doctors opened the business after investing about $1 million in equipment and have nearly tripled that investment in 2004 revenues.

Krazy Kickz TYPE OF BUSINESS Footwear emporium FOUNDERS Sam Robinson and LaTesha Burroughs LOCATION Durham, NC

Remember those sneakers you used to have that you thought were really cool? Your favorite ones from 1980-something? Well, you might be able to find them again on Krazy Kickz (www.krazykicz.com), the online sneaker forum where you can buy and sell current and classic styles of sneakers.

Sam Robinson, 21, and LaTesha Burroughs, 20, were full-time college students when they founded Krazy Kickz in 2001. Sneaker collectors and aficionados themselves, they started the company with about $1,000 and 20 pairs of sneakers. They now have three employees and two business advisers and work with a professional accountant. In 2004, the company took in just over $416,000 in revenues, almost double what it made in 2003. The site features today's hottest styles, yesterday's favorites, and limited edition styles never released in the U.S. that retail for more than three times their original value.

Robinson handles the company's purchasing and public relations and manages business partnerships. Burroughs takes care of client relations and sales and marketing, handles some of the accounting, and maintains the Website. Burroughs built the Website herself and Robinson takes the product photos that appear on the site. Tracking down the largest variety of sneakers for their customers has taken the young entrepreneurs as far as Japan, and the company has an international clientele that is steadily growing.