TRAE SMITH: INVENTOR – INTERNALLY ILLUMINATED FOOTWEAR Trae Smith is the inventor of the patented internally illuminated Firebugs shoe line, the first real creative innovation in lighted shoes in three decades. The Firebug line of shoes was immediately successful, with several major shoe companies licensing right

PATRICK BUCKLEY: INVENTOR & CO-FOUNDER OF DODOCASE Patrick Buckley is the coauthor of The Hungry Scientist Handbook(HarperCollins, 2008), the cofounder of DODOcase, a serial entrepreneur and prolific innovator. He invented DODOcase with co-founder Craig Dalton, launching the product in April 2010. They launched in tandem with

GEORGE KAPLAN: INVENTOR & DIAMOND INDUSTRY ICON Lazare Kaplan International Inc. (LKI) was founded in 1903 by Lazare Kaplan in Antwerp, Belgium. Since its creation, innovation has driven LKI, making major breakthroughs in the diamond industry, and enabling it to eventually become one of the largest manufacturers of diamonds in the United States.

RAY PERKINS: INVENTOR & FOUNDER OF ECO WORLD GROUP LLC. Ray Perkins is an inventor and founder of Eco World Group LLC, and co-founder of Eco Agro Resources. Ray is originally from Florida but resides in North Carolina. He and his Eco Agro team developed a slow-release compound for urea-based fertilizers that reduces water

MICHAEL KINTNER: INVENTOR & OWNER OF 360Heros Michael Kintner is the owner and inventor of 360Heros (now 360RIZE), an innovative 360 degree camera mount and related photographic and video system. Mike was born in 1964 and raised in Scio, New York. He attended Alfred State University

DR. STEVE LEBOEUF: INVENTOR & CO-FOUNDER OF VALENCELL Dr. Steve LeBoeuf is an innovator and founder of Valencell, a company known throughout the industry as a leader in the innovative science of wearable biometric devices that deliver enhanced health results. Steve possesses a Ph.D. in Electrical

DAVID PETITE: INVENTOR & FOUNDER OF SIPCO David Petite is an inventor and the Founder of SIPCO (the Smart IP Company). He is also a Native American and Founder of NAIPEC (Native American Intellectual Property Enterprise Council). He holds over 100 patents relating to wireless technology, a number of which are from the early

WILLIAM O’KEEFFE: INVENTOR – SAFTIFIRST FIRE RATED GLASS William (Bill) O’Keeffe is an inventor and entrepreneur. Bill was a mechanical contractor before taking over his father’s now-eight-decade old architectural glazing company. IN 1978 Bill established SAFTIFIRST, producing fire rated glass and framing, the first U.S. company

TÉSIA THOMAS: INVENTOR AND FOUNDER – ZIPR-SHIFT KLŌS Tésia Thomas is a young inventor who created the “more modern zipper,” as she calls it. At the age of 20, after her pet rabbit bit through her laptop case zipper, she was determined to find a tougher, better solution. And she did. She formed Zipr

GLENN SANDERS: INVENTOR – WIRELESS DIGITAL RECORDING Glenn Sanders is an inventor and the founder of Zaxcom, Inc. The firm designs and manufactures award-winning audio and video equipment for the broadcast industry. He developed the first Time Base Control (TBC) System used primarily for video editing,