Portsmouth MS students show off ideas at Invention Convention

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PORTSMOUTH — From helping the elderly to making exercise more entertaining, Portsmouth Middle School sixth graders exhibited their creations — some with not too modest sales tags — at their Invention Convention last week. Thomas Chlaupek, 11, displayed his prototype of the "Ultimate Lighting System" in which a sensor is placed under a rug beside the bed that triggers a light to shine when stepped upon.

He said he designed it for the elderly and those with Alzheimer's disease who may "get out of bed and trip on something" before finding the light switch. He priced his invention at $200 after researching sensor systems used in hospitals that trip an alarm when patients leave the bed.

A grocery cart with side carts to hold fragile items is 12-year-old Alison Hamilton's idea behind "Pimp My Cart." She said she wants to try her cart out at Clements' Market because "every time I go to the store with my mom she's always worried about the bread and chips getting smooshed."

Claire O'Connor, 11, researched the tools she needed for her "Airplane Entertainment Kit" by interviewing her little cousin who flew to California and studying what is placed in the backseat pockets of cars to entertain children. The kit includes a coloring book, blanket, DVD player and more, and is designed for "toddlers when they go on airplane rides so they don't get bored" because they'll "have everything they need in front of them."

Kyle MacDonald, 11, put his "DVD Helmet," designed for the exercise-reluctant, to the test on his 8-year-old brother who caught some passes in a football game wearing the helmet. The helmet has a small DVD player attached in front enabling his brother to watch "Remember the Titans" as he played.

"He could still see the ball and move his hands," Kyle said. "He thought it was pretty cool, too."

"We're tired of tying on our skates every day," said 11-year-old Timothy Doherty who, along with Isabel Regine, 11, thought up "Icelys" — sneakers with skate blades.

Both students are hockey players and wanted to create a skate that could get them on the ice faster. Though their shoes had removable tinfoil blades, they assured their audience that skate blades could easily fit in the same way.

"We think we're going to make millions with them," Isabel said.

Aaron Parker, 11, said he created the "Hotonator," a heated back pack, because "I get cold at the bus stop." He sewed a patch on the back of his backpack and inserted a heating pack that he said lasts up to four to six hours and works well.

Tired, sore feet were the impetus behind an invention by Liam Donovan Andrew Rossi, both 12. Their sneakers were outfitted with rubber bouncy balls split in half and placed under thick foam inserts. "When you walk your feet move inside the shoe and it massages," Liam said. "It works," Andrew added, saying that they had tested their product on Liam's mom.

Steven Vierkant, 12, wanted something that he could "play in the dark without disturbing my parents." He took a small toy car and covered it with glow-in-the-dark paint which charges in the daytime and glows for up to two hours. His original asking price was ninety-nine cents but he said he bumped it up to $2.99 "because I was thinking I could make a little money off it."

Kerri McVey, 12, and Brittany Cook, 11, designed the "Self-Watering Flower Pot" that they said nourished spider plants for two weeks with only one watering. The potted plants are placed inside a plastic container with holes punched in it that allow water poured into a larger plastic container to flow in as needed.

"It takes two weeks for the water to seep in all the way," Kerri said.

"So it waters itself," Brittany added.

Having trouble staying dedicated to practicing her violin, Katie Hobbs, 11, created a timer that starts when sat upon and beeps when the designated time is over. "Time's Up" also keeps kids honest, Katie said, because "if you get up it beeps and your parents know." She said since she's been practicing with the timer, "I'm playing a lot better than before."

"Life just got easier" is the slogan for 11-year-old Lexi Farias' "Little Helper." Her walker is equipped with tennis balls on the bottom of each leg for softer impacts and a cushion that folds down whenever a seat is needed. She said she got the idea from her best friend's grandmother, whom she thinks of as her own grandmother.

By Jill Rodrigues

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A Kissimmee inventor who has created what he says will be the first energy-efficient clothes dryer announced this week that he has reached a joint-development agreement with appliance manufacturer Haier America.

Michael Brown, a former appliance repairman who developed a hydronic heating element by tinkering in his garage, also said his 2-year-old Orlando company, Hydromatic Technologies Corp., has reached $1 million in private investment.
"We're looking pretty good," Brown said.

Hydromatic Technologies hopes to have a Haier dryer on the market in 2008. Haier America is the U.S. division of Haier Group, a multinational appliance and electronics manufacturer based in China.

Haier is interested in developing a 110-volt Hydromatic dryer for the apartment market, Brown said. "Our Hydromatic technology significantly reduces the time it takes to dry clothes using 110," he noted.

Hydromatic Technologies also is in talks with appliance manufacturers Electrolux and Bosche, which are interested in Hydromatic's technology for their high-end dryers, Brown said.

Hydromatic is the first company to adapt a hydronic heating system for use in a dryer.

The mechanism substantially reduces the amount of electricity needed to dry clothes by using heat transfer from a nontoxic, odor-free, food-grade fluid contained in a pipe.

Currently there are no clothes dryers on the market that meet the government's Energy Star rating for energy efficiency.
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Taking Your Invention to a Trade Show

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Trade shows offer inventors and entrepreneurs the opportunity to reach a large number of potential buyers and retailers. They also provide a marketing-sales double whammy: You'll meet buyers seeking products like yours, and even if you don’t make a sale on the spot, your presence creates awareness about your product. You should also use trade shows to scout out similar products, make new contacts and gain general knowledge about your industry.
Here are some strategies for maximizing your trade show experience.

Find Shows That Fit

The most important thing you can do before attending a trade show is to make sure you choose the right one. You need to make the most of your time and money, and a poor choice can be a waste of both. Be sure to make your choice based on the potential returns. To choose appropriate trade shows, consider the following:

• Ask your best customers (or target customers) which trade shows they attend. For example, if your best customer is a locally owned housewares store, ask the owner which trade show she attends to choose her products. Chances are, there'll be other buyers like her there from around the region or country interested in your product, too.
  
  
  
  
• Consider cost. Smaller, regional shows are often less expensive than larger, national ones. Your booth rental can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the show. Historically, my company has paid about $1,000 per 100 square feet at trade shows (primarily juvenile and housewares shows), but major shows can charge up to $10,000 for a booth. That said, less may not be more. When you consider the time and preparation involved, a bigger, more costly show may be a better investment.
  
  
  
  
• Examine the nature of the attendees. Some shows, for instance, may be dominated by buyers who represent regional or independent stores, while others may be mainly attended by mass retailers. Still others will target niche buyers like grocery or drug stores. Be sure your product is a potential match for the buyers who’ll be attending.

To find potential trade shows in your industry, visit www.tsnn.com, where you can search by industry, show name, date or state. You should also visit the website of the industry association related to your product; most sponsor trade shows for members and buyers to come together.

Make the Most of Your Booth

So you’ve chosen the show you’d like to attend. Now you need to determine what you’ll do when you get there. It’s important to maximize your booth space by presenting a professional, eye-catching image. While your booth design doesn’t need to be elaborate, try to creatively make the most of your space.

In a basic package, the trade show will probably supply you with a table and skirt and some chairs. You can add stands and shelves you can buy at a discount store to further display your wares. Bring pretty tablecloths to cover boring tables. Create signs, banners and graphic elements to convey your brand and your products. You don’t need to spend thousands on high-end panels--there are many thrifty ways to make your booth stand out.

For instance, we bought $79 white wooden shuttered closet doors at The Home Depot to use at our first show and placed them directly behind us in our booth space. I was able to display my packaged products by hanging them from S-hooks on the doors, similar to how they’d be sold in stores. I then spent the majority of our budget on high-resolution graphics of our products, which I also hung around the booth. The result was a professional-looking booth in a homey setting at a relatively low cost.

The location of your booth can also be critical to your success. When registering to exhibit, get a map of the show layout to choose your preferred locations. Here are a few things to remember when scouting your site:

• Locations near the main entry are typically highly desired.
• People tend to veer right after entering rooms.
• A corner location can benefit from traffic coming from multiple directions.
• You can request placement near specific vendors at some shows. Avoid being placed near a huge booth that will dwarf yours, near direct competitors or at dead-end points in the traffic pattern.

Working the Show

A few weeks before a trade show, you can start creating some pre-show buzz. Send a letter or postcard to key prospective customers to let them know you’ll be at the show. Include your booth number and information on what you’ll be exhibiting. Also, consider including a promotional element to entice them to come visit your booth--a drawing for a prize or a small giveaway to all visitors.

Once you're at the trade show, make the most of your time. Engage with potential buyers as they pass by. Appear friendly and interested and offer a quick product demonstration. Develop some show specials, such as free shipping or discounts for orders placed at the show. Remember that at your first show, your goal is to establish new relationships and open new accounts--not make a killing on profit. Don’t sacrifice a potential long-term relationship for a few dollars.

Tools of the Trade

Remember to bring these key items to the show:

• Receipt book
• Order forms
• Stapler
• Organizer or folder for orders
• Product sell sheets
• Business cards
• Product samples
• A bowl of candy to entice people to stop
• A promotional giveaway, usually a small, inexpensive item with your logo
• Supplies including packing tape, scissors, pens, a dolly and a small broom

Can’t-Miss Tips

We’ve also learned a few additional lessons along the way about dos and don’ts for exhibiting at a trade show.

• Wear comfortable shoes. The high-heeled Jimmy Choos may look fantastic, but your look of anguish at the end of the day will surely undermine your sales efforts.
• Bring someone along so your booth is never unattended. Take occasional breaks to walk around the show and regain your energy.
• Don’t eat in your booth.
• Try not to chat too much with your booth neighbors, especially when they’re speaking to potential buyers.
• Consider doing a prize drawing giveaway. Think of what’s hot and what people would want to win and consider your audience. Giveaways to bring home to the kids are always popular.
• Look into travel deals negotiated by the trade show for hotels, car rentals and airlines. Then search on your own for potentially better deals through discount travel sites.

Keep it in Perspective

While trade shows can be a great way to make sales, be sure to set realistic expectations. A trade show should be one component of your overall sales plan. In other words, don’t expect to make your entire investment back at your first show. In addition to potential sales, remember to value what else you can gain by exhibiting at a trade show--new contacts, industry knowledge, feedback about your product, and product and brand awareness.

---

Tamara Monosoff is Entrepreneur.com's "Inventions" columnist and the founder and CEO of Mom Inventors Inc., a product development and manufacturing company. She's also the author of The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea Into the Next Big Thing (McGraw-Hill).

Copyright © 2007 Entrepreneur.com, Inc.

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Hurricanes inspire winning invention

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Kristen Nevils wowed the Venture2 "Inventor Search" judges both with her husband's "Watersafe" invention idea and her presentation polish.

On Thursday in Delray Beach, Nevils, 37, proudly unveiled the emergency water storage product that she and husband Michael Nevils, 44, developed after South Florida was hit by hurricanes two years in a row. The Fort Lauderdale residents' product is a solution for the homeowner to keep up to 65 gallons of emergency water supply in the bathtub or sink, avoiding the prehurricane scramble for bottled water.

"When you see those palm trees starting to bend, you fill it up," Nevils said, demonstrating how the plastic storage bags are filled with tap water and secured.

On Friday, the couple were named the contest winners. "I'm blown away. I'm so excited," Nevils said. "I love my product and see so much in it. But to have other inventors say, `You really have something here,' that's amazing. That legitimizes it."

The contest was sponsored by Venture2, a consulting firm founded by Michael Docherty, a former consumer products guru for Sunbeam.

"It wasn't an easy call," Docherty said about the contests' three finalists. A gift-wrap cutting and storage product invented by David Richards, 52, of Palm Harbor, for example, "was less developed, but potentially bigger opportunity," he said.

"In the end what pushed us toward Watersafe is that they were the ones who took the total business approach," Docherty said. The Nevilses also are willing to devote their time to developing the product, he added. Several contestants were looking for someone else to market their invention.

The winners receive 60 days' consulting from Venture2 in refining their concept and licensing or launching their product in the marketplace.

Judges ranked inventors on whether their idea addressed "unmet customer needs, was unique, and an attractive financial opportunity."

Nine inventors were chosen to make presentations, set up American Idol-style with three judges giving on-the-spot feedback. But the judges, who included Docherty, inventor Bob Robbins and MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida President Amer Akhtar, were gentler in their advice than judges of TV fame.

The judges liked the Nevilses' water storage product, but questioned how Kristen Nevils arrived at the price, $34.95 for the large and $12.99 for the "mini" version.

The judges praised Eva Thomas, a Boca Raton inventor, for her passion, but couldn't see the potential that she does in her locking mailbox designed to make homeowners safe from identity theft. "Drive along A1A. They have multimillion-dollar homes and they have $10 mailboxes. It drives me nuts," she said.

"You're underestimating what's involved in trying to build a business around this," Docherty told her.

Finalists John and Gwendolyn Corn drove from St. Petersburg to participate in the contest. The couple invented what they call the "Bath Fiddle," a back scrubber made of quick-dry, exfoliating material.

"It's a great idea," said "Judge" Robbins, who has invented many products including the Conair hair-braiding device for teenagers. He recommended the couple take their back scrubber to a bed-and-bath trade show in Las Vegas.

"I like it, too," added "Judge" Akhtar, who saw potential in using the product to put on suntan lotion at the beach. "I would buy one."

Robbins saw potential in Richard's gift-wrap idea, saying his device to cut paper was more valuable than the storage idea. Even though he didn't win the contest, Richards said he found the judges helpful. "I picked up a lot of information, and they're open to providing guidance on this.

"I didn't know how to proceed. I haven't done this before, and I don't have much time because I have a family and a job. It was a great experience."
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DAYTONA BEACH -- Jim Cairns was a boy, he invented a way to hang pictures in his room without making the holes in the wall that so irritated his mother.

He mixed iron powder with paint and spread it on the walls, then he put magnets on his pictures and stuck them to the iron treatment.

It worked for a while until the walls started rusting.

His mother was not amused.

A few years later, his high school principal was equally unimpressed with Cairns' antics and asked him to leave school.

"I was a bit of a cut up," Cairns said, recalling those days.

But his early urge to push the envelope has served Cairns well in later life. He went on to found Ocean Design Inc., and to invent electric and fiber-optic connectors that have led to more than 50 patents.

Now, Cairns has written a book, "The Inventor's Pathfinder: A Practical Guide to Successful Inventing," which encourages people to invent and gives them the steps to follow.

If necessity is the mother of invention, Cairn's book is no exception. He discovered most books about inventions were written by lawyers and focused on obtaining patents. "There was nothing to walk someone through the process," Cairns said. "I wanted to provide a road map, a path to follow. Anyone who wants to spend the time to do it right, can."

Cairns self-published his book through iUniverse and it is available online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. "I thought at the end of my career, if I could set out my experiences and help anyone, I wanted to do that," said Cairns, 69.

Cairns said when he talks to groups, he asks for a show of hands from those who've had ideas for inventions. Almost everyone raises a hand. Then, he asks how many did anything with their ideas, and no hands come up. "The beginning inventor's biggest problem doesn't seem to be getting interesting ideas; it's knowing what to do next," Cairns said.

He recently spoke to the Volusia Manufacturers Association. "The members were in awe," said Jayne Fifer, the group's president. "I think he opened quite a few eyes on the thought process for coming up with inventions."

It's often a matter of building a better mousetrap. Cairns likes to point out there are 100 patents on toothpicks and 500 patents on golf tees.

If they didn't know otherwise, his listeners might not suspect this down-to-earth man with an engaging smile invented highly sophisticated fiber-optic connectors. He makes it sound as easy as inventing toothpicks.

After he was kicked out of high school in Pennsylvania, Cairns took the GED. When he wasn't accepted to the University of Pittsburgh, he just started going to classes anyway. College administrators finally noticed after two semesters when Cairns was named to the honor society. The dean called him in and, after admonishing him in terms not printable, begrudgingly agreed to admit him.

Cairns went on to obtain a Ph.D. in physics. He was working for the Navy when he applied the first principle he now describes in his book on inventing: find a problem that needs a solution.

Tired of making so many underwater dives to readjust or replace underwater connectors, Cairns was inspired to develop a better connector. The first connector he invented was licensed for $1,500, but was never made. He kept trying.

Cairns continued to invent underwater connectors, which have been compared in laymen's terms to regular wall sockets, while working at The Scripps Institution of Oceanography in California and as a chief scientist for NATO in Italy. Then, Cairns decided to take the leap of faith that would change his life. "I decided to take a couple of years off to see if I would make money as a inventor," he said.

He moved to Florida and started a company, which he sold to Lockheed Martin Corp. in 1985. Then, he returned to Italy, kicked back, enjoyed the food and wine and waited. When his agreement not to compete with Lockheed expired, he came back to Florida. He established Ocean Design in his garage in Holly Hill to manufacture and sell the connectors he invented.

The company has grown to 225 employees and has worldwide customers that include the offshore oil and gas industry and the military. Cairns said the company's connectors have expanded energy exploration by allowing deeper ocean searches for oil and gas.

Last summer, Teledyne Technologies, Inc. bought a majority interest in ODI at a price valuing ODI at a minimum of $60 million. ODI stockholders have the option to sell their shares to Teledyne until June 2009 when Teledyne will have complete ownership.

Cairns remains on ODI's board of directors and lives half of the year in Ormond Beach. He spends the rest of the year with his Italian wife, Annamarie, in a 700-year-old monastery near Urbino, which they converted into their home. He also became an Italian citizen.

Now that he is known as an inventor, people come to him with all sorts of screwy ideas. In Italy, Cairns agreed to go to a man's house to look at an invention. It is a "perpetual motion machine," the man told Cairns. "Just a minute, let me go turn it on." The memory still makes Cairns laugh.

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Portsmouth MS students show off ideas at Invention Convention

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PORTSMOUTH — From helping the elderly to making exercise more entertaining, Portsmouth Middle School sixth graders exhibited their creations — some with not too modest sales tags — at their Invention Convention last week. Thomas Chlaupek, 11, displayed his prototype of the "Ultimate Lighting System" in which a sensor is placed under a rug beside the bed that triggers a light to shine when stepped upon.

He said he designed it for the elderly and those with Alzheimer's disease who may "get out of bed and trip on something" before finding the light switch. He priced his invention at $200 after researching sensor systems used in hospitals that trip an alarm when patients leave the bed.

A grocery cart with side carts to hold fragile items is 12-year-old Alison Hamilton's idea behind "Pimp My Cart." She said she wants to try her cart out at Clements' Market because "every time I go to the store with my mom she's always worried about the bread and chips getting smooshed."

Claire O'Connor, 11, researched the tools she needed for her "Airplane Entertainment Kit" by interviewing her little cousin who flew to California and studying what is placed in the backseat pockets of cars to entertain children. The kit includes a coloring book, blanket, DVD player and more, and is designed for "toddlers when they go on airplane rides so they don't get bored" because they'll "have everything they need in front of them."

Kyle MacDonald, 11, put his "DVD Helmet," designed for the exercise-reluctant, to the test on his 8-year-old brother who caught some passes in a football game wearing the helmet. The helmet has a small DVD player attached in front enabling his brother to watch "Remember the Titans" as he played.

"He could still see the ball and move his hands," Kyle said. "He thought it was pretty cool, too."

"We're tired of tying on our skates every day," said 11-year-old Timothy Doherty who, along with Isabel Regine, 11, thought up "Icelys" — sneakers with skate blades.

Both students are hockey players and wanted to create a skate that could get them on the ice faster. Though their shoes had removable tinfoil blades, they assured their audience that skate blades could easily fit in the same way.

"We think we're going to make millions with them," Isabel said.

Aaron Parker, 11, said he created the "Hotonator," a heated back pack, because "I get cold at the bus stop." He sewed a patch on the back of his backpack and inserted a heating pack that he said lasts up to four to six hours and works well.

Tired, sore feet were the impetus behind an invention by Liam Donovan Andrew Rossi, both 12. Their sneakers were outfitted with rubber bouncy balls split in half and placed under thick foam inserts. "When you walk your feet move inside the shoe and it massages," Liam said. "It works," Andrew added, saying that they had tested their product on Liam's mom.

Steven Vierkant, 12, wanted something that he could "play in the dark without disturbing my parents." He took a small toy car and covered it with glow-in-the-dark paint which charges in the daytime and glows for up to two hours. His original asking price was ninety-nine cents but he said he bumped it up to $2.99 "because I was thinking I could make a little money off it."

Kerri McVey, 12, and Brittany Cook, 11, designed the "Self-Watering Flower Pot" that they said nourished spider plants for two weeks with only one watering. The potted plants are placed inside a plastic container with holes punched in it that allow water poured into a larger plastic container to flow in as needed.

"It takes two weeks for the water to seep in all the way," Kerri said.

"So it waters itself," Brittany added.

Having trouble staying dedicated to practicing her violin, Katie Hobbs, 11, created a timer that starts when sat upon and beeps when the designated time is over. "Time's Up" also keeps kids honest, Katie said, because "if you get up it beeps and your parents know." She said since she's been practicing with the timer, "I'm playing a lot better than before."

"Life just got easier" is the slogan for 11-year-old Lexi Farias' "Little Helper." Her walker is equipped with tennis balls on the bottom of each leg for softer impacts and a cushion that folds down whenever a seat is needed. She said she got the idea from her best friend's grandmother, whom she thinks of as her own grandmother.

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A Kissimmee inventor who has created what he says will be the first energy-efficient clothes dryer announced this week that he has reached a joint-development agreement with appliance manufacturer Haier America.

Michael Brown, a former appliance repairman who developed a hydronic heating element by tinkering in his garage, also said his 2-year-old Orlando company, Hydromatic Technologies Corp., has reached $1 million in private investment.
"We're looking pretty good," Brown said.

Hydromatic Technologies hopes to have a Haier dryer on the market in 2008. Haier America is the U.S. division of Haier Group, a multinational appliance and electronics manufacturer based in China.

Haier is interested in developing a 110-volt Hydromatic dryer for the apartment market, Brown said. "Our Hydromatic technology significantly reduces the time it takes to dry clothes using 110," he noted.

Hydromatic Technologies also is in talks with appliance manufacturers Electrolux and Bosche, which are interested in Hydromatic's technology for their high-end dryers, Brown said.

Hydromatic is the first company to adapt a hydronic heating system for use in a dryer.

The mechanism substantially reduces the amount of electricity needed to dry clothes by using heat transfer from a nontoxic, odor-free, food-grade fluid contained in a pipe.

Currently there are no clothes dryers on the market that meet the government's Energy Star rating for energy efficiency.
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Taking Your Invention to a Trade Show

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Trade shows offer inventors and entrepreneurs the opportunity to reach a large number of potential buyers and retailers. They also provide a marketing-sales double whammy: You'll meet buyers seeking products like yours, and even if you don’t make a sale on the spot, your presence creates awareness about your product. You should also use trade shows to scout out similar products, make new contacts and gain general knowledge about your industry.
Here are some strategies for maximizing your trade show experience.

Find Shows That Fit

The most important thing you can do before attending a trade show is to make sure you choose the right one. You need to make the most of your time and money, and a poor choice can be a waste of both. Be sure to make your choice based on the potential returns. To choose appropriate trade shows, consider the following:

• Ask your best customers (or target customers) which trade shows they attend. For example, if your best customer is a locally owned housewares store, ask the owner which trade show she attends to choose her products. Chances are, there'll be other buyers like her there from around the region or country interested in your product, too.
  
  
  
  
• Consider cost. Smaller, regional shows are often less expensive than larger, national ones. Your booth rental can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the show. Historically, my company has paid about $1,000 per 100 square feet at trade shows (primarily juvenile and housewares shows), but major shows can charge up to $10,000 for a booth. That said, less may not be more. When you consider the time and preparation involved, a bigger, more costly show may be a better investment.
  
  
  
  
• Examine the nature of the attendees. Some shows, for instance, may be dominated by buyers who represent regional or independent stores, while others may be mainly attended by mass retailers. Still others will target niche buyers like grocery or drug stores. Be sure your product is a potential match for the buyers who’ll be attending.

To find potential trade shows in your industry, visit www.tsnn.com, where you can search by industry, show name, date or state. You should also visit the website of the industry association related to your product; most sponsor trade shows for members and buyers to come together.

Make the Most of Your Booth

So you’ve chosen the show you’d like to attend. Now you need to determine what you’ll do when you get there. It’s important to maximize your booth space by presenting a professional, eye-catching image. While your booth design doesn’t need to be elaborate, try to creatively make the most of your space.

In a basic package, the trade show will probably supply you with a table and skirt and some chairs. You can add stands and shelves you can buy at a discount store to further display your wares. Bring pretty tablecloths to cover boring tables. Create signs, banners and graphic elements to convey your brand and your products. You don’t need to spend thousands on high-end panels--there are many thrifty ways to make your booth stand out.

For instance, we bought $79 white wooden shuttered closet doors at The Home Depot to use at our first show and placed them directly behind us in our booth space. I was able to display my packaged products by hanging them from S-hooks on the doors, similar to how they’d be sold in stores. I then spent the majority of our budget on high-resolution graphics of our products, which I also hung around the booth. The result was a professional-looking booth in a homey setting at a relatively low cost.

The location of your booth can also be critical to your success. When registering to exhibit, get a map of the show layout to choose your preferred locations. Here are a few things to remember when scouting your site:

• Locations near the main entry are typically highly desired.
• People tend to veer right after entering rooms.
• A corner location can benefit from traffic coming from multiple directions.
• You can request placement near specific vendors at some shows. Avoid being placed near a huge booth that will dwarf yours, near direct competitors or at dead-end points in the traffic pattern.

Working the Show

A few weeks before a trade show, you can start creating some pre-show buzz. Send a letter or postcard to key prospective customers to let them know you’ll be at the show. Include your booth number and information on what you’ll be exhibiting. Also, consider including a promotional element to entice them to come visit your booth--a drawing for a prize or a small giveaway to all visitors.

Once you're at the trade show, make the most of your time. Engage with potential buyers as they pass by. Appear friendly and interested and offer a quick product demonstration. Develop some show specials, such as free shipping or discounts for orders placed at the show. Remember that at your first show, your goal is to establish new relationships and open new accounts--not make a killing on profit. Don’t sacrifice a potential long-term relationship for a few dollars.

Tools of the Trade

Remember to bring these key items to the show:

• Receipt book
• Order forms
• Stapler
• Organizer or folder for orders
• Product sell sheets
• Business cards
• Product samples
• A bowl of candy to entice people to stop
• A promotional giveaway, usually a small, inexpensive item with your logo
• Supplies including packing tape, scissors, pens, a dolly and a small broom

Can’t-Miss Tips

We’ve also learned a few additional lessons along the way about dos and don’ts for exhibiting at a trade show.

• Wear comfortable shoes. The high-heeled Jimmy Choos may look fantastic, but your look of anguish at the end of the day will surely undermine your sales efforts.
• Bring someone along so your booth is never unattended. Take occasional breaks to walk around the show and regain your energy.
• Don’t eat in your booth.
• Try not to chat too much with your booth neighbors, especially when they’re speaking to potential buyers.
• Consider doing a prize drawing giveaway. Think of what’s hot and what people would want to win and consider your audience. Giveaways to bring home to the kids are always popular.
• Look into travel deals negotiated by the trade show for hotels, car rentals and airlines. Then search on your own for potentially better deals through discount travel sites.

Keep it in Perspective

While trade shows can be a great way to make sales, be sure to set realistic expectations. A trade show should be one component of your overall sales plan. In other words, don’t expect to make your entire investment back at your first show. In addition to potential sales, remember to value what else you can gain by exhibiting at a trade show--new contacts, industry knowledge, feedback about your product, and product and brand awareness.

---

Tamara Monosoff is Entrepreneur.com's "Inventions" columnist and the founder and CEO of Mom Inventors Inc., a product development and manufacturing company. She's also the author of The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea Into the Next Big Thing (McGraw-Hill).

Copyright © 2007 Entrepreneur.com, Inc.

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http://www.prairietumbleweedfarm.com/

The lowly tumbleweed is a nuisance to most inhabitants of Western Kansas. The Russian thistle bushes are everywhere. They clog drainage ditches, pile up against fencerows, and have even been known to cause traffic accidents.

But the weed is blowing only good fortune to Linda Katz of Garden City, Kan., who is proving that you really can sell almost anything on the Internet. You see, this former real estate agent, who’s married to a roofer, sells tumbleweeds over the Web.

“It all started as a joke,”says Katz, 49. She asked her son to build her a family Web page so she could communicate with friends and give it the tongue-in-cheek name Prairie Tumbleweed Farm. Never mind that she didn’t even live on a farm, but in a subdivision. Nevermind that you can’t cultivate tumbleweed, which spreads its seed as it tumbles in the wind. For authenticity’s sake, Katz added a price list ($35 for a big weed, $25 for a midsize one, $20 for the small economy model).

Remember, Katz wasn’t looking for business, but it found her all the same, thanks to the power of Web search engines.

Orders started to pour in from all the places where people love Hollywood Westerns: Alaska, Austria, Britain, Hong Kong, India.

Japanese customers proved so eager that she has added a section to her Web site in Japanese. Movie and TV production companies in Britain, Finland, and the U.S. have ordered tumbleweed for props, too, including a $1,000 order for the children’s show Barney & Friends. A scientist from New Mexico wanted tumbleweed for research purposes.

Many of Katz’s newfound customers use tumbleweed to decorate their homes, even in lieu of the traditional Christmas tree.

During Katz’s first two months on the Web, the site logged 2,000 visitors. By mid-January, the number had grown to more than 56,000. Katz says she’s making about 30 tumbleweed sales a week, which suggests revenues of about $40,000 a year.

That may not sound like much, but neither are her costs. She fills orders by grazing Kansas fence lines for tumbleweed and buys her mailing boxes in bulk lots. For labor, Katz uses her five nieces and nephews to help collect the stuff, and she gives them a share of the profits.

“Isn’t the Internet a wonderful thing?” asks Katz.

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Marcus Lee migrated to Australia in 1988 from England, and within hours of arriving in the country had the idea of creating the "shinfin".

After 19 years of research, the Middle Cove resident and his shinfin will appear on ABC-TV's The New Inventors on April 25.

Mr Lee said the premise behind the invention was to develop a swimming flipper that strapped on above the ankle rather than over the foot.

"I was at the beach watching bodyboarders walking backwards, struggling through the water because they had these flippers stuck on their feet," Mr Lee said

"When swimming [with the shinfin], it takes the load off the foot, decreasing cramping and blisters, while taking stress and pressure off the ankle joint... You can walk around in them, climb ladders, or anything really."

After making about 50 prototypes, Mr Lee was awarded a research and development grant from the Federal Government, which paid for half the expenses. He also received a $25,000 grant from the Australian Technology Showcase.

"The New Inventors were able to contact me from there as the [Australian] Technology Showcase has a website listing who they have given grants to," he said.

The former Cambridge University engineering student has put his career as a mechanics and design engineer on hold to focus on selling the shinfin. "Through my website the business has been funding itself. I've sold a few thousand of them worldwide to the US, Canada, Europe and Asia as well as in Australia."

With sales picking up, Mr Lee said additional types of flippers, such as a smaller version for kids, had been put on the drawing board.

A former competitive swimmer, Mr Lee said he also hoped to market the fins as a swimming aid for the disabled.

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Biz Idea: Chch inventor's baseball cap to light world

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A Christchurch inventor has gone into production with a revolutionary cap and is looking for international distributors to take the product to the world.

Simon Dyer, a software development manager by day and inventor by night, has spent the past three years developing the 2C, a solar-powered baseball cap that includes two high-powered LED lights controlled by a microprocessor.

The product is aimed at campers, tradesmen, emergency workers or anyone else who needs a rechargeable source of light.

The caps, which sell for $50 each, use sunlight to recharge during the day and will provide light all night if used on low power.

On high power they have a two-hour life.

"It's designed to look as much as possible like a normal cap. You don't want to walk around with what we call a `dickhead light' on your head."

The caps were developed in Christchurch and are manufactured by local contract manufacturers.

Dyer presented his idea on television's Dragon's Den but turned down $250,000 in funding in return for half his company from entrepreneur Julie Christie.

He knocked Christie back because he did not want to give away half his company for so little after doing so much work.

He has spent $250,000 developing the cap, getting patents and trademarks in place, and is now looking at how to fund himself for the next stage.

His wife, Vanessa, said the family had been eating, sleeping and dreaming about 2C caps for three years.

"I started off in the garage and I've taken over three rooms in the house," Simon Dyer said.

"We need new premises," Vanessa Dyer said.

She has been selling the first caps off the production line at street markets and over the internet but the couple are now looking for distributors to take the 2C around the world.

Simon Dyer came up with the idea of developing a personal light 20 years ago while out photographing a sunset in the tropics.

"The sun went down and it was suddenly pitch black. I was crawling through the undergrowth thinking I wish I had a light."

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Farmer's cool invention turns profitable

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New Paltz — When the air conditioner caught fire three years ago, Kate Khosla thought it was time to pull the plug — literally — on her husband Ron's efforts to invent a better compressor-condensor-evaporator.

For anyone who's not a farmer, a compressor-condensor-evaporator may not sound like something you'd want to spend much time building a better one of. But Ron and Kate Khosla are farmers, and it had always bothered them that it could cost $3,000 or more to have such a huge and heavy contraption installed to create a walk-in cooler room, cool enough to store their harvest in. Their organic farm, Huguenot Street Farm, is modest, as are their profits.

Khosla's idea was simple: he thought he could build a gizmo that would allow an ordinary air conditioner to take a room's temperature down as low as 32 degrees. Not all of his prototypes blew up, but neither did any of his early models last long enough to get the job done.

The toasted air conditioner failed to stop Khosla from plugging away for another three years. Last week, you could find Khosla juggling about a dozen small boxes at the New Paltz post office, sending his patent-pending CoolBot to farmers like himself. With next to no publicity or marketing, the CoolBot is becoming a very hot item. And it's poised to go more places than the farm. He's sold about 80 units at $250 a pop and has placed material orders that will allow him to build another 500.

It's all a marvel to Khosla, who calls himself a "reluctant capitalist" who never intended to sell his invention. He'd thought initially to explain the process to other farmers and let them build their own. That idea didn't work out, but the Khoslas don't seem too broken up about it.

If enthusiasm could be measured in BTUs, Ron Khosla's would be off the charts. Yes, it's been eight years in the making — no overnight success, but, he says, once you've invented something and it's showing such promise and you start realizing who else in the world would love to have a walk-in cooler (caterers, kitchens, grocery stores, wineries) and you're already discovering economies of scale and making a good thing better, well, all you really want to do is invent something else.

And that's the plan at the Khoslas. Whatever money they make from the CoolBot is being earmarked for Ron's next project.

And what might that be?

He smiles and rolls his inventor's eyes conspiratorially.

"It's a secret."
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http://www.litterworks.com/

Brian Turkalo quit a stable, well-paying job as a corporate salesman to deal with his cat’s poop full time — and he couldn’t be happier.

He is the inventor of LitterWorks, an automated system for getting rid of your feline’s feces without needing to scoop them up every other day. Manufactured in Matthews, LitterWorks is celebrating its second anniversary this month, having sold more than 1,000 units online.

The product works as a supplement to the popular LitterMaid (made by another company), which automatically rakes the litterbox after each use. But the LitterMaid must be emptied several times a week.

The LitterMaid sits on top of the LitterWorks, which holds up to two months of used litter and can also include a hood intended to reduce odor. Customers who already have a LitterMaid can purchase Turkalo’s invention separately. He also sells the two products bundled together.

“With our system, the waste passes to a new bag underneath the LitterMaid, so it could fill up for two months and not overflow,” Turkalo said.

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http://www.litterworks.com/

Brian Turkalo quit a stable, well-paying job as a corporate salesman to deal with his cat’s poop full time — and he couldn’t be happier.

He is the inventor of LitterWorks, an automated system for getting rid of your feline’s feces without needing to scoop them up every other day. Manufactured in Matthews, LitterWorks is celebrating its second anniversary this month, having sold more than 1,000 units online.

The product works as a supplement to the popular LitterMaid (made by another company), which automatically rakes the litterbox after each use. But the LitterMaid must be emptied several times a week.

The LitterMaid sits on top of the LitterWorks, which holds up to two months of used litter and can also include a hood intended to reduce odor. Customers who already have a LitterMaid can purchase Turkalo’s invention separately. He also sells the two products bundled together.

“With our system, the waste passes to a new bag underneath the LitterMaid, so it could fill up for two months and not overflow,” Turkalo said.

[Via - Dane Carlson's Blog]

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http://www.poptotheshops.net/

“Bought locally, ordered online and delivered to your door.” That sums up what Poptotheshops offers South Wales residents. Poptotheshops, which was launched late last year, currently serves four high street areas, who each sell between 3300 and 4500 products using the internet shopping service. 292 shoppers have registered so far, and 36 shops have signed up.

One shop actually left the system, because its owner didn’t want the ‘aggravation’ of extra work caused by extra sales. More stores will be joining soon, and Poptotheshops’ founder, Will Seward, hopes to expand beyond Wales as soon as possible.

Seward came up with the idea after being dismayed about being too busy to shop at local stores. Most local shops have shorter opening hours than the big chains like Tesco and Walmart, which can make it hard to support local retailers.

On Poptotheshops, customers can shop day or night, selecting products from the local butcher, baker, fish monger, green grocer and off-license, before checking out in one go. Similar to online shopping at supermarkets, customers can save favourite products and specify when they’d like delivery to take place. Delivery is free for customers. Poptotheshops covers its costs (and will hopefully generate a profit) by charging retailers 10-15% commission.

Besides supporting the local economy and keeping the high street alive, PTTS also sees other benefits: independent stores often offer great local products and produce that aren’t available in nationwide stores, consumers save time otherwise spent in supermarkets and helping small retailers thrive decreases the control that supermarkets have over pricing, produce and suppliers.

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BladeTape inventor eyes big leagues after lucky NHL product placement

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Every Vancouver Canucks hockey fan had sweaty palms Tuesday night when, in the dying moments of the Vancouver-Dallas playoff game, Vancouver defenceman Willie Mitchell swept the puck from his team's goal line, preserving a Canucks win.

Richard Findlay had reason to be more grateful than your average fan. In multiple replays from the camera tucked inside the net on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, viewers saw repeated closeups of the product Findlay invented and Mitchell uses on his stick: BladeTape. Mitchell's dramatic product placement came just two nights after HNIC broadcasters Ron MacLean and Kelly Hrudey gave a between-periods demonstration of BladeTape for the CBC viewing audience.

"The phone is so busy I can't get out of the office," says Findlay, a landscape architect and recreational league hockey player, from his Kitsilano home office. Right on cue, the phone rang in the background.

BladeTape consists of two cross-hatched rubberized plastic strips that a player applies to either side of a hockey stick blade.

It is applied like a bumper sticker -- you peel away the paper backing and lay it over the blade, preferably at room temperature. Unlike conventional hockey tape, BladeTape does not cover the bottom of the stick, which lengthens the life of the product (on average, 15 games) and leads to less buildup of snow and ice.

It provides shock absorption, less drag on the ice and a better grip on the puck, the latter a problem with the new one-piece sticks made of composite-materials.

It retails for $9.99 a pair and can be found at Canadian Tire outlets, among other stores.

Findlay first came up with the idea a decade ago, and experimented with wrapping a bicycle inner tube, condom style, over his stick. The one-piece composite sticks weren't prominent then, so Findlay shelved the idea for nine years.

Then, in a rec-league game last spring, Findlay made a perfect breakaway pass to a teammate, but the puck bounced off his one-piece stick. Findlay went home, pulled out his old files and, with the encouragement of his wife, pursued the idea of making a product that would make these sticks less lively. Several prototypes later, he had BladeTape, but when he went to his patent agent he found out a Pennsylvania man had patented the same thing.

He contacted the American, a millionaire thermoplastics engineer who made surgical implants, who offered to sell him the patent and the business. By the end of July, Findlay had flown all the equipment north, and set up a manufacturing shop at the White Rock garage of Ted Ferguson, one of three business partners in the venture.

One of those partners is Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke, whom Findlay bumped into in Vancouver. After a second meeting, Burke took a 10-per-cent interest in BladeTape, and worked on getting the National Hockey League to endorse the product.

In BladeTape's corporate structure, Findlay, 44, owns 68 per cent, production manager Ferguson and Toronto resident Scott McBride, an old high school friend of Findlay's, each have 11 per cent, and Burke has 10 per cent.

As a marketing ploy, Findlay went to local ice rinks and handed the product out to kids. Later, when he approached stores, he found out the kids had asked them to stock the product.

In its first six months of business, BladeTape has done more than $100,000 in sales. The plug on Hockey Night in Canada will surely cause that figure to rise.

In the NHL, Mitchell and Detroit Red Wings defenceman Danny Markov use BladeTape. Canucks forward Matt Cooke used it for about 15 games before changing his stick.

"With the pros, their hands are so good they don't need this product," says Findlay, who obviously hadn't seen many Philadelphia Flyers games. "They don't get the snow and ice buildup, because they get a [Zamboni] flood every 20 minutes.

"But for the recreational player, it gives you the feeling of hands without having good hands."

Findlay, who wants to devote his time to his landscaping business, harbours hope that one of the three big sporting goods companies -- Nike, Reebok or Easton -- will come to his aid.

"I'll ride out the storm, and see if next year at this time we've made some serious inroads," says Findlay.

- - -

www.vancouversun.com/digital.

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Taking Your Invention to a Trade Show

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Trade shows offer inventors and entrepreneurs the opportunity to reach a large number of potential buyers and retailers. They also provide a marketing-sales double whammy: You'll meet buyers seeking products like yours, and even if you don’t make a sale on the spot, your presence creates awareness about your product. You should also use trade shows to scout out similar products, make new contacts and gain general knowledge about your industry.
Here are some strategies for maximizing your trade show experience.

Find Shows That Fit

The most important thing you can do before attending a trade show is to make sure you choose the right one. You need to make the most of your time and money, and a poor choice can be a waste of both. Be sure to make your choice based on the potential returns. To choose appropriate trade shows, consider the following:

• Ask your best customers (or target customers) which trade shows they attend. For example, if your best customer is a locally owned housewares store, ask the owner which trade show she attends to choose her products. Chances are, there'll be other buyers like her there from around the region or country interested in your product, too.
  
  
  
  
• Consider cost. Smaller, regional shows are often less expensive than larger, national ones. Your booth rental can cost anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the show. Historically, my company has paid about $1,000 per 100 square feet at trade shows (primarily juvenile and housewares shows), but major shows can charge up to $10,000 for a booth. That said, less may not be more. When you consider the time and preparation involved, a bigger, more costly show may be a better investment.
  
  
  
  
• Examine the nature of the attendees. Some shows, for instance, may be dominated by buyers who represent regional or independent stores, while others may be mainly attended by mass retailers. Still others will target niche buyers like grocery or drug stores. Be sure your product is a potential match for the buyers who’ll be attending.

To find potential trade shows in your industry, visit www.tsnn.com, where you can search by industry, show name, date or state. You should also visit the website of the industry association related to your product; most sponsor trade shows for members and buyers to come together.

Make the Most of Your Booth

So you’ve chosen the show you’d like to attend. Now you need to determine what you’ll do when you get there. It’s important to maximize your booth space by presenting a professional, eye-catching image. While your booth design doesn’t need to be elaborate, try to creatively make the most of your space.

In a basic package, the trade show will probably supply you with a table and skirt and some chairs. You can add stands and shelves you can buy at a discount store to further display your wares. Bring pretty tablecloths to cover boring tables. Create signs, banners and graphic elements to convey your brand and your products. You don’t need to spend thousands on high-end panels--there are many thrifty ways to make your booth stand out.

For instance, we bought $79 white wooden shuttered closet doors at The Home Depot to use at our first show and placed them directly behind us in our booth space. I was able to display my packaged products by hanging them from S-hooks on the doors, similar to how they’d be sold in stores. I then spent the majority of our budget on high-resolution graphics of our products, which I also hung around the booth. The result was a professional-looking booth in a homey setting at a relatively low cost.

The location of your booth can also be critical to your success. When registering to exhibit, get a map of the show layout to choose your preferred locations. Here are a few things to remember when scouting your site:

• Locations near the main entry are typically highly desired.
• People tend to veer right after entering rooms.
• A corner location can benefit from traffic coming from multiple directions.
• You can request placement near specific vendors at some shows. Avoid being placed near a huge booth that will dwarf yours, near direct competitors or at dead-end points in the traffic pattern.

Working the Show

A few weeks before a trade show, you can start creating some pre-show buzz. Send a letter or postcard to key prospective customers to let them know you’ll be at the show. Include your booth number and information on what you’ll be exhibiting. Also, consider including a promotional element to entice them to come visit your booth--a drawing for a prize or a small giveaway to all visitors.

Once you're at the trade show, make the most of your time. Engage with potential buyers as they pass by. Appear friendly and interested and offer a quick product demonstration. Develop some show specials, such as free shipping or discounts for orders placed at the show. Remember that at your first show, your goal is to establish new relationships and open new accounts--not make a killing on profit. Don’t sacrifice a potential long-term relationship for a few dollars.

Tools of the Trade

Remember to bring these key items to the show:

• Receipt book
• Order forms
• Stapler
• Organizer or folder for orders
• Product sell sheets
• Business cards
• Product samples
• A bowl of candy to entice people to stop
• A promotional giveaway, usually a small, inexpensive item with your logo
• Supplies including packing tape, scissors, pens, a dolly and a small broom

Can’t-Miss Tips

We’ve also learned a few additional lessons along the way about dos and don’ts for exhibiting at a trade show.

• Wear comfortable shoes. The high-heeled Jimmy Choos may look fantastic, but your look of anguish at the end of the day will surely undermine your sales efforts.
• Bring someone along so your booth is never unattended. Take occasional breaks to walk around the show and regain your energy.
• Don’t eat in your booth.
• Try not to chat too much with your booth neighbors, especially when they’re speaking to potential buyers.
• Consider doing a prize drawing giveaway. Think of what’s hot and what people would want to win and consider your audience. Giveaways to bring home to the kids are always popular.
• Look into travel deals negotiated by the trade show for hotels, car rentals and airlines. Then search on your own for potentially better deals through discount travel sites.

Keep it in Perspective

While trade shows can be a great way to make sales, be sure to set realistic expectations. A trade show should be one component of your overall sales plan. In other words, don’t expect to make your entire investment back at your first show. In addition to potential sales, remember to value what else you can gain by exhibiting at a trade show--new contacts, industry knowledge, feedback about your product, and product and brand awareness.

---

Tamara Monosoff is Entrepreneur.com's "Inventions" columnist and the founder and CEO of Mom Inventors Inc., a product development and manufacturing company. She's also the author of The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea Into the Next Big Thing (McGraw-Hill).

Copyright © 2007 Entrepreneur.com, Inc.

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Device makes pet feeding easier

http://eat-healthy-every-day.blogspot.com/
A disabled man who was no longer able to bend to feed his pets has invented a device to make the process easier.

Ray Dinham's DinnerUp invention has been shortlisted for a new product award at Naidex 2007 - the annual disability show at the NEC.

The DinnerUp has taken Mr Dinham six years to develop and sells for just under ?70.

He describes his device as "a solution to an everyday problem which had no easy answer".

Feeding frenzy

Somerset-based Ray Dinham has cerebral palsy and began to find it increasingly difficult to bend down to pick up his cats' food bowls.

The 57-year-old former engineer decided to put his skills to work to come up with a solution, but admits that his first attempt was over-ambitious.

"It was an automatic product and a bit too expensive for the market," he told the BBC News website.

His second version is far simpler - a tray attached to a column which, itself, is fixed to a wall or kitchen cabinet.

The tray is then wound up and down the column by turning a handle which includes a clutch device.

Mr Dinham believes that his typical customer will be an older person who finds it difficult to bend down - particularly someone who has recently had a hip replacement.

"There are 30,000 new hip joints in this country every year, so there's a huge market for a piece of equipment like this," he said.

Although he currently assembles the units himself, Mr Dinham is planning to outsource the manufacturing to a UK-based company as demand increases.

He has already started selling his device abroad including to a satisfied customer in the USA who wanted one in time for his wife's birthday.

"We got it to him in five days by air-freight - he was really chuffed."

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http://eat-healthy-every-day.blogspot.com/
Kristen Nevils wowed the Venture2 "Inventor Search" judges both with her husband's "Watersafe" invention idea and her presentation polish.

On Thursday in Delray Beach, Nevils, 37, proudly unveiled the emergency water storage product that she and husband Michael Nevils, 44, developed after South Florida was hit by hurricanes two years in a row. The Fort Lauderdale residents' product is a solution for the homeowner to keep up to 65 gallons of emergency water supply in the bathtub or sink, avoiding the prehurricane scramble for bottled water.

"When you see those palm trees starting to bend, you fill it up," Nevils said, demonstrating how the plastic storage bags are filled with tap water and secured.

On Friday, the couple were named the contest winners. "I'm blown away. I'm so excited," Nevils said. "I love my product and see so much in it. But to have other inventors say, `You really have something here,' that's amazing. That legitimizes it."

The contest was sponsored by Venture2, a consulting firm founded by Michael Docherty, a former consumer products guru for Sunbeam.

"It wasn't an easy call," Docherty said about the contests' three finalists. A gift-wrap cutting and storage product invented by David Richards, 52, of Palm Harbor, for example, "was less developed, but potentially bigger opportunity," he said.

"In the end what pushed us toward Watersafe is that they were the ones who took the total business approach," Docherty said. The Nevilses also are willing to devote their time to developing the product, he added. Several contestants were looking for someone else to market their invention.

The winners receive 60 days' consulting from Venture2 in refining their concept and licensing or launching their product in the marketplace.

Judges ranked inventors on whether their idea addressed "unmet customer needs, was unique, and an attractive financial opportunity."

Nine inventors were chosen to make presentations, set up American Idol-style with three judges giving on-the-spot feedback. But the judges, who included Docherty, inventor Bob Robbins and MIT Enterprise Forum of South Florida President Amer Akhtar, were gentler in their advice than judges of TV fame.

The judges liked the Nevilses' water storage product, but questioned how Kristen Nevils arrived at the price, $34.95 for the large and $12.99 for the "mini" version.

The judges praised Eva Thomas, a Boca Raton inventor, for her passion, but couldn't see the potential that she does in her locking mailbox designed to make homeowners safe from identity theft. "Drive along A1A. They have multimillion-dollar homes and they have $10 mailboxes. It drives me nuts," she said.

"You're underestimating what's involved in trying to build a business around this," Docherty told her.

Finalists John and Gwendolyn Corn drove from St. Petersburg to participate in the contest. The couple invented what they call the "Bath Fiddle," a back scrubber made of quick-dry, exfoliating material.

"It's a great idea," said "Judge" Robbins, who has invented many products including the Conair hair-braiding device for teenagers. He recommended the couple take their back scrubber to a bed-and-bath trade show in Las Vegas.

"I like it, too," added "Judge" Akhtar, who saw potential in using the product to put on suntan lotion at the beach. "I would buy one."

Robbins saw potential in Richard's gift-wrap idea, saying his device to cut paper was more valuable than the storage idea. Even though he didn't win the contest, Richards said he found the judges helpful. "I picked up a lot of information, and they're open to providing guidance on this.

"I didn't know how to proceed. I haven't done this before, and I don't have much time because I have a family and a job. It was a great experience."
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BladeTape inventor eyes big leagues after lucky NHL product placement

http://eat-healthy-every-day.blogspot.com/

Every Vancouver Canucks hockey fan had sweaty palms Tuesday night when, in the dying moments of the Vancouver-Dallas playoff game, Vancouver defenceman Willie Mitchell swept the puck from his team's goal line, preserving a Canucks win.

Richard Findlay had reason to be more grateful than your average fan. In multiple replays from the camera tucked inside the net on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, viewers saw repeated closeups of the product Findlay invented and Mitchell uses on his stick: BladeTape. Mitchell's dramatic product placement came just two nights after HNIC broadcasters Ron MacLean and Kelly Hrudey gave a between-periods demonstration of BladeTape for the CBC viewing audience.

"The phone is so busy I can't get out of the office," says Findlay, a landscape architect and recreational league hockey player, from his Kitsilano home office. Right on cue, the phone rang in the background.

BladeTape consists of two cross-hatched rubberized plastic strips that a player applies to either side of a hockey stick blade.

It is applied like a bumper sticker -- you peel away the paper backing and lay it over the blade, preferably at room temperature. Unlike conventional hockey tape, BladeTape does not cover the bottom of the stick, which lengthens the life of the product (on average, 15 games) and leads to less buildup of snow and ice.

It provides shock absorption, less drag on the ice and a better grip on the puck, the latter a problem with the new one-piece sticks made of composite-materials.

It retails for $9.99 a pair and can be found at Canadian Tire outlets, among other stores.

Findlay first came up with the idea a decade ago, and experimented with wrapping a bicycle inner tube, condom style, over his stick. The one-piece composite sticks weren't prominent then, so Findlay shelved the idea for nine years.

Then, in a rec-league game last spring, Findlay made a perfect breakaway pass to a teammate, but the puck bounced off his one-piece stick. Findlay went home, pulled out his old files and, with the encouragement of his wife, pursued the idea of making a product that would make these sticks less lively. Several prototypes later, he had BladeTape, but when he went to his patent agent he found out a Pennsylvania man had patented the same thing.

He contacted the American, a millionaire thermoplastics engineer who made surgical implants, who offered to sell him the patent and the business. By the end of July, Findlay had flown all the equipment north, and set up a manufacturing shop at the White Rock garage of Ted Ferguson, one of three business partners in the venture.

One of those partners is Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke, whom Findlay bumped into in Vancouver. After a second meeting, Burke took a 10-per-cent interest in BladeTape, and worked on getting the National Hockey League to endorse the product.

In BladeTape's corporate structure, Findlay, 44, owns 68 per cent, production manager Ferguson and Toronto resident Scott McBride, an old high school friend of Findlay's, each have 11 per cent, and Burke has 10 per cent.

As a marketing ploy, Findlay went to local ice rinks and handed the product out to kids. Later, when he approached stores, he found out the kids had asked them to stock the product.

In its first six months of business, BladeTape has done more than $100,000 in sales. The plug on Hockey Night in Canada will surely cause that figure to rise.

In the NHL, Mitchell and Detroit Red Wings defenceman Danny Markov use BladeTape. Canucks forward Matt Cooke used it for about 15 games before changing his stick.

"With the pros, their hands are so good they don't need this product," says Findlay, who obviously hadn't seen many Philadelphia Flyers games. "They don't get the snow and ice buildup, because they get a [Zamboni] flood every 20 minutes.

"But for the recreational player, it gives you the feeling of hands without having good hands."

Findlay, who wants to devote his time to his landscaping business, harbours hope that one of the three big sporting goods companies -- Nike, Reebok or Easton -- will come to his aid.

"I'll ride out the storm, and see if next year at this time we've made some serious inroads," says Findlay.

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