We’ve recently heard about an area community project that could use a shot in the arm – and fast!  There is an organized, grassroots campaign to acquire the Aspinwall Marina near Pittsburgh and turn it into a community park.

The campaign, referred to as The Aspinwall Riverfront Park Project, is working in coordination with Aspinwall Borough and Friends of the Riverfront to raise $2.3 million by September 30, 2011, in order to purchase the eight-acre lot, which would feature several trails, two retention ponds, plus the already working marina.

Not only is the effort near and dear to many community members, it is also a top priority for many members of the Davison team.  Mr. Davison has already made a generous donation and our Senior Director of Special Operations has been very active in the effort as well.

Our Senior Director of Special Operations serves as an Aspinwall Riverfront Park Project Steering Committee member and has helped to film and edit videos for the fundraising effort.  For him, the effort is even a bit more personal.

“I actively ride my bicycle and have a family with a three and four-year-old, so seeing the Aspinwall Riverfront Park become a reality is going to be great,” he said.  “The Aspinwall Riverfront Park is a big project of which I have spent many hours working on, so I am eager to see it become a success.”

And, the project is very close to becoming a reality.  As of the end of July, the group was just over $250,000 shy of the $2.3 million goal.  If they fall short of their goal, another group could buy the lot and develop it on their own.  This summer, it was nearly sold in order to become a 450-car parking lot.

According to our Senior Director of Special Operations, a park would a serve greater-community purpose than developing the space.

“Having a bicycle trail and riverfront access so close to home is going to be so beneficial to me and my family, and our community,”  he said.

To donate to the effort, you can visit either the Fox Chapel District Association or Friends of the Riverfront online.  Each site includes easy instructions to help you complete your donation.

You can also help by simply spreading the word!  Share the Aspinwall Riverfront Park Project website with family and friends, who may also want to help.

Finally, you can schedule a time to tour the property by contacting Project Coordinator Susan Crookston at scrookston@comcast.net.  Please keep in mind, for the time being, the park is still private property, so you are not able to visit the area on your own.

Learn more about the effort to acquire the Aspinwall Marina by visiting the Aspinwall Riverfront Park Project website today!

The 2011 Riverview Relay for Life in Oakmont, PA was an overwhelming success, in part because of the sponsorship of Davison and the creative contributions from our “Dare to Invent” team. The largest fundraiser in the world, the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, gives everyone a chance to celebrate the lives of people who have battled cancer and remember loved ones lost, while fighting for a cure.

Young “Relayers” were continually visiting the “Dare to Invent” site (#54) to test their skills at a Nerf dart shooting game and an Einstein “brain bag” toss game. Kids who got a bullseye or got the “brains” inside Einstein’s head (making a lightbulb light up) got to pick out a toy (the movie star sunglasses were a hit!). They also had fun coloring and putting together models of T-Rex, pterodactyl and stegosauras from cardboard pop-out kits. The activities were created by Davison’s Corporate Creative Coach, Jonathon, and Trevor, package design engineer, with assistance from designers, Tess and Bev.

Everyone put in a lot of time, and laps around the track, especially a few employees, who stayed at the park the entire 24 hours! They even stuck it out through a downpour and thunderstorm during the night!

“The team pulled through and we did a great job for first-timers. It only rained hard for a couple hours, and my tent and canopy are very water proof,” said Jonathon. “We’ve got bigger and better plans for next year and hope to triple the size of our team and activities.”

In addition to the company’s sponsorship, the Davison team raised money by charging 25 cents to play the games or 50 cents to build a dinosaur, as well as raffling off two baskets of Davison products and a stack of Inventionland books.

In addition to the company’s sponsorship and employee donations, the team raised money through the games and the raffling off of Davison products and a stack of Inventionland books. Several team members also purchased luminaries to honor loved ones who have battled cancer. During the moving ceremony, glowing luminaries marked with the names of individuals who have battled cancer lined the track and were placed on the bleachers to convey “HOPE.” The many names were read aloud as the images of survivors and those who lost their battle were shown, followed by a moment of silence.

The Riverview Relay had a goal of raising at least $103,000 to reach a total of $1 million in its 11th year. However, during the final count on Sunday morning, they were about $6,000 short of their goal – but, at the last minute someone came out with an anonymous $10,000 check! “Overall the event raised $106,014, which is absolutely incredible!” reported the captain. “It was really touching and sort of like what you see in movies,” added Emily, a team member. “Overall, it was a great time, and hopefully next year will be even bigger.”

That is certain, as Jonathon, who has been busy delivering the prizes to raffle winners, is already making ambitious plans for the 2012 Relay.

Hint — it’s going to involve a lot more Nerf guns, targets and dinosaurs — and even more fun!

Women all over the world unite during March to celebrate National Women’s History Month. Throughout history, women have made significant contributions to innovation. Many products that we commonly use today, such as windshield wipers, the circular saw, hydrometer and liquid paper, were invented by women.

At Davison, we’ve come to realize that the best inventors are just everyday people who have found a solution to a problem in their routine tasks – like female inventor, Bette Nesmith Graham.

Bette Nesmith-Graham — Liquid Paper

Bette was an executive secretary in Dallas who was often frustrated by the fact that one simple typing error resulted in having to retype the entire document. As an inspiring artist, Bette found inspiration in the way painters correct their mistakes by simply painting over them. She thought the same theory could apply to her typing, so one day she took a bottle of her white tempera water-based paint and a paintbrush with her to work. Not long after, other secretaries in her office began asking for her mistake correcting liquid.

Eventually, Bette realized her creation could help typists like her around the country. She turned to her son’s high school chemistry teacher for helping developing a more suitable substance. In 1956, Bette sought help from friends and family to bottle and sell the product which was then called “Mistake Out.” By 1967, Bette’s invention was renamed “Liquid Paper” and had turned into a million-dollar business.

——————————————————————————

It’s women inventors like Bette who are truly inspirational. They are ordinary people with extraordinary ideas. Davison has helped several women inventors just like her. Below are three stories of everyday women who had an idea and came to us for help developing it into a product.

Jean — The Meatball Baker

Jean wanted an easier and healthier way to cook meatballs. She came to us with the idea and we helped her design it. In 2008, Jean received the good news that her idea was licensed by Xtraordinary Home Products. The  Meatball Baker sold out in the first half hour of its debut on QVC. Since then, the Meatball Baker has sold in Bed Bath & Beyond, A.C. Moore, Avon, Sky Mall and many online retailers.

Sharon — The Cool Cot House

Sharon often went camping and wanted a comfortable, convenient shelter for her pets to use. She could not find a product currently on the market that would solve this problem, so she decided to invent it herself. The finished product, the Cool Cot House, features a water-resistant tent with a vented roof, raised bed and mesh cot designed to keep dogs and cats cool and dry. In 2010, Sharon shared her inventing story on Lifetime TV’s “The Balancing Act” alongside Davison CEO, George Davison, and the president of Hugs Pet Products — the company that licensed the Cool Cot House.

Joy — The Party Traveler

Joy loved going to get-togethers, but always had a problem transporting the deviled eggs she prepared from her house to the party. She searched for proper containers in stores and came back empty handed. After coming to us for help designing the product, it was licensed by a company looking for new items in their line of functionally unique housewares. The Party Traveler transports not only deviled eggs, but also a variety of other foods, including cupcakes and veggies, in a neat and easy-to-carry tray.

At Davison, we are very proud of these women and their inventions and we look forward to more female inventors and innovative products in the future.

Choosing the best “Rube Goldberg Machine” built by local high school students at the Chain Reaction Contraption Contest at Carnegie Science Center was not easy, but Davison’s VP of Design, Pete, and designer, Clay, were up to the task. They chose the “Gator Vendomator” created by a team from Gateway High School to win the “What Will You Create?” award sponsored by Davison. The contraption made change for a dollar bill in 22 steps using a series of levers.

“It was a really neat machine, with a lot of complicated mechanisms,” said Pete. “If they could automatically reset it, people would be putting dollars into it all day long.”

For winning the award, the winning team and their honors physics classmates were given a tour of Davison’s unique design facility, Inventionland. Gifted coordinator, Jim, thought it was “a once in a lifetime experience” for his students, who “like to think outside the box,” to see how engineering and creativity go hand in hand.

“This is a perfect example of engineering and creativity coming together; I’ve always encouraged that.”

The teacher was hoping his students would be inspired by the visit to pursue their interests in the field of engineering and science; he also thought seeing that they don’t necessarily have to work in a dull office would encourage them.

“Students associate engineering with sitting in an office doing boring work; seeing a place that looks like this can alter their perception,” said Jim. “And having a place like this in Pittsburgh – it’s a treasure, and it’s appropriate because of Pittsburgh’s history of inventing.”

Several students in the class are interested in engineering and “a number of them are just extremely creative. They tend to attack a problem from a different level,” said Lynn, gifted coordinator.

“When we opened up the tour many of them jumped at the chance to come. Having these opportunities out there in the work force, not just the standard engineering job, is inspiring for them — especially in Western Pennsylvania,” she continued. “To have it so close to home and to have the opportunity to see it is an inspiration for the kids to pursue something like this.”

Pete is looking forward to seeing more inventive creations and “chain reaction contraptions” at the next Carnegie Science Center competition — It’s a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it.

“It’s really neat to see the inventions of young people. There was a lot of competition this year,” Pete said. “Every year it gets better and better.”