Recenty, Mr. Davison and our production team made a “royal” visit in St. Louis!  While the pictures are breathtaking, the purpose of the trip to the Midwest was to surprise our client, Lennell, with the very first royalty check from her invention, the TheraPED.

Lennell’s TheraPED is an innovative spa-therapy product that she came up with to provide comfort from the “hot feet” she experienced as a result from multiple sclerosis.  Now, the TheraPED has been licensed by Health Enterprises and is marketed to people everywhere, who would like to provide hot or cold therapy to sore feet and toes.

So far, the product has been a big hit among yoga and zumba bloggers and was even given out in gift bags at the 45th Annual Country Music Association (CMA) Awards!

So, the Davison team hit the road to surprise Lennell with all of the TheraPED’s success.  After talking with members of the production team, it seems that pulling off the surprise was quite the task!

According to Mike, a member of the production team, Lennell almost arrived to the surprise party before any of the guests!

“Jasmin, Lennell’s daughter, was driving her mother and aunt to the party.  They were scheduled for an arrival at 6:00 p.m. sharp for the surprise party… the guests were supposed to arrive by 5:30 p.m.  Jasmin told me that their house was 10 minutes away from the building we were having the party in… a little after 5:00 p.m., I got a message from Jasmin… she said “We’re leaving now.  See you soon.”  I was worried that they would be arriving at 5:15 p.m., even before the guests!” said Mike.

Mike said he went to the lobby to wait for the guest of honor and tried to think of a way to logically delay her arrival at the party, but 5:30 p.m. came and went.  He met several of the other party guests and directed them into the party… but, there was still no Lennell, until right at 6:00 p.m.

“Lennell was totally surprised.  I asked Jasmin how she delayed their arrival.  She said that she pretended that she was lost and drove around the city until it was time.  Apparently, Lennell thought that her daughter had lost her mind, getting lost in the city that she knew so well,” said Mike.  “I should have known to trust Jasmin.” 

According to Adam, another member of our production team, overall, the trip was a huge success!

“The St. Louis trip was great.  The city was beautiful and the Arch was amazing.  Lennell and her family were very welcoming and a lot of fun.  I think we all felt like we were part of the family, especially during the surprise party.  It was a great moment that we can’t wait to share with everyone,” said Adam.

And, share they will!  Lennell, the TheraPED and more highlights from the St. Louis trip are scheduled to air in a future Dare to Invent webisode!

According to another member of the production team, Jimm, the quick trip proved for some awesome footage of our client Lennell, including the royalty check presentation and a little bit of the city, too.

“Our primary focus was to film an interview with Lennell and celebrate the success of her TheraPED… by presenting her with her first royalty check.  Lennell and her family welcomed us into their home and city; we had a great time… with her entire family.  We were able to get some video footage at Busch Stadium and the Arch.  The restaurant where we presented Lennell with her first royalty check probably has the best view of the Arch in the city,” said Jimm.

Lane also had an amazing time on the shoot in St. Louis, “We all had a really great time working together. It was a super rad experience. Lennel was a pleasure to meet and hang out with. The same goes for the family. They were all just so inviting!”

As if picturing all of that is not enough of a tease, we’ll have to wait for the Dare to Invent webisode to see the rest.  However, Mr. Davison offered us a great overview of what’s to come!

“Everyone did a great job.  To think that this whole project started as an idea years ago and it has brought together such wonderful people all along the way to its eventual, glorious surprise evening that was just… well, what it is really all about, isn’t it… people helping people to make the world a little better for our friends and neighbors.  Congrats to everyone at Davison, the Health Enterprises team, Lennell’s family, Lennell and all those who will benefit from this great new invention,” said Mr. Davison.

Lennell’s Dare to Invent debut is scheduled for late June.  Stay tuned!

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

As fast as fast can be… and as speedy as his travels may be… we finally caught up with our Vice President of Business Development and Licensing (VP).  In a little over a month’s time, our VP has been all across the nation, informing current and potential licensees about awesome new Davison designs.

He began his most recent “national tour” in New York, at the Toy Industry Association’s 109th annual American International Toy Fair.  Our VP told us that the show was a first… for two reasons.

“[One of our] Senior Designers was able to… walk the show for the first time!  This was also the first year for Smiletime Toys to make [their] debut at the show,”  said our VP, who informed us that the new toy company that we have begun working with already has begun to make waves in the toy industry, thanks to the help of some innovative Davison designs!

From toys that make us smile to pets that make us smile, our VP’s next stop was the Global Pet Expo in Orlando and, according to him, the show was huge for an innovative pet product company that has licensed many Davison designs, Hugs Pet Products.

“Every major retailer stopped by the Hugs booth… Target, Costco, Camping World, Petco, Bed Bath & Beyond and many more.  Even the competition was taking note of the innovative products on display this year,” said our VP, who also said many of the retailers plan to add 10 to 20 new products, “all carrying the Davison ‘D,’” throughout the year.

“Retailers continue to challenge Hugs with new, innovative products and Hugs and Davison continue to meet those challenges.  You might see a few retailers visiting Inventionland in the near future!” said our VP, who also shared some great news about a new bug repellent company we’ve been working with.

“AWAY also received good feedback at the show and will start to open up their distribution networks to several new retailers this year,” he said.

From Orlando to Chicago, our VP led the Davison team, including our Senior Director of Special Operations, to the International Home and Housewares Show.

“This show had a huge influence of Davison projects… we had meetings with 30+ different companies, factories, retailers and rep groups.  Everyone from XHP, Better Sleep, Jokari, SkyMall, Len Fast Media, All Star Marketing, Chef’s Planet, Focus Products Group, Metro Design and many more,” said our VP.

According to our Senior Director of Special Operations, from classic favorites to new designs, the Davison “D” was very well-represented at the show.

“Among the latest and greatest Davison-designed products on display were the ever-expanding line of Silicone Bakeware, the crowd favorite Surprise Pan and Meatball Baker, as well as the Disney family of Mickey measuring cups and Mickey Mouse cookie cutters.  Debuting this year were the Cereal Buddy and Silicone Brownie Bowl.  Some products were even on display as demos, including the Water Infuser at the Jokari booth and the Brownie Bowl at the Chicago Metallic booth,” he said.

After all of the trade show excitement, our VP was back on the road, heading to the West Coast to meet with some very familiar names:  Mrs. Fields, Walmart and Warner Brothers!

He said that we have begun to work with a new housewares company that he will be sharing more details about in the near future.  However, he did share some delicious morsels about the meeting with us now.

“The meeting was a huge success and we [met] the corporation that represents the Mrs. Fields brand to explore creating an entire line of bakeware carrying the Mrs. Fields brand,” said our VP.

From cookies to corporations, our VP’s next stop was Walmart Labs, where he said he toured several of their facilities and told them about ours!

“We were able to get a tour of the Walmart Labs building that consists of Walmart International, Walmart Ecommerce, PR and Marketing and, mostly all of the new ideas, (product, marketing, PR, Internet, etc.) that flow through Walmart are developed inside this facility.  They are very interested in what we do at Davison and were blown away by Inventionland,” said our VP, who also said he had a particularly productive meeting with Walmart’s Head of Product Development and Director of Product Strategy.

We can’t wait to hear more!  Our VP’s final stop on his national tour was in Burbank, California, at Warner Brothers Studios!

“We also stopped… to talk with Warner Brothers about possibly licensing a few of their properties for the new housewares company that will be coming online in the very near future.  The Warner Brothers studio was amazing… imagine, one day, having the Davison “D” on Batman, Superman or Looney Tunes’ products,” said our VP, who promised more details in the future.

“This is everything I have for now, but more will be on the way shortly,” he said.

In other words… that’s all folks!

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

While Davison regularly attends trade shows in a number of industries, it does not promise that any particular client product will be, or is likely to be, presented or discussed at a trade show.

It’s no stretch… one of the client-inspired, Davison-designed spa-therapy products that was licensed by Health Enterprises, Inc. is making beautiful music… in more ways than one!

Health Enterprises President Brendan Leonard forwarded us an awesome email that he received from one very-satisfied Zumba instructor, who tried out the TheraPED, a product idea that came from our client, Lennell.  Here’s what Susie, the instructor, had to say:

“Hello again!

Your wonderful package came Saturday… thank you again so very much for all my goodies; I’m sitting down after my Zumba class and getting a little TLC, thanks to you!

Also wanted you to know that your ears should be burning today!  I spoke with the Health and Beauty Manager in the store where I manage my bank branch at.  I brought in both items to show him and he’s interested in getting them in our store!  He went straight up [to his warehouse], checked and found he is able to order them [there]… once they have them in stock!  I’m pretty excited about that, too!

 Hope you have a lovely evening.

 Susie”

The TheraPED was also reviewed by another satisfied user on the “Yoga Addicted” blog.  The author of the “Spa Therapy For Your Feet” article, Mandy, says the product is perfect for people with or without foot pain.

“I, myself, do not suffer from foot pain, however… I tried them out anyway.  Let me tell you, they feel good!  It is like a spa at home,” said Mandy, who also said the TheraPED would be great for some additional at-home pampering.

“The dividers between the toes would work well for a pedicure, so you could do your nails while relaxing,” Mandy said.

Check out Mandy’s entire “Yoga Addicted” blog here!

Finally, we’re excited to announce that the our client, Lennell, the TheraPED inventor, is going to be featured in an upcoming “Dare to Invent” webisode!  In fact, Mr. Davison and our production team recently visited Lennell in St. Louis to surprise her with the great news! 

We’ll be sharing those details with you soon!  Stay tuned!  

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

According to the shorts and flip flops we’ve been wearing lately, spring has already sprung!

But, now that spring is officially here, what better way to highlight spring’s arrival than by highlighting an awesome Davison-designed product that will be springing off store shelves to help kids and parents cool off as the weather continues to heat up?

The Aviva Sports Splash-O-Meter, an innovative, inflatable toy that measures the size of a person’s splash on a scale of 1-10, made a huge wave on lilsugar.com, the global network known as “Mommy’s little helper.”

Lilsugar featured the Davison-designed Splash-O-Meter as part of a list of favorite water toys for kids, noting that with the innovative toy, “mom will never be accused of favoring one tot’s splash over another’s!”

The Splash-O-Meter is the perfect pool or lake companion and it can be found at Amazon.com, Sam’s Club and Sears, among many other retailers!

We are definitely soaking up the Splash-O-Meter’s great review, along with all this great spring weather, and we can’t wait to see what Davison-designed product is next to make a big splash in the marketplace!

Another innovative Davison design that the entire team has been working to get onto store shelves is now at one of the nation’s major retail pharmacies.

The 6-in-1 Manicure Multitool is in stores now!

The awesome new product was designed by our client, Cathalene, and was licensed by Health Enterprises, under their “Portables, by Essence of Beauty” brand.

The 6-in-1 Manicure Multitool has a nail file, two-sided nail buffer, cuticle pusher, two-sided cleaning stick, nail brush and nail clippers. By combining six tools into one convenient, compact tool, it is perfect for enhancing nails anytime, anywhere! The innovative product also has a silicone, non-slip grip that is gentle on the fingers.

“I’m very glad it has finally found a home!” said Davison’s Corporate Creative Coach. “I think everyone on my team has touched it in one way or another.”

When we say our Licensing Team has been “Trying Longer,” we aren’t kidding. We first told you about the possibility of the product appearing in stores last August!

Our Vice President of Licensing said this is a very big moment, not only for Davison, but also for our client.

“Congratulations to our client, Cathalene,” said the VP. “Her dream is about to come true!”

Be sure to check store shelves for the 6-in-1 Manicure Multitool! Congratulations, Cathalene, and everyone who worked on this awesome new product!

Our client, Cathalene, has not made a net profit on this product.

A typical project does not get a royalty agreement, sell in stores or generate a profit.

Just as we were preparing to release tonight’s “Dare to Invent” webisode, we opened up the pages of a local publication and read all about it! 

Nestled in the pages of “The Horse Trader,” you can find Mr. Davison, our client, Joseph, (inventor of the Silicone Dessert Bar Pan), plus a brief article about our innovative method and some of our featured inventors!

The same article also appears online at the “San Diego NewsCape” and “Ingenious Ideas,” and even includes some “Dare to…” tips for prospective inventors:

“Dare to Take Action:  Do your research to see if there is already something similar on the market.

Dare to Share:  Share your idea with others. A nondisclosure or confidentiality agreement will protect you from having your idea stolen.

Dare to Evaluate:  Evaluate your idea honestly and think about how to market the product.

Dare to Ideate:  Shape your creation with sketches, illustrations and photos.

Dare to Leave a Paper Trail:  Use a notebook to write down all your ideas.”

Finally, the article encourages all readers to Dare to… Watch our innovative webisode series!  This week’s episode, the third in our series, features Joseph Springer and his Silicone Dessert Bar Pan.  It’s live NOW on YouTube or through a link at Davison.com!

Watch “Dare to Invent” now!

A typical client project is not licensed, sold in stores or profitable.

As all of you lovers out there are aware, today is Valentine’s Day, a time to express our love to our “sweeties,” “honies” or whatever your preferred pet name for your lover is!

Now, we know you can do this in a number of ways… chocolates, flowers, jewelry, etc. But, why not show your Valentine you care with some holiday-themed Davison designs?

Fill up the heart-shaped Silicone Cookie Bowl with your sweet’s favorite sweets!

This great baking tool, designed for Xtraordinary Home Products, allows you to bake “D-licious” cookies and fill them with fruit, pudding, ice cream or anything your little heart desires!

If those treats don’t have your Valentine swooning, how about baking up something in the Sweetheart Silicone Dessert Pan?

Joining the original Dessert Bar Pan, which was designed for our client, Joseph, the heart-shaped Sweetheart pan allows you to cook up “D-lightful” treats that no Valentine can deny!

And, if you don’t have a Valentine to spoil this year, that’s just more “D-licious” treats for you! Happy Valentine’s Day!

* Typical client projects are not licensed, sold on any market or profitable.

Tell one, tell all… today marks the start of something very new and very exciting here at Davison!  Tonight, we begin our Dare to Invent webisode series!!

The innovative, new 12 episode series will showcase Davison clients and their inventions… from product inception to licensing and beyond!

The very first Dare to Invent episode features Colorado inventor, Joy, and her Party on the Go!  Mr. Davison and several other members of our creative team are also featured in the interactive video clip, which tells the story of how the Party on the Go came to be.

According to Mr. Davison, the first episode is especially moving, because it allows viewers to watch Joy, a hopeful inventor, recognize her dream.

“Everyone got to see the end of the dream, the fulfillment of the dream – receiving her first big check,” said Mr. Davison.

The episode is live right now and you can tune in to watch on YouTube or through a link on Davison.com!

After the Dare to Invent series debut, a new episode is to be released every other week!

For a behind-the-scenes sneak peak, we’ve showcased some photos from the video shoot; but, be sure to tune in to watch the entire Dare to Invent episode now!

A typical client project is not licensed, sold in stores or profitable.

“America’s Largest Invention Factory” is making international headlines again!  This time, the host of a popular German television show, “Galileo,” toured Inventionland to see the “world’s most creative workspace” for himself! 

The host’s tour appeared as a segment called “Bildgeschichte Inventionland” on the German TV show and on their website!

 So, what did “Bildgeschichte Inventionland” (or “Picture Story Inventionland”) have to say about Inventionland?  We’ve copied the show information below for you to enjoy:

“Ein Büro, in dem Angestellte auf einem Piratenschiff arbeiten? Oder mitten während der Arbeitszeit mit einer gigantischen Carrerabahn spielen? Unglaublich, aber tägliche Realität…”

What does it all mean?!    Well, thanks to Google Translate, we now know!

“An office in which employees are working on a pirate ship?  Or play during the middle of working with a giant slot car track? Unbelievable, but a daily reality…”

Well, that may not be exactly how we would have said it, but we think they get the gist of our creative workplace!

We’re working on getting a copy of the video with at least some subtitles and you can also visit “Galileo” online to find out a little more about the show; but, we’ll warn you, the Inventionland video there only loads for German users!

Nonetheless, we’ve got the German version of the show below, so you can get a look at Inventionland from an international point of view!  Enjoy!

Recently, The Washington Post named Pittsburgh on their “In” list, pushing previous “In” city, Portland, Oregon to the “Out” list.  Following the announcement, several online articles and blogs helped tell the world just what was so “IN” and exciting about the Steel City.

The article “Pittsburgh, PA.:  Entertainment Capital of the World?” gives an awesome glimpse at what makes Pittsburgh so special, even citing something we’re all very, very close to!

Calling the entertainment industry “Pittsburgh’s new steel,” the article references the filming of Batman’s “The Dark Knight” and Tom Cruise’s “One Shot.”  Moving on to TV, the article gives a special shout out to the recent History Channel “Inventionland” reality TV show special.

“And Pittsburgh is even a force on the reality front… the History Channel just aired a pilot of Inventionland, a show based on George Davison’s Willy-Wonka-esque inventor’s shop here,” the article said.

Click here to read the entire article and find out why next year’s article may be “Hollywood, out – Pittsburgh, IN!”

In response to Inventionland’s recent feature in the Wall Street Journal, the “Ridiculously Efficent” blog called Inventionland, “the epitome of a creative office!”

The “Ridiculously Efficient” article goes on to compliment the very nature of how business is done around Inventionland.

“With its high-volume output and whimsical atmosphere, Davison['s] Inventionland has clearly found an ideal (and profitable) blend of work and play,” the article said.

Stay tuned for more exciting updates on Davison and Inventionland in the news!