Lindsey Brooks

With an appreciation for consumer perception research and powerful scientific message based branding, Lindsey’s product launch expertise is unmatched.

Lindsey has helped guide and prepare the launch of many of the most memorable television infomercial products of all time.  She crafted the marketing, sales methods, and positioning of many consumer beauty and household products worldwide. 

Her powerful insight and background comes from her close connection to product creators, and old fashioned entrepreneurial grit.  The expertise she has was built by her experiences spending time at consumer events and pitching products through infomercials and live shopping. 

Lindsey, has launched her own consumer products starting at the age of 18, with a “teenagers budget, ” and turned them into global brands and spin off products that have been marketed worldwide with her guidance. 

When building a consumer product or idea it is important to Lindsey to build it cautiously and completely consider consumers, positioning and ultimate sell through.  Her theory is that products have 4 parts: the price, the offer, the concept and the method of media, if one of these isn’t suited to the product, the concept will fail. 

Her interests beyond coming up with amazing ideas that make life better, sharing those ideas with others are conceptualizing entrepreneurial ideals and confidence in places where opportunity is scarce, building communities and empowering entrepreneurs of all kinds.

Lindsey is CEO of Boardwalk Brand, and Co-founder of the Seattle chapter of House of Genius. 

Eric Huber

Marketing Head, Microsoft

Eric Huber has been an inventor and innovator for over 40 years crediting his innate ability to identify needs, his keen imagination, and creative drive for the continual motivation to develop new products with solutions to everyday problems.

He began inventing with an entrepreneurial spirit at age eight. More recently, he was named a Season 4- Everyday Edison, when one of his inventions was selected among the top 10 out of 11,000 entries. This propelled Eric’s creative work out of his workshop and onto the radar of industry professionals.

Eric has been seen in Entrepreneur Magazine, Inventor’s Digest, and a variety of other media outlets.  Through valuable contacts in the automotive, housewares, storage, and cargo management industries – and downright hard work, he presently has 10 products placed with various companies working their way to store shelves.

With over 100 products in his portfolio and 1,000s more in his notebooks, Eric is devoted to conceptualizing and bringing to fruition, a gamut of products ranging from complex, low-cost water desalination, and affordable housing solutions, to a simple product everyday problem solvers.

Eric is passionate about the inventing, commercialization, entrepreneurial process and an advocate for all those garage inventors like himself, pursuing the American Dream.

Michael Miller

Michael leads the Product Partnership Program for three companies within NCH corporation; Retail Products Group with a focus on pet products (Brands: OUT, Simple Solutions, Vets Best, Bags on Board, Totally Toddler) and Plumbing Products Group which includes Danco and LSP companies( Brands: Danco, Go Bidet, Disposal genie, MJSI, Rapid Fit, Pull stop Box, Aqua- Flo). Major Customers include: Walmart, Home Depot, Target, Lowes, Petco, ACE, Bed Bath and Beyond, QVC and HSN to name a few.

Before joining NCH in 2008, Michael was the head of Research and Development at Andover Healthcare where he led the development of the world’s first cohesive elastic bandage with silver antimicrobial foam and was the Field Service and Training Manager for FEI Company, the leader in Focused Ion beam technology. He also served in the U.S. Submarine Service as a Chief Petty Officer, where he served on 4 nuclear powered submarines. He completed his service as the Research and Development Chief at Submarine Development Squadron 12 where he led R/D projects on 15 different US Submarines and one submarine from the Royal Netherlands Navy. Michael holds a BA in Business Administration from Hesser College.

Kedma Ough

Kedma Ough, MBA is the Innovation Director at Mt Hood Community College Small Business Development Center in Oregon. As part of her role she leads three statewide initiatives; the Oregon SBDC Cybersecurity Program, Youth Entrepreneurship Program, and the Statewide Inventor Program. Under this directive she supports the Inventor Resource Program, which includes SBIR/STTR Federal Innovation Grants and working with inventors from ideation to commercialization. She has supported inventors from product licensing through building product development firms. The Huffington Post has recognized Ough for fueling innovation and Inc.  Ough is also a contributing writing for Entrepreneur Magazine. Her past awards have included the SBA’s Women Champion of the Year, Small Business State Champion Award, and National Small Business Influencer Leadership. As an avid inventor Ough is currently working on a food product concept with her three young boys. In 2019, Ough will have her book published “Target Funding” in collaboration with McGraw Hill. The book will focus on finding resources and funding for inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses. She is also a proud fifth generation entrepreneur and her great-great grandfather peddled various products throughout Ireland. Follow her on LinkedIn.com.

Warren Tuttle

Warren has served as President of the Board of Directors for the UIA since 2010, and is a prolific speaker at inventor clubs and industry tradeshows, where he shares his his extensive knowlege and expertise to help educate aspiring inventors, patent holders and product developers.  

In addition to his own commercial successes, including Smart Spin and Misto – the Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer, Warren has also helped numerous inventors obtain licensing agreements with major US manufacturers, and has counseled many inventors who went on to start their own small businesses. Warren currently serves as the Open Innovation Director for:

• Lifetime Brands (the world’s largest manufacturer of kitchen utensils and a major supplier of food prep and table top products to America’s major retailers)
• TTI Group (power tools and accessories under the Rigid, Ryobi, Milwaukee, and AEG brands), and
• Access Innovation Solutions for direct response (As Seen on TV) products.

Tom Gray

Tom is the CEO and senior strategist for Make48 and Handy Camel. He is responsible for the overall vision of Make48’s national and international growth and oversees major brand partnerships. He also serves as creative director for Make48 TV, the series which will be launched on PBS Television in the Spring of 2017.

Handy Camel licenses inventions and manufactures products in the USA and UK and supplies major retailers worldwide. The company has won numerous trade show awards, including the “Best New Garden Accessory” award in England and 3rd in New Product Showcase at the National Hardware Show in Vegas. Their products include The Handy Camel Bag Clip, the Renegade Broom, the Garden Thorn irrigation device and the Big Strap Wrap cargo strapping organizer.

Scott Hynd

Scott is the President and Co-Founder of Proformance Marketing Group (PMG), a Philadelphia-based marketing firm that specializes in Direct Response Television and product promotion. Scott appears on-air regularly as a product expert both on QVC and in infomercials. Prior to PMG, he held executive positions with a venture capital firm that specialized in emerging product technology as well as a consumer electronics company. 

Over the past decade, Scott has presented over 250 different products on national television, totaling thousands of appearances and well over a quarter of a billion dollars in sales.

With a passion for sharing his knowledge and expertise, Scott is a prolific educational speaker, panelist, and judge at industry tradeshows and inventor workshops across the country.

Roy Morejon

President, Enventys Partners

Roy Morejon is the President and Co-Founder of Enventys Partners, a vertically-integrated product development, crowdfunding, and digital marketing agency that has helped launch over 1,500 innovations in the past 8 years on sites like Kickstarter, Indiegogo and Amazon. The Emmy award-winning turn-key firm combines product development and marketing services, helping entrepreneurs, startups and enterprise companies bring innovative products and ideas to market quickly and effectively. 

A serial entrepreneur and thought leader in digital marketing for more than 25 years, Morejon consulted for AOL and Microsoft in his teens and now provides entrepreneurs and startups with a one-stop solution for all of their go-to-market product launch needs, as well as personally investing in over 24 startups.

As CMO of Product Hype, a blog/newsletter that showcases the best new products on Earth in an absurdly unique way and host of the leading crowdfunding podcast Art of the Kickstart and frequently being featured on CNN, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Huffington Post, and Fast Company, he has helped thousands of entrepreneurs raise more than $175 million dollars using reward-based and equity crowdfunding while being a board member and advisor to hundreds of global startups on their online marketing growth strategies. 

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Andrea Pass

​Andrea Pass of Andrea Pass Public Relations is a 30+ year public relations veteran with expertise in national, regional and local media relations outreach for clients in such categories as consumer products, lifestyle, B2B, education, authors, non-profits and more.

Her strength in relationships coupled with her knowledge of the ever-growing media base results in securing top tier, targeted media placements to increase brand awareness, reputation management and sales for established businesses and growing entrepreneurs alike.

Andrea Pass has been named a Leading Women Entrepreneur Top 25 Brand Builder for 2018 and was previous named a Direct Response Marketing Association (DRMA) Member of the Year Finalist. She has served on the Membership Committee of the Electronic Retailing Association (ERA).

​An active volunteer, Pass holds a B.A. in Communications from Glassboro State College.

Gina Waldhorn

Named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of 2017’s Most Daring Entrepreneurs Gina Waldhorn is President of Quirky (the community led invention platform that brings real people’s ideas to life) where she has revitalized the company following its 2016 change of ownership.   Prior to joining Quirky, Gina co-founded the innovation boutique Evol8tion in 2012 where she executed over 75 in-market startup and brand pilot programs with leading brands, including: Nestle; Anheuser-Busch InBev; Steelcase; and Mondelez International, and pioneered innovation practices within IoT, AI, AR/VR, and Natural User Interfaces.

An obsessive problem solver and serial ideator, Gina has taken home a Young Cannes Lion Award, IAB MIXX Award, AdClub of NY Presidents Award, and was recognized by AWNY as a 2016 Game Changer. Gina has achieved a Master of Arts in Global Marketing from Emerson College and built a vast collection of Philip K Dick novels. She is also the proud mom to baby Eddie and dog Rowlf, and lives in Brooklyn New York.  

Andrea Hence Evans

Andrea Hence Evans, Esq. is a member of the Texas bar, a registered Patent Attorney, and a member of the US Supreme Court Bar. Having worked at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for approximately 5 years as both a patent examiner and a trademark examining attorney after graduating from law school, she then launched the intellectual property law practice, The Law Firm of Andrea Hence Evans, which currently represents independent inventors, entrepreneurs, small, medium, and Fortune 100 clients in multiple states and multiple countries with patent, trademark and copyright issues. 

Andrea is a 2002 graduate of The George Washington Law School in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of Spelman College and Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, Georgia, where she obtained a Bachelors of Science in mathematics and a Bachelors of Civil Engineering, respectively.   Attorney Evans is also the owner of KidGINEER, LLC, a hands-on STEM program for children.

Trevor Lambert

Trevor is President and founder of Lambert & Lambert, Inc., one of the leading invention agencies involved in licensing and technology transfer.  An inventor himself, after seeing deficiencies in the business model of existing invention service providers, Trevor established the company in 2001 with the goal of providing inventors with improved transparency by working on a commission basis (or contingency).

In 2009, Trevor founded a design and engineering firm called Enhance Product Development, Inc. that specializes in providing inventors with tailored services for both licensing or manufacturing and distribution.  Enhance provides turnkey services for inventors from industrial design, prototyping to domestic or overseas manufacturing sourcing.  There is even design packages specifically developed for inventors seeking to license their inventions.

Over the years Trevor has been chiefly responsible for developing and licensing products that are now in stores such as Walmart, Target, Lowes, Bed Bath & Beyond, Home Depot, ToysRUs and many more; generating for his clients royalties in the millions of dollars.  Products range from direct response television (infomercial) to industrial products currently being commercialized by John Deere.

Matt Nuccio

Matt Nuccio has a wealth of knowledge in the fields of design, engineering, prototyping, licensing and sourcing and is passionate about helping companies convey a clear message through design. His design and development agency, Design Edge Inc., is a multi-award-winning international development agency with offices in New York and Hong Kong.

For over 25 years Matt has been designing products and packaging for hundreds of companies, both big and small, across many industries (toys, electronics, food and beverage, health and beauty, houseware, hardware, pets… to name a few).

He has also written columns focusing on design, inventing, engineering and manufacturing for Toy and Family Entertainment, ToyBook, Royaltie$ and Licensing Book. Matt is also a frequent lecturer on design and manufacturing, having spoken at trade shows, inventor clubs and universities around the world. 

A recognized subject matter expert, in 2008 Matt was elected co-chairman of the Toy Industry Association (TIA) associate panel representing all designers and inventors in the toy industry. Matt was elected to sit on the UIA Board of Directors in 2014.

Jim Patterson

Jim is a founding partner of the law firm Patterson Thuente IP, a full-service intellectual property boutique. His practice encompasses all aspects of intellectual property law, including patent prosecution, IP portfolio management and strategy development, licensing, dispute mediation, international IP protection and development of global market-protection strategies. Jim’s’ clients are leading companies, located around the globe, in a variety of industries, including medical device, defense, electronics, plastics and mechanical equipment. 

During his 25 years as a patent lawyer, Jim has always enjoyed the challenge of patenting ideas that are twists on everyday products. He also gains tremendous satisfaction from providing access to justice for the disadvantaged and has partnered with other IP professionals and the USPTO to develop patent pro bono programs across the country.

Russ Williams

An entrepreneur at heart with close to 20 years of business experience, Russ co-founded Invention Home to help independent inventors to connect with manufacturers for the purpose of licensing inventions. To date, we have successfully licensed over 100 inventions to independent 3rd party companies and have amassed a network of over 3,500 manufacturers/product companies looking for innovative products.

We have also developed solid working relationships with patent attorneys, design firms, prototype companies and manufacturing sourcing companies.

Brian Fried

Executive Director

Inventor Brian Fried is an author, radio host and consultant with many successful inventions reaching mass retail markets. He is the author of Inventing Secrets Revealed, You & Your Big Ideas and Invention Playbook for Inventors with Big Ideas. He has been featured in respected media outlets including the New York Times; Inc. Magazine; Newsday; Inventors Digest; CBS News; the Food Network; and WPIX11.

Brian’s inventions are currently marketed through As Seen On TV, home shopping channels, catalogs and online retailers through licensing and manufacturing agreements. As the host of Got Invention Radio, he has interviewed over 150 high profile guests, including Lori Greiner of ABC’s Shark Tank and representatives from the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. He is the Founder and President of Long Island Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club representing Nassau and Suffolk counties through the SBDC (Small Business Development Center), a division of the SBA (Small Business Administration).

Brian Fried has served as a trusted mentor to inventors including celebrities for over 15 years. Through his Inventor Smart consultancy, he offers one-on-one support at all stages of the invention process. Brian provides feedback, product development, licensing representation and turnkey solutions to make invention ideas a reality. He is considered an authority and advocate for inventors within the invention community, and he is invited as a guest speaker on innovation and invention topics at major trade shows, government agencies, schools and libraries across the nation. He recently received the Innovator of the Year Award on Long Island and several Proclamations for his contribution to the encouragement of innovation in the region from the County Executive.

Warren Tuttle

President

Andrea Evans

Executive Committee

Deb Hess

Treasurer, Ops Director

Former Program Director of the Minnesota Inventors Congress (MIC), Deb uses her marketing and management experience to educate inventors about how successful inventors develop marketable products. She is known for the passion she expresses when helping aspiring inventors learn how to make important business decisions regarding their new business ventures. 

She has been supporting independent inventors for 30 years. She is a certified trainer, coach and facilitator in fostering the creative and innovative spirit in entrepreneurs. She currently serves as Treasurer for the UIA.

Hess is invited to speak to inventors, students, intellectual property law students, entrepreneurs, manufacturers and others. On an international level, she has served as a juror for World Cup of Computer Implemented Inventions in Taipei, Taiwan and as the US Representative for the Global Sustainability Conference in Bangkok Thailand.

The co-owner of a micro enterprise for over 25 years, Deb is responsible for the marketing and accounting functions of the family business. Having served as an elected official for Redwood County, Minnesota, she is well versed in consensus building skills and public policy.

Jim Patterson

Secretary

Lindsey Brooks

Executive Committee

Cathie Kirik

Trade Show Director

Cathie Kirik has spent nearly 40 years supporting intellectual property protection and, in particular, independent inventors –  10 years with the Library of Congress Copyright Office and nearly 30 years with the US Patent and Trademark Office. While with the USPTO, Cathie was part of the founding team of the Office of Independent Inventor Programs whose focus was to provide educational resources to the inventor community. Highlights of the Programs’ efforts include the USPTO Inventors Resource Page, on-line chats, newsletters, and an established complaint process for inventors working with invention promotion scam companies.  Cathie also coordinated the USPTO’s Annual Independent Inventor Conferences and Saturday Seminar Programs.  Upon retiring from the USPTO, Cathie joined the UIA to continue her passion for supporting the inventor community. 

Michael Miller

Vice President