Expo is a cradle of creativity
Inventors show off solutions to some common problems -- and to some less frequently considered.
Dalton Walker, Star Tribune

Last update: June 09, 2006 – 9:58 PM


REDWOOD FALLS, MINN. - Paul Johnson has built birdhouses, fixed antique toys and assembled model airplanes as a hobby for most of his 80 years.

So when he couldn't find the right tool to complete his newest invention last year, he remembered the tiny tools that came with the model airplane kits he assembled in the 1950s.

The result: The Dandelion Dobber, one of 58 inventions on display at the 49th annual Minnesota Inventors Congress Expo in Redwood Falls. The event started Friday and continues through Sunday.

The 54-inch-long rod releases weed killer when the bottom bobber touches a dandelion or other unwanted weed.

"Dab it, wait a week or so and the weed's dead," said Johnson, of Lake Crystal, Minn.

Inventors from 16 states are in Redwood Falls, a town about 120 miles southwest of the Twin Cities, to display their working prototypes. They're hoping for valuable feedback from other inventors and the 6,000 or so visitors this weekend -- and maybe commercial success.

The inventions on display Friday offer solutions to problems you may never have considered. Michael Hemenway of Mounds View brought his reversible automobile seat, which allows a driver to park the car and turn the seat to face backseat passengers.

Genaro Texidor of Valdosta, Ga., is showing off his belt buckle pen dispenser, while one of the more useful inventions for snowy Minnesota might be the Safe Loader, displayed by Grant Hanson of Glenwood, Minn. It automatically lifts a snowplow when it hits an immovable object such as a curb or raised manhole cover.

Every inventor at the Expo likely will be vying for attention from TV host Jay Leno's crew, on hand today and Sunday to tape a segment for "The Tonight Show."

Some make it big

Deb Hess, executive director, has been a volunteer for 21 years at the inventors congress. She said the expo provides valuable resources for inventors.

"We have such a passion to help these inventors," she said. "They need this opportunity to test-market their products. It's that one contact that could make a difference."

Gary Green, 37, of Lakeville, came to the Expo 20 years ago with a new type of drum sander. The response was great, he said. A month after the event, he started his own business and "it took off fairly quickly," he said. In 1999, he sold the business and retired on the profits.

"The Expo is excellent to go through," Green said. "It's a great opportunity for inventors to get started."

Clint Fruitman and his wife, Noel, drove 1,700 miles from Chandler, Ariz., to display their therapy pad and massage cream. As Green did 20 years ago, they hope to expand their product to a larger market.

Fruitman said he has worked on his inventions since March 2004, driven by the desire to help his wife deal with pain caused by diabetes. Her diabetes was diagnosed when she was 8, and now at 62 she wears braces on both feet and has constant swelling late in the day.

"I had to do something," Fruitman said. "I was desperate. My wife couldn't walk."

His wife uses both products regularly and said the cold-pack pads reduce her pain dramatically.

Although some inventions become household products, most never make it to the big time. Success stories and teaching seminars to help inventors figure out ways to refine their products and sell their ideas are part of the Expo, and Hess said she hopes the inventors take advantage of them.

"Our job is to help them understand the most important investment [the inventors] will make is to become educated in the process to make good decisions."