Got Invention Radio w/ Host Brian Fried

In a perfect world, three friends from three states dreamed of inventing a gift giving product and concept that would express their belief that, “it's not what you give; it's how you give it.” The three friends believe there is a place for a fun, fresh, “make-your-life easier” product. After all, the last innovation in gift-wrap, was the introduction of gift bags in 1987. And so, Rocky from Nebraska, LuAnn from Iowa, and Betty, from Virginia began turning their dream into reality. Just a little over 18 months ago, their Company, launched their online presence at foofqueens.com. The centerpiece is a “totally-tubular” product called GiftGloss, along with its easy-to-use dispenser. Imagine, sliding most gifts inside of a long sleeve that will conform to its size and shape. Then, with the help of a slide cutter on the dispenser, a perfectly straight edge is cut. No tape or scissors necessary! When finished, the dispenser and GiftGloss stores away neatly inside of a drawer. So, if you find yourself tired of unruly rolls of gift-wrap, and maybe even bored with gift bags, at last…something different, something new! With the help of a convenient kit of GiftGloss products, the FoofQueens are committed to fueling the passion for gift presentation. That passion for gift presentation connects to celebrating gift giving as a way to create one of life's most memorable experiences.

Learn more about what the United States Patent and Trademark Office's upcoming conference November 4th and 5th all about on our show tonight! We will have the USPTO's Deputy Director of the Office of Patent Legal Administration, Elizabeth Dougherty and several of the Keynote Speakers give our listeners a preview of the opportunity for inventors to attend to the conference and to give some insight on the topics to be discussed within the 4 segments

As a seasoned dynamic leader with twenty-five years' experience, Brady Buckley possesses a recognized ability to lead companies to unprecedented success. From entrepreneurial ventures, to multimillion dollar corporations, he understands that the recipe for success in business is not complicated. It is about caring for your customers, and caring for your team. Master those two things and all the rest sorts itself out. Brady was a CEO in the telecommunications industry for many years prior to moving his attentions to warehouse and fulfillment. His hometown of Charlotte, NC, is one of the nation's transportation hubs and he saw an opportunity to create a fulfillment business that, like the telecommunication industry, understood the relationship with customer satisfaction and efficient technology. Since that light bulb moment, he has been working in the business since 2003 and founded Distribution Direct, an international warehouse and fulfillment center that specializes in fulfillment for the e-commerce store. www.distributiondirect.com

Don Debelak has been working with new products and inventions for over 30 years and is the author of four of the best-known invention books of the last 15 years. He also was the author or Entrepreneur Magazine's Bright Idea column on inventions for over seven years. Don has spent his career marketing products for new and small businesses, writing numerous business plans for raising money, both from investors and banks. Don has worked with all types of business, especially as a consultant for the University of St. Thomas Small Business Center, from small one man service business to high-tech ventures that are set up to raise money and launch a new product.

Having served many years with the National Security Agency (NSA) – as both a Senior Intelligence Analyst and executive in charge of Classified Technology Innovation & Program Development, Mr. Reyland has applied many of these unique skills to his work as a successful inventor. Mr. Reyland's long list of accomplishments include Director of Classified Technology Development for a fortune 500 company, National Security Agency liaison to the Korean government, Technology and Product Inventor with 5 patents under application, and currently Founder and CEO of Obvious Ideas LLC – a Cincinnati based product development company specializing in providing fully developed products to traditional retail and the Direct Response industry. Although Mr. Reyland often does product development consulting for other companies, most evenings you'll find him on the phone volunteering his time mentoring new inventors through the process of developing their dreams into a reality.

Jim DeBetta's product development and sales experience has amassed millions of dollars within the retail selling world. Known nationally as a trusted coach and mentor to thousands of inventors and entrepreneurs, he knows how to take new ideas from a sketch on a napkin to selling the final product to major retailers worldwide. As the founder of DeBetta Enterprises, which is a private consultancy that coaches and advises inventors and entrepreneurs on everything from manufacturing to sales and marketing of consumer products, Jim also heads up the Retail Distribution arm of Kevin Harrington's TV Goods corporation which today is fueled by the hit ABC reality show Shark Tank.

Matt Nuccio is the co-owner and creative director of Design Edge inc (www.designedge.net), a multi award-winning international studio with office's in New York and Hong Kong. Design Edge is one of the leading toy and game design and inventing firms in the world, designing packaging, product, displays, advertising as well as engineering and manufacturing for hundreds of toy companies both big and small. With over 20 years in the toy design industry, Design Edge is a laboratory for new and creative approaches. From traditional styles to the latest trends, they can help you create and maintain a strong product and line look within a fair project budget. In 2008 Matt Nuccio was elected co-chairman of the TIA (Toy Industry Association) associate panel representing all designers and inventors in the toy industry. He has also written columns focusing on design, inventing, engineering and manufacturing for Toy and Family Entertainment, ToyBook, Royaltie$ and Licensing Book.

Alan Beckley is an entrepreneur, inventor, and a consultant to small businesses. In 2002, tired of sitting on bulky wallets stuffed with hard to find cards, he invented the solution: a wallet laid out like a photo album that could hold twice as many cards yet remain half as thick and comfortable to sit on. Inventing the product and obtaining two patents turned out to be the easy part, the hard part was getting it into the marketplace successfully. Last year Mr. Beckley took his Savvy Caddy wallets on air at the largest home shopping network where he was able to sell more in 5 minutes than the previous 5 years. He continues to help entrepreneurs, as well as other inventors, to solve problems and move forward with their projects.

My vision is to ensure the UIA continues offering valuable educational materials and viable options for inventors to get fairly rewarded for their efforts. I also run the UIA Certification program as the industry standard for service providers.” Patrick began his career as a Strategic Planner for global brands in 1997. After obtaining his MBA in 2002, he became an independent inventor in 2005 and Founder of the Inventors Association of Manhattan in 2007. A UIA Board Member in 2007-08, he's now Executive Director of the UIA, a regular contributor to Inventor's Digest magazine, guest speaker and product judge at Yankee Expo and the National Hardware Show. www.uiausa.org.

Louis Foreman is the author of “The Independent Inventor's Handbook”, CEO of Enventys www.enventys.com; executive producer of Everyday Edisons www.everydayedisons.com; and co-founder of Edison Nation www.edisonnation.com

When my 35 year real estate career recently ended , I became an entrepreneur/inventor. I successfully designed, marketed and distributed a line of wearable organizer bags to online stores, gift catalogs, major retail chains as well as QVC. www.newcomarketing.com

Trevor Lambert is the President and founder of Lambert & Lambert www.lambertinvent.com, one of the leading invention agencies involved in licensing consumer products on behalf of inventors, product developers and small companies. Also he is the founder of Enhance Product Development www.enhancepd.com, an industrial design and engineering firm. An inventor himself, after seeing deficiencies in the business model of existing invention service providers, Trevor established the company with the goal of providing inventors with improved transparency by working on a contingency basis. Over the years Trevor has been chiefly responsible for developing and licensing products that have sold in such stores as Walmart, Target, ToysRUs and many more, generating for his clients royalties in the millions of dollars. He is on the board of directors of the United Inventors Association and a member of the Licensing Executives Society.

INTERNATIONAL PITCH MAN: MULTI-MILLIONS IN SALES:HSN, QVC-UK, ShopTV, 30-Minute Long Form and 2:00 Short FormUS, Canada, Europe, South America, AsiaBEST SELLING PRODUCTS / INVENTOR SCIENTIST CHEMISTS2O and Green For Life Multi-Purpose Stain Remover Concentrate /Lime Scented Calcium Cleaner / All In 1 Laundry Sheets / Micro Fiber Cleaning Sets / Laundry Pens / Renew FX Wood CareFloor to Ceiling Laundry Pole / Oasis Light SpheresSurvival Steel / Flower Pot Wall Hooks / Onebrella / Plug + Safe Motion SensorDIRECTOR BUSINESS + PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: TMG-TV and Toronto StarINFOMERCIAL WRITER:The Ahh Bra, the most successful DR program in its category since 2010. (yes, he clearly interviewed his mother, aunt and girlfriend for language on the Ah Bra.!MEDIA EXPERT / AUTHORITY:Featured for interviews and/or products in The Wall St. Journal, The Martha Stewart Show, Response Magazine, St. Petersburg Times, Toronto Star, Glen Beck Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Rachael Ray ShowNOMINATED: BEST LIVE SHOPPING ON AIR GUEST2011 Electronic Retailing Association D2CConvention / Moxie Awards

Well it's been a year and the United Inventors Association (UIA) sure does look different! Listen to this show Sept 22nd, as Mark Reyland, the Executive Director of The United Inventors Association of America talks about the history of the UIA, the programs in place to help inventors, and the exciting new projects on the horizon. Joining Mark will be Jenny Lawlor, the UIA Director of Educational Events to talk about the FREE inventor seminars and major tradeshow programs the UIA is developing. Stay tuned for updates from Mark Reyland, the Executive Director of the watchdog of the inventor community, United Inventors Association, www.uiausa.org and guest Jennifer Lawlor who is director of several inventor showcases at nationwide industry tradeshows!

Mike Drummond, Editor In Chief of Inventors Digest Magazine www.inventorsdigest.com Mike Drummond supervises content development and marketing of Inventors Digest, the nation's longest-running print and web publication for the inventing industry. Mike was a Pulitzer Prize finalist as part of a team that investigated the national residential mortgage crisis. More recently, he earned a national integrated marketing award for a web-video and print campaign with nonprofit partner the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance. Since assuming leadership of the magazine, Mike has reshaped the editorial focus to explore the intersection of business and innovation. He says his main mission is to help inventors succeed in getting their innovations to market. To that end he has created new sections to appeal to specific audiences, including youth, intellectual property professionals, women entrepreneurs, designers, marketers, licensors, engineers, prototypers and others in the product-development food chain. Along the way he has kept the magazine entertaining and lively, and has landed a wide array of luminaries on the cover such as Jay Leno, Ben Stiller, James Dyson, Sally Ride, Joan Lunden, Dean Kamen and Cal Ripkin Jr. Mike also has been successful in forging partnerships with corporations and nonprofits. In 2011, in partnership with the National Inventors Hall of Fame and U.S. Senators, he was the leading force to move National Inventors Month to May – an initiative that better aligns the month with the school calendar as well as the annual inventor Hall of Fame ceremony. Contact him at mike.drummond@inventorsdigest.com

Less than five years ago Mike jumped into the world of entrepreneurship with the launch of his flagship product, Painter's Pyramids. Since that time, he has successfully expanded that product's availability to over 10,000 retail locations in over 20 countries including some of the biggest names in retail (Home Depot, Lowes, Sherwin Williams, ACE, etc.). The success of his initial product has enabled Mike to license, develop and launch multiple new products in the Home Improvement, Arts and Crafts and Woodworking Industries. Most recently, Mike has expanded his business to affordably educate inventors who are looking to successfully commercialize their products. His new book, “Start Living The American Dream” is a guide for those who are looking to learn a proven approach to bringing products to market, as well as, some of Mike's personal successes and failures. The book and eBook are both available on Amazon and more information is available on Mike's other services at www.StartLivingTheAmericanDream.com.

Richard C. Levy is a marketing wiz with a flair for innovation, and a keen sense and timing for product and pop culture. He is president of Richard C. Levy & Associates, a product development and licensing company. In the past 35 years RCL&A has licensed over 125 concepts, including Furby, which has sold to date 60 million units. Licensees range from Hasbro and Mattel to General Foods and Proctor & Gamble. He has authored 12 books, including the critically-acclaimed Complete Idiot's Guide to Cashing In on Your Inventions. The first game he invented, Adverteasing (Cadaco), sold over 1 million copies. Among his other best-selling games are: Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus (Mattel); and Chicken Soup for the Soul (Cardinal).

Captain Bernardo J. Herzer is an entrepreneur and inventor with a deep passion for helping the environment. With more than 25 years experience in successful business operations, Herzer founded LEHR in 2004 to create a cleaner planet through environmentally friendly technology. With the recent announcement of a licensing deal with powerhouse multi-national company, Fiskars, LEHR will now apply propane technology to industries such as marine, industrial and construction tools, forestry tools, power generation and propulsion systems. LEHR is proud to have received the Popular Science 2010 Best Of What's New Award, Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Product of the Year, Handy Magazine Innovation Award and an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Air Excellence Award. LEHR's patent portfolio includes over 40 patents/trademarks and over 75 filed and pending. After a very successful run in the lawn and garden industry, LEHR is excited for many new product launches throughout several industries in 2011.

Anthony Tesoriero is the co-founder of Lucky Napkin, a one of its kind Venture Catalyst firm that invests in early stage consumer products and entrepreneurs with distinctive market making ideas.An award winning cosmetics entrepreneur and consumer products professional Anthony has built companies and led teams in the health, beauty and nutrition industries. He has applied his strategic leadership and marketing acumen to a wide range of projects including work in infomercial, electronic retailing, Internet marketing, television production, big box retailing and a wide variety of consumer goods and product development projects. He has built brands across the landscape of distribution in some of the most prestigious retail locations including Fred Segal-Beverly Hills and Barney's-New York along with products that sell in Wal-Mart and on the world's leading electronic retailer QVC.He is a QVC on air guest, media personality, published writer and keynote speaker on strategic thinking, marketing, and organizational transformation. Anthony resides in New York, NY.

Tonight on Got Invention Radio we have Norm Goldstein from By Kids for Kids (BKFK.com) who partners with corporations to encorage young inventors through contests. We will have several successful kid inventors that have been finalists or won contests, such as Sports Authority, New York Stock Exchange, Nucor Steel and more! The kids that will be featured on our show are: Fabian Fernandez from Texas- He created a kids financial tool app and won NYSE contest! Jared Knobbe from Nebraska- Him and his partner Steven built a Nut and Bolt Chair and won the Nucor Steel Challenge! Mitchell Haverfield, age 13 from Kansas- He was a semi-finalist in the Sports Authority contest! Nicholas Fornario, age 19 from New York- He was the grand prize winner in the Sports Authority Move It contest!

The United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) Inventor Outreach and Education executives discuss initiatives and activities including the Inventors Conference, new resources on uspto.gov, the Ombusdman program,Trademark information and more.Guests Include: Mindy Bickel, Innovation and Outreach Coordinator for the Greater New York area.Montia Givens Pressey, Staff Attorney in The Office of the Commissioner for TrademarksElizabeth Dougherty, Director of Inventor Education, Outreach and Recognition for the Office of Innovation Development.

Elizabeth Dougherty Director of Inventor Education, Outreach & Recognition, Office of Innovation Development of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office interview with Host Brian Fried of Got Invention Radio discuss upcoming events from the USPTO. March 28, 2015 event information is below and listen or download this interview to hear more! The United States Patent Trademark Office (USPTO) and the New York Intellectual Property Law Association are proud to present the 4th annual Women's Entrepreneurship Symposium on March 28, 2015, at the National Museum of the American Indian in New York, New York. This FREE, one-day symposium focuses on women entrepreneurs, the importance of intellectual property protection for their innovations, and how to leverage economic opportunities for women-owned businesses. Attendees will have the opportunity to network with experts in the intellectual property field, as well as with government and industry representatives who will offer insight into all facets of the business cycle. Agenda topics include intellectual property, strategies for leveraging intellectual property assets, accessing financial resources, and driving business growth through building and maintaining business relationships.

Steve Greenberg has always been drawn to ingenuity and invention. It was that fascination that caused Steve to write a book about garage inventors for Sterling Publishing. The book showcases more than 100 off-beat gadgets and the inventors behind them. The book, GADGET NATION: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ECCENTRIC WORLD OF INVENTION (www.gadgetnation.net) is in its second printing and has recently been launched as a paperback. Steve is currently on the Board of Directors for the United Inventors Association ().http://www.uiausa.org/ Steve routinely appears on NBC's Today Show and each month he can be seen demonstrating innovative products in America's top TV markets including CW11 NYC, WGN Chicago, KGO San Francisco , WCAU NBC Phila, WUSA CBS Wash DC, and KHOU CBS Houston. Steve can also be seen on national shows such as CBS Early Show, ABC's World News This Morning and World News Now, and the nationally syndicated show DayTime.

Mary Ellroy, in the toy business since 1990, is an inventor of toys and games and an agent for toy and game inventors.. She comes to toy invention with a corporate marketing background. She received an MBA from the Boston College School of Management (now the Carroll School of Management at Boston College.) Past positions included a Director position at a Fortune 50 company, a vice presidency/ownership position in a newspaper advertising firm, and various advertising and media positions. Her creative accomplishments in consumer marketing inspired her to turn that creativity to toys and games. Her games have won multiple awards. Although a prolific speculative inventor, her marketing background places her high on the list as a “games-on-demand” contract inventor for various licenses and theme-specific concepts. As well, she has a commercial understanding of markets and products which takes her beyond the “fun” of toys to the “business” of toys.

Joan Lefkowitz, is president of ACCESSORY BRAINSTORMS, Inc, a licensing agent, sales representative and consultant for Fashion/Beauty Accessory and Lifestyle Inventions. From its showroom in New York's ‘accessories district', it licenses inventors' products to major corporations and markets to Mail Order Catalogues, TV Shopping programs and retail. Some very successful products it has launched have been TOPSY TAIL (which sold over $100m at retail), Ted Gibson's HAIRDOSTICK, HAIRDINI, HOLLYWOOD FASHION TAPES, and MISS OOPS and, most recently, BOSOM BUTTON, LUMBARWEAR, , MOSHI Talking Clock, REM SPRING (hair removal tool) and TAG TAMERS…Specializing in representing unique products and inventions since 1984, Accessory Brainstorms is always interested in seeing new products in these categories, and offers one-on-one consulting for inventors who need guidance. ACCESSORIES Magazine awarded Joan for the “Most Inventive Products” and also cited her as one of the 100 important accessories industry “Movers and Shakers”. www.accessorybrainstorms.com

Sheila Barry is CEO and Co-founder of SC Creative Innovations, a Northern California start-up whose mission is to enable the dreams of fellow inventors. A former non-profit bilingual Community Relations Director and Grant Writer, Sheila developed her cold calling skills when contacting corporate “social responsibility” C-level executives for her organizations. Based on trial and error, she developed a system of successful, timesaving techniques from her years in the public sector. This work and persistence have now enabled her to “cold call” several hundred manufacturers and potential licensees to get her company's product and those of her fellow inventors through the doors of Corporate America. She is an active member of the Inventors Alliance and enjoys the creative process of inventing. She holds a BA in Hispanic Studies and a MA in Linguistics (TESOL) from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Sheila speaks fluent Spanish and has been recognized by Rotary International and other nonprofit organizations for her numerous contributions locally and to international communities around the globe.

Karen Waksman, President and CEO of Product For Profit, is a Manufacturer's Rep turned Author, Speaker and Consultant. She started her career as a Manufacturer's Rep for a Gift and Accessory Manufacturer in New York. Since then, Karen has sold millions of units to the World's Largest Retailers and now dedicates her time to teaching Entrepreneurs how to market and sell their products to Major Retailers, Online Retailers, Catalogs and Small Retailers, too!

For those familiar with the television direct response mega-hit Smart Spin, Warren was the person behind the scenes helping orchestrate its overnight success. Teaming with a Boston based inventor, Tuttle selected an explosive path to market. With almost 10 million units sold to date, Smart Spin continues to be prominently featured at major retailers throughout America. Warren also helped to initiate the market launch of several other innovative kitchen products including MISTO, The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, which has sales of 5 million units around the world to date, as well as The Toss and Turn Pan, one of the best selling cookware frypans in the US in 2005. Warren has also assisted numerous housewares product patent holders to obtain licensing agreements with major U.S. manufacturers and counseled several inventors who went on to start their own small businesses. Warren is also the President of the United Inventors Association and leads the product development program for several companies for licensing opportunitites.

Learn what the INPEX Invention Expo is about and Nicole will also give great information on exhibiting at trade shows and also walking the floor of these trade shows/expos as a trade guest or attendee! Nicole Hait is the Director of INPEX-America's largest invention trade show. (www.inpex.com) With a background in television news and journalism, Hait joined InventHelp in 2001 and also serves as InventHelp's Director of Corporate Communications. She has spent the last ten years traveling across the country and abroad meeting with inventors to not only talk about INPEX but trade show etiquette for first time exhibitors. Hait has appeared in many magazines and on television and radio shows including The Big Idea with Donnie Deutsch, Entrepreneur Magazine and The Jay Thomas Show. She also has spoken at many inventor groups across the United States including most recently at the Inventors Association of New England.

Mom Invented® is a dynamic company with the mission to… “Inspire, Inform & Boldly Promote Courageous Women in Business” and “Celebrate the creativity of moms by launching innovative Mom Invented® products around the world.” Our internationally trademarked Mom Invented® products can be found in stores worldwide. Tamara is a best-selling author and columnist and has been called, “America's Favorite Business Mom” by the media. Tamara's best-selling book, The Mom Inventors Handbook: How to Turn Your Great Idea into the Next Big Thing was launched by McGraw-Hill in 2005. Her book, Secrets of Millionaire Moms: Learn How They Turned Great Ideas into Booming Businesses – and How You Can Too! hit bookstores globally May 2007. Her third book, The One Page Business Plan for Women in Business co-authored with Jim Horan launched January 2010, and her fourth book, Your Million Dollar Dream: Regain Control & Be Your Own Boss hit #1 on Amazon on the date of its launch May 2010. She is also the “Ask the Expert” columnist for Entrepreneur.com on the topic of Inventing, the “Start-Up Smarts” columnist for WomenEntrepreneur.com, was Working Mother magazine's “Hero of the Month” (July 2005), was selected by the Contra Costa Times as one of the ten most “Influential Women of the East Bay” (March 2006) and was honored by the Contra Costa Council as the “Small Business Person of the Year” (2006). Tamara was selected as the “Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” (June 2007) by the East Bay Business Times.

David Clarke introduces Malco Design and Deliver Group which provides high quality product design, prototyping and manufacturing services to inventors and is located in Rogers, Minnesota. David will share lessons learned over his 20+ year career in marketing and new product development with inventors.

Dr. Robert N. Yonover received his Ph.D. in Geochemistry/Volcanology from the University of Hawaii with a Research Fellowship at NASA -Johnson Space Center and laboratory work at MIT. He invented the RescueStreamer® survival technology, LIFE/FLOAT™ Rescue Board, Pocket Floatation Device, Pocket DeSalinator, and the Video Search and Rescue (vSAR) technology. The rescueStreamer® technology is now in use by all branches of the U.S. military, including all U.S. Navy Submarines`and self-deploying Day/Night versions for US Air Force fighter jets. RescueStreamers® are credited with 4 lives saved to date. Dr. Yonover's new book is entitled “Hardcore Inventing” and he has appeared on CNN, PBS, and Discovery Channel.

Mike Drummond is editor-in-chief of Inventors Digest, the nation's longest-running publication in the invention industry. Mike is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of numerous investigative and business-writing awards. His work has appeared in Wired, Salon.com, Fortune, Cnet, Business 2.0, as well as major newspapers. He's also the author of Renegades of the Empire, an inside story of Microsoft's computer-game and Internet ambitions.

Cheryl Perkins is a thought leader in innovation and a creative catalyst in brand-building initiatives for companies looking for that innovative edge. In 2006 Business Week magazine chose Cheryl as one of the a Top 25 Champions of Innovation in the world. She was also named as a top executive driving vision within the consumer goods industry (Visionaries 2006) by Consumer Goods Technology magazine. With over 20 years experience directing growth and innovation, Cheryl most recently served as the Senior Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer for Kimberly-Clark. She ran the company's innovation and enterprise growth organizations, including research and development, engineering, design, new business, global strategic alliances, environment, safety and regulatory affairs, and oversaw innovation processes, systems and tools. She has ten U.S. Patents and several more pending.

Inspired by his daughter Cassidy's inventions, Norm Goldstein founded BKFK to inspire, motivate and stimulate the innovative spirit within all young people. BKFK, a youth marketing and media company, cultivates, celebrates, and commercializes youth-created ideas. Through its website (www.bkfk.com), social entrepreneurship community (Idea Locker™), online competitions, TV show (Think Big™), BKFK and corporate partners engage America's youth and stimulate creativity, inventing thinking and problem solving. As a well known expert on youth marketing, Norm addressed a joint session of Congress on youth empowerment, and was recognized by Congress as a Champion Leader. Norm's also been featured on CNN, The Big Idea, Montel, CBS News & more. Prior to BKFK, Norm was a highly successful entrepreneur in fashion, licensing and internet businesses.

Ben Hopson is a designer, artist and educator working in Brooklyn, NY. After studying sculpture at Wesleyan University, he went on to receive his Master's degree in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in 2006. He has worked extensively within the housewares industry designing products for such retailers as Macy's, Target, Walmart, and Bed Bath & Beyond. Along with his professional design work, Hopson has taught transportation design and 3D design at Pratt Institute since 2008. He has also run design workshops at the Umea Institute of Design in Umea, Sweden. Hopson is experienced in every phase of the Industrial Design process from conceptualization, drawing, and CAD modeling through tech. package creation, prototyping, and manufacturing. He currently works primarily as a design consultant, helping companies, inventors, and entrepreneurs bring new ideas to life. These projects have ranged from kitchen gadgets to luggage, from pet products to lighting. Along with compelling forms, Hopson specializes in creating unique interactive experiences. Many of his designs open, close, and change shape to engage users in new ways. Most recently, he designed a piece of kinetic jewelry, a series of makeup compacts, and a transforming pendant lamp. Numerous examples of his work can be found on his website: http://www.benhopson.com.

Joseph Balcuk is the President of RoosterFin, Inc. (www.roosterfin.com), a game design and publishing company. As a mathematician, Joseph began his career as an instructor. Through an educator's lens he designed and published The Merbs Motivational Game System in 2006. The Merbs Game System received multiple honors including Dr. Toy's Top-10 Educational Products Award. Joseph published a poetry book series and seven game titles under The Merbs brand before founding RoosterFin.

Bettina Hein is the Founder and CEO of Pixability. Pixability helps small and medium-sized businesses increase sales by using video. Bettina is a repeat entrepreneur based in Cambridge, MA. Prior to Pixability Bettina co-founded Swiss-based SVOX AG in 2001. SVOX was sold to Nuance Communications (NUAN) for $125 million. In 1996, Bettina was the initiator of START, an organization that advances entrepreneurship among college students. In 2000 START received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Bettina is also the founder of the SheEOs, a network for female CEOs and founders of growth companies. Bettina holds a Masters of Science degree from MIT where she was a Sloan Fellow, a law degree from the University of Constance and a degree in business administration from the University of St. Gallen. Bettina is a frequent speaker on the topics of video marketing and entrepreneurship.

Directing the action of Design Squad Nation are mechanical engineers Judy Lee and Adam Vollmer. As a child growing up in Cary, North Carolina, Judy loved taking things apart to see how they work. With the support of her family (her dad is a civil engineer), that love eventually led to a mechanical engineering degree at North Carolina State University. Prior to her work on Design Squad Nation, Judy was profiled on WGBH's Engineer Your Life and will appear in an upcoming segment of NOVA's Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers Web series. Judy now works at her dream job as a product designer at IDEO, an international design and innovation firm in Palo Alto, CA. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Adam wanted to be an astronaut, a LEGO engineer (before he knew what an engineer was), or…a dinosaur hunter. Thanks to a BS in mechanical engineering at Stanford and a MS at MIT, Adam has been able to do most of these things and more. “I played with LEGOs all the way up through grad school. I worked with NASA during the filming of Design Squad Nation. But I'm still on the lookout for dinosaurs. I hope to find one soon.” Adam is currently a mechanical engineer at the international design and innovation firm IDEO in Palo Alto, CA.

David Pressman is a practicing intellectual property attorney in San Francisco. He is also the author of the best-selling do-it-yourself guidebook, Patent It Yourself, which has sold over 300,000 copies. He is also the co-author of The Inventor's Notebook, The Patent Drawing Book, Patents For Beginners, and Patent Pending In 24 Hours. Pressman, formerly an electronic engineer, has over 40 years' experience in the patent profession, as a patent examiner, a corporate and independent intellectual property attorney, a columnist for EDN Magazine, and a patent law instructor at San Francisco State University. A former member of Mensa, he has a B.S. in Electronic Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University and a J.D. from The George Washington University where he was on the Law Review.

Wendy Robbins, founder of Nowhere To Millionaire LLC, and the “1,000,000 fulfilled and financially free women making a difference. She has been on her own since she was 14. She has been homeless, lived in a car and at another time in her life went from $10,000 debt to make millions by co-inventing and marketing The Tingler head massager. She is a leading expert on mastering the millionaire mindset, and how to manufacture and market ideas to millions. She stars in the TV series with Kelly Ripa, showing women how to manufacture, distribute and pitch her invention to HSN. The show airs on TLC. Wendy's book, “Why Marry A Millionaire? Just Be One! (And While You're At It, Change The World!” is being distributed by Hay House world-wide. She also is in a movie based on the classic book, “Think and Grow Rich.” The film is called, “Awaken Your Riches!” It is similar to The Secret and distributed by the people who published, “The Secret.” (Still a best selling book.) She is also in “The Source,” a film about how to be happy. She hosted a weekly radio show, “As You Wish!” for almost 3 years reaching half a million+ people, interviewing millionaires and Spiritual leaders. She has been on Montel, CNN, QVC, hundreds of local news shows, thousands of radio shows.

Michael Talve is a 25 year old entrepreneur from New York. As a teenager, he had many different business ideas and developed his first businesses in junior high school. He created a number of different businesses as a teen- organized ski tours for his friends and classmates, sold sporting goods and collectibles through an online business, and marketed car cleaning and detailing services. At Babson College, he studied entrepreneurship and learned about the inner workings of a corporation. Through additional work experience at two great companies- a highly successful mortgage bank, and a private equity company that owns many well known consumer products businesses (FIJI Water, POM Wonderful), he was able to focus in on his entrepreneurial ambitions. During his senior year at Babson, Mike wrote a business plan for VIVO Natural Products- a body and skin care company that creates natural products using only the finest quality ingredients that are sourced from suppliers in different parts of the world. Today, VIVO Natural Products sells it's soaps to retailers across the country including Whole Foods, and is one of the fastest growing companies in the natural category. The core of the business today remains as it was written in the first business plan: use great ingredients to make great skin care products and sell them at an affordable price.

Just after earning his MBA in entrepreneurial finance from San Diego State University in 2001, Mr. Gantz co-founded 1-800-LAS VEGAS, a premier travel management company dedicated to the city of Las Vegas. While Mr. Gantz was the Chief Executive Officer of 1-800-LAS-VEGAS, the company recruited Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton as its celebrity spokesperson and went public in 2006. The company later changed its name to VegasNow.com. In 2007, Mr. Gantz formed Seed Capital with partner Kevin Alan Tussy. Seed Capital specializes in assisting entrepreneurs and small companies with raising start-up and expansion capital. In 2009, in the midst of the most devastating credit crisis since the Great Depression, Seed Capital raised over $40 million in financing for its clients, in the process helping hundreds of new businesses and products become a reality.

Kellie Olver is an internationally recognized television host. With over 20 years experience, logging over 22,000 hours of LIVE TV and generating nearly ¾ of a BILLION dollars in sales, Kellie has been transforming lives around the world. Because of her dynamic personality and contagious enthusiasm she has been consistently ranked number one as a television host, professional speaker, and trainer, teaching people how to present themselves, idea or product for maximum results. She has been a host of two national shopping channels, Home Shopping Network (HSN) USA and The Shopping Channel (TSC) Canada. She has worked with top celebrities such as Joan Rivers, George Forman, Richard Simmons, Joan Collins, Tony Little, Susan Lucci, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Garvey, Wolfgang Puck, Liza Gibbons, Mr. Blackwell, Connie Stevens, Suzanne Summers, Frankie Avalon, William Shatner, Ed McMahon, Dick Clark and Ivana Trump. Kellie created her own multinational selling skin care brand, Kellie Olver Skin Care, from concept to completion, selling on ShopNBC and found in Luxury Spas and Hotels overseas. Due to overwhelming demand, Kellie has just completed an information/how to course: Home Shopping 101: Everything You Need to Know to Get Your Product, Idea or Invention To A Shopping Channel And Be Seen And Purchased By Millions

Louis Foreman is founder and Chief Executive of Edison Nation (www.EdisonNation.com), an online community that creates opportunities for people who have great ideas. He is also CEO of Enventys (www.enventys.com), an integrated product design and engineering firm. Louis has created 9 successful start-ups and has been directly responsible for the creation of over 20 others. A prolific inventor, he is the inventor of 10 registered US Patents, and his firm is responsible for the development and filing of well over 500 more.

Jim Tilberry has worked in marketing for 35 years. He started his career in 1976 at a mail order company in Canton, Ohio. As marketing director he wrote and placed ads for a variety of mass-market products such as exercise devices, diet pills, and computerized horoscopes. A few years later Jim worked as a freelance advertising copywriter in Seattle, Washington. On one serendipitous sales call in 1985 the client asked him to help get their product, stove burner covers, into mail order catalogs. Knowing absolutely nothing about the catalog business, he agreed to take on this challenge. The stove burner covers became his very first catalog product.

Our guest is Kelly Stephenson, senior brand manager for the Huggies brand, and past Huggies MomInspired grant recipients to talk about how you can qualify for a grant from Huggies, a Kimberly-Clark company.

**We inventors go through so much of an emotional rollercoaster during the invention process… its time for a mental timeout! Featured in the blockbuster hit, The Secret, Bob Proctor is widely regarded as one of the living masters and teachers of The Law of Attraction and has worked in the area of mind potential for over 40 years. He is the best-selling author of You Were Born Rich, and has transformed the lives of millions through his books, seminars, courses and personal coaching. Proctor is a direct link to the modern science of success, stretching back to Andrew Carnegie, the great financier and philanthropist. Carnegie's secrets inspired and enthused Napoleon Hill, whose book, Think and Grow Rich, in turn inspired a whole genre of success philosophy books. Napoleon Hill, in turn, passed the baton on to Earl Nightingale who has since placed it in Bob Proctor's capable hands. Proctor's wide-ranging work with business and industries around the world extends far beyond the pep rally syndrome. Instead, it encompasses working with business entities and individuals to develop strategies that will assist individuals at all levels to grow, improve and adapt to the ever-changing nature in today's world. His company, LifeSuccess Productions is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ and operates globally. www.bobproctor.com

Gary Seehoff founded EVRIHOLDER PRODUCTS after inventing its first two products, Twirl A Tieâ and Twirl A Beltâ. Gary built Evriholder Products into one of the largest housewares impulse product providers and in 2008 sold a 70% interest to a Private Equity consortium, and to the present day continues to grow the company. Evriholder distributes both nationally and internationally to the who's who of retail. Evriholder focuses its distribution of Impulse items in the Kitchen, Barware, Cleaning, Storage and Bath & Personal Care categories, and distributes to well over 50,000 retail doors. Prior to founding Evriholder Products, Gary was a Partner, and for several years, Managing Partner of accounting and consulting firm Duitch Franklin & Co. (at the time a 90 person CPA and consulting firm). Prior to Duitch & Franklin, Gary worked at Touche Ross (now Deloitte & Touche) as a Manager. Gary has invented and developed several products for various segments of the housewares industry and has several patents in his name.

Mario Schulzke is the founder of IdeaMensch. IdeaMensch is a community of people with ideas, where he profiles entrepreneurs, authors, artists, thought leaders, and others on how they bring ideas to life. Past interviews included folks like Seth Godin, Craig Newmark, Dan Pink and Nancy Brinker. Mario is also is a senior director at independent advertising agency WDCW, where he is managing the digital strategy group remotely from his hometown in Germany. Before that, he worked at America's largest independent DRTV agency – R2C Group, where he started and ran the new media division. Mario is a first generation immigrant who came to America at the age of 16, much to the dismay of his family in Germany. He sports funny socks, wears BluBlockers and collects colorful watches.

Thomas J. Colson is the President and CEO of IP.com. He also is a registered patent attorney with extensive experience in prosecution and litigation. As an inventor in his own right, his credits include holding five U.S. patents associated with software and business methods for the efficient analysis and management of intellectual property. With such a combination of experience, Mr. Colson has become a recognized expert in the creation and implementation of intellectual property strategies. He has been a primary speaker at events sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Lawyers Association, ARMA, American Bar Association, Licensing Executive Society, Corporate Intellectual Property Institute, SIPO (Chinese Patent Office), Intellectual Property Society of San Jose, North Carolina Bar Association, LinuxWorld, American Chemical Engineers Association, Association of Food Scientists, Database 2002 of Tokyo, Upstate Alliance For Innovation, Women in Computers, Marcus Evans, and others. Moreover, Mr. Colson's opinions on intellectual property issues have been solicited by members of the United States Congress, and he has been quoted in the New York Times, London Financial Times, California Lawyer, and many other magazines and journals across the globe. His own articles on intellectual property have been published in Directors & Boards, Patent World, Ivy Business Journal, Chemical Innovation, CIO, Biotech, IndustryWeek, IAM Magazine, Patent Strategy & Management, Successful Meetings, Machine Design, Law.com, MIP, and Future and the Inventor.