During the weekend of June 12 & 13th, representing 18 states, 71 inventors showcased 70 inventions at this years' Minnesota Inventors Congress (MIC) annual invention expo.

People from across the country attended Inventing Success Workshops hosted by experts who teach the product development process. During the 52nd annual awards ceremony, the invention chosen by the judges to receive the F. Robert Starr Grand Prize Award was the Site Saver, invented by Bob Heitkamp of Mantador ND. The Site Saver is an advanced vascular management device, ergonomically molded to align and retain IV tubing to prevent loss. 2nd place went to Daniel Considine, of Quitman GA, who invented the Rotating Heads Flex Wrench and Extension Bar. This wrench with six separate functions speeds up all repair jobs, replaces several tools and is paired with a regular ratchet extension, high speed spinner and a breaker bar.

51 inventions exhibited by 64 student inventors were displayed at the 22nd annual Minnesota Student Inventors Congress event. Their schedule was filled with informative and entertaining activities: beginning with a special session designed to help them learn more about patents and inventions, followed by a demonstration teaching them "how science is fun" hosted by the 3M Visiting Wizards. The students exhibited their inventions together with the other inventors on the show floor.

MIC Executive Director, Deb Hess, commented that feedback from the exhibitors was very positive. "Many inventors shared with me the number of manufacturers, product scouts and licensing agents that want to meet with them in the coming weeks. One of our goals is to provide the opportunity for inventors to connect with the resources they need to develop their marketable products - from that perspective this year's event was a great success." For those attending the expo, we have an annual survey, and this year the survey question was: What is your best idea of heaven on earth?"

One young lady, Brooke, said it was eating Nitro ice cream at the Minnesota Inventors Congress. It doesn't get any better than that.