Utah Valley inventors see the light

Here in Utah Valley, we’re known for our happiness, our honesty, our Jell-O, our first-class universities, our big families, our work ethic and our determination.
But it’s high time we were known for our inventors — those innovative, deep-thinking, salt-of-the-valley masterminds who make a living “filling the void.”
That’s right. Around these parts, we don’t sit around and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”
We make “that” happen.
“We are certainly more inventive than your average state,” says Michael Horito, founder of Rocketship, an industrial design company in Provo. “We have an edge, a resourcefulness and an ability to connect ideas.”
Which is why Horito founded the Invented in Utah competition — a contest for budding inventors to find an outlet for their bright ideas.
“Our goal is to elevate the inventor,” he says. “We want to provide them with the needed knowledge and connections to move their idea toward production and commercialization.”
The competition, which concluded its second year this last April, offers more than $55,000 of in-kind support to its top three winners, including marketing services, intellectual property protection, entrepreneurial coaching, product development, electrical engineering, sampling and manufacturing sourcing, design, prototyping, and other services.
The contest received more than 100 applicants this year, and Horito credits the intense interest to Utah’s growing desire to create.
That desire, he says, stems from our robust roots.
“It has a lot to do with our self reliance. We have a history of being self-reliant,” he says. “We’ve fought off the elements of our environment to survive in a state that has no water. And we’re in a place with a predominant religion that has had to withstand a lot of adversity. That’s something an inventor has to be able to do.”
Or perhaps it’s just a matter of twiddling thumbs.
“Maybe we’re so inventive because there’s nothing to do past 10 o’clock,” he laughs.
Whatever the reason, Horito suggests we keep at it.
“This is our future,” he says. “Long-term success for anyone is continuous innovation. Our economy depends on it. And when we stop innovating, someone will take our place.”
Invented in Utah’s top three winners have certainly earned their place in the Utah inventors club. Here’s an inside look at their success.

FIRST PLACE —

 
Veritract Smart Feeding Tube
Inventors: Dr. John Fang, Mark Adams and Dr. Bob Hitchcock

Product: A novel advancement of traditional feeding tubes, allowing for safer, more effective placement of the tubes into critically ill patients. This medical device incorporates optics, lighting and steering controls into the tube, allowing the clinician to actually visualize the placement procedure in real time.

Q: What is the easiest part of inventing?
Mark Adams: Coming up with the solution for a problem. The bigger the problem, the better.

Q: What is the hardest part?
Adams: Steering around the intellectual property that is out there. Unfortunately, you are rarely the first person who has thought of something, so finding a unique way to do it without infringing on others’ ideas is a real challenge.

Q: What was it like being the first-place winner of
Invented in Utah?
Adams: Really, really great. It opened the door for us in making contacts, and we received a lot of valuable feedback. Even if we had gotten last place, we wouldn’t be holding our heads down because the process was invaluable. Competitions like this are critical to our state’s success.

Q: Where do you see your product in five years?
Adams: Our plan is to be on the market for three to four years, and then either license the technology to a larger medical company or sell it. It’s not that we don’t want to hold onto it, it’s just that if sales go the way we expect them to, it will be difficult to manage ourselves.

Q: Why do you think Utah has become a hotbed for inventors?
Adams: Utah is a small, tight-knit community, and it’s easy to build a strong network. This is a community that really looks out for each other, which is a prime setup for innovators.

SECOND PLACE —

Pressurized Hydration Reservoir
Inventors: Toby Hazelbaker and Luke Reichert

Product: A pressurized hydration reservoir that provides portable, pressurized hydration more quickly and efficiently than current hydration reservoirs. It also provides cooling, cleaning, dispensing and purifying capabilities.

Q: Why did you want to be an inventor?
Toby Hazelbaker: I looked around the market, and no one was really doing it. It made such obvious sense to me that I knew I had to give it a try.

Q: What is the easiest part of inventing?
Hazelbaker: If it was easy, everyone would do it. There’s nothing easy about this.

Q: What is the hardest part of inventing?
Hazelbaker: Realizing there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Q: What was it like winning second place in Invented in Utah?
Hazelbaker: It was a rush. It felt great to be recognized. And really, the contest was such a great avenue for us. Whether you win or not, the feedback alone is worth it.

Q: Where do you see your product in five years?
Hazelbaker: In five years we hope to take a decent chunk out of Camelback. After 20 years of having to suck out of a bag, we’re going to change that. And we have plans to expand from the recreation market into the military market and pet industry.

Q: Why do you think Utah has become such a hotbed for inventors?
Hazelbaker: Utah is a place of pioneers who have had to figure things out to make them work. It’s in our blood.

THIRD PLACE —

 Syringe Cap
Inventors: James Boden and Brian Boden

Product: The Syringe Cap is a simple and extremely convenient means of safely and effectively administering complete, accurate doses of oral medications — primarily to infants and children. This is done by incorporating a syringe directly into the bottle cap of prescription and over-the-counter medications.

Q: Why did you want to be an inventor?
James Boden: We saw huge market potential for simplifying the delivery of medication. Both my brother and I have children, and the frustration that comes with administering medicines to kids had to be changed. So we decided to make a go of it.

Q: What is the easiest part of inventing?
Boden: Coming up with the idea.

Q: What is the hardest part of inventing?
Boden: Coming up with the initial financing to put the project together and making sure the product is the best it can be. We’re still trying to refine the product and make sure we capture what the market needs.

Q: What was it like winning third place at Invented in Utah?
Boden: I jumped out of my chair I was so excited. It was such a great payoff for all the effort we put into it, and it will give us a second wind to further work on our product.

Q: Where do you see the product in five years?
Boden: We see it being widely used throughout the medical community. And not only for infants and children, but for the elderly, the handicapped or pets.

Q: Why do you think Utah has become such a hotbed for inventors?
Boden: People here have an optimistic outlook on life. They see opportunities and they have a self-sufficient attitude to make those opportunities happen.

Q: What’s your advice for other inventors?
Boden: Go for it. Just make it happen.

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