What are the coolest innovations coming out of Utah – especially in the areas of healthcare and consumer products? My question doesn’t relate to LDS issues per se, but involves something almost as interesting as religion: my new job.
On Monday I began an exciting new stage in my career. I have resigned from Kimberly-Clark Corporation, a tremendous company where I spent 13 wonderful years (the last six as Corporate Patent Strategist and Senior Research Fellow) working with some of the finest people anywhere. I really enjoyed the diversity of experiences there, working with fields such as RFID, business method patents for software systems and numerous other areas, many new product concepts, marketing research, and good ol’ chemistry and even a bit of chemical engineering (where I have my degrees). But now I’ve left the relative security of a big corporation for an action-packed career with an entrepreneurial new company, Innovation Edge, recently founded by Cheryl Perkins, the former Chief Innovation Officer of Kimberly-Clark who was named by BusinessWeek as one of the “World’s Top 25 Champions of Innovation” in 2006. Really an amazing leader with incredible ties to major corporations, professors, and innovators around the world. My first four days have been a delightful, intense learning experience working with some exciting clients, inventors, and thought-leaders. And eventually, I’d like to add some more Utah coverage to the scope of people I work with. Yes, I guess I still have a bias in favor of Utah (but am happy to learn of hot innovation anywhere).
A big part of my job includes networking with innovators, staying close to trends, finding opportunities where small companies or lone inventors might find success through partnerships with major companies in our network, etc. (And yes, part of what I do still involves helping people with intellectual asset strategy, including patents, aggressive publication strategy, trademarks, digital intellectual assets, and business method patents.) Anyway, I’m coming out to Utah for a couple days at the end of August (helping my son get started at BYU) and while there, would like to learn more about innovation hotspots. I’ll be meeting with some amazing university folks already, but would like to get some tips on other innovation sources, cool start-ups, etc.
Please send your thoughts to jeff at jefflindsay-dot-com.
I really don’t know if this is what you are looking for. However, Fred Lampropolous might be a person you would want to talk with. He started up Merit Medical without much to his name. Over the years he has developed several products and recieved patents for them. He has grown the company into huge enterprise.
jeff:
I may be able to help you out. Drop me a line and we ca arrange a time to chat.
Chris Knudsen
ctknud “at” gmail dotom
or 801-380-2925
I don’t know if this is what you are looking for, but I live in Highland, and have been freelancing as a technical writer for the last few years. I decided two years ago to try to develop a software program for hospitals and clinics that helps to obtain medication for uninsured patients. There are some other products out there, but they are very limited and problematic. It’s been a long haul, but we are finally going out into the market with our product this month. It’s early yet, but we are getting a good response. It’s an exciting time. We started and continue to run on a self-financed shoe string, and are hoping that it will pay off soon.