Program Sponsors

Kley Achterhof, IP Attorney.
Mr. Achterhof's practice emphasizes intellectual property (IP) law, entrepreneurial law and the legal needs of new and growing companies. He focuses on patent, copyright, and trademark law; business entity formation; securities; and general business law. Mr. Achterhof counsels clients on IP strategy and portfolio management; provides opinions of counsel on patentability, infringement and validity; and represents clients with business litigation issues.

Eckehart Zimmermann , Founder & Owner Triad Engineering.
Eckehart Zimmermann has had a career spanning over 32 years in the mechanical engineering field and is owner of Triad Engineering Inc. and Global Sourcing Limited, LLC. He has extensive knowledge and experience in product design, manufacturing processes, equipment design, materials evaluation, and product management. He has worked with companies such as Hewlett Packard Company, Cray Computer Corporation, Gore and Navy Research Laboratory, ARL. Mr. Zimmermann's expertise in problem analysis and resolution has earned him design awards from such engineering publications as Machine Design and Design News. He has also been awarded patents for his designs of medical devices, consumer products and manufacturing equipment used in the electronics industry.

Anne Feiler, Supervising Researcher, SearchQuest Patent Search™.
Anne Feiler, Supervising Patent Searcher at SearchQuest, earned a BA in Business Administration and an MS in Library and Information Science. She has been a researcher in a wide variety of areas for over 25 years, including patent searching, market/industry research and analysis, and competitive intelligence. (Her spare time is spent with her dogs, reading, and hiking.)

Rita Crompton, FLeCusa International.
Over the past twenty years, Ms. Crompton has started, or helped to start, no less than five successful businesses in four distinct and unrelated industries. Because of her superior marketing skills and the business relationships she has established and nurtured in the national marketplace, Ms. Crompton and her company FLeCusa, Inc. provide a unique service to clients wishing to enter the marketplace or grow their business to a new level, nationally or internationally. www.flecusa.com www.inventorsroundtable.com.

Doug Collins, co-founded OTB Designs & Engineering, LLC.
Doug has 15 years experience designing consumer products and industrial mechanisms while managing projects and project teams. During his career, Doug has performed in a number of capacities, such as Project Manager, Research Assistant, Operations Engineer, Project Engineer, Plant Manager, Design Engineer, Product Development Engineer, Functional Test Fixture Design Engineer, and Engineering Manager in a variety of industries.

Ian Osborn, Inventor & and Founder, Wild Ideas Light Company.
Ian is a successful inventor and manufacturer. His area of expertise is electrical circuitry and LED lighting. He has done custom circuitry and lighting for a variety of designers and architects before patenting his own designs. Ian currently has four patents pending using his unique high-intensity miniature products. As president of Wild Ideas Light Company, Ian Osborn has manufactured products in both China and the US. The most difficult part of manufacturing overseas is maintaining good quality control. This is much easier to manage right here in the US. Ian now has all of his products manufactured right here in Colorado. Learn how to identify manufacturers right here in the US for products that used to be more cheaply done overseas. Learn the right way to manage your project for the best results.

Jan Miller, Founder and President of Stander, Inc.
Stander began in 1998 with a desire from Jan to start a business that is a contribution to the world. Jan's grandmother "Grandma Essie" inspired the first product. The first three Stander products were created to help Grandma Essie stand from the couch "The Couchcane" , stand from the bed " The Bed Cane" and stand from the car " The CarCaddie". From there Stander has grown at the average of 40% yearly. Jan and her dream team invent design and manufacture 3-5 new products each year that are devoted to assisting the elderly to be independent and " Live the Longer Life You Love"TM. Jan was given an award for innovation in 2008 from Women Tech Awards. She was named Business Person of the Year for Utah by SBA in 2009. Stander was named in the top 50 fastest growing companies in Utah.

Bruce Dawson, President, Liquid Capital Colorado
Bruce has spearheaded, structured, launched and assumed full P&L responsibility for the complete start-up of multiple businesses including a national energy company that quickly evolved into one of the most successful organically-grown commercial and residential retail energy businesses in the US energy industry. Liquid Capital of Colorado provides working Capital and Lines of Credit to emerging and transforming businesses of any size. www.liquidcapitalofco.com.

Dixie Daly, Tickled Pink Boutique
Dixie Daly is the Founder and CEO of Tickled Pink Boutique and has created over 22 products including Tickled Pink® Chocolate, Pink-A-Bella® Pet Shampoo line, has written a "Pink" jingle, which now is a cell phone ringtone on itunes and her latest design, 'Sassy Blitz,' a fashionable scarf with many purposes. Dixie combines her entrepreneurial energy with a lifelong passion for helping others, and generously shares her expertise and extensive network of contacts to encourage other entrepreneurs to reach their goals. Dixie's mission is to inspire, educate and support others on the best ways to pursue their dreams.

Matt Laws, Vice President & Senior Relationship Manager, Wells Fargo Bank. N.A.
Matt Laws, Vice President and Senior Relationship Manager of Wells Fargo Bank. N.A. has been with the organization since 1997. Matt is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with an extensive number of small to large sized business accounts. He acts as the relationship manager to existing customers, provides continuing financial advice as appropriate, determines customers commercial loan and deposit needs, deepens existing customer relationships and structures secured and unsecured business credit facilities. With strong knowledge of both conventional and Small Business Administration Financing, Matt works with and sponsors the Westminster Small Business Development Center. In addition he is a member of the North Metro Chamber and Adams County Economic Development Corporation.