WASHINGTON – As the sixth- through second-place winners of the 2006 National Invention Showcase were announced at the National Press Club on Wednesday, Julia and Caroline LaRoche nudged each other in anticipation.
One of their two inventions that had made it to the round of six finalists – an herbal parasite remedy called Flea Tea – had not been called.
Which could only mean one thing: That big cardboard, first-place check for $20,000 at the front of the room belonged to them.
“It was a surprise,” Julia, 18, of Farmville, Va., said of taking home the top prize. The sisters’ other entry, a pet house called the Doggy Den/Kitty Cave, came in fifth.
Caroline, 16, echoed her sentiment: “We didn’t really expect to win, but it’s really exciting.”
The contest, hosted by the Electronic Retailing Association, a trade group for companies that sell products directly to consumers, was open to the 250,000 nationwide members of the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda.
In addition to the $20,000 grand prize, checks of $2,500 were awarded to the second-, third- and fourth-place winners. Koeppel Direct, a company specializing in product marketing, sponsored the contest.
Peter Koeppel, founder and president of Koeppel Direct, said the goal of the showcase is to expose students to the process of inventing a product and to foster the growth of ideas. The innovation that goes into developing new products, Koeppel said, is open to all ages.
“It’s an area that just requires creativity or a vision, and I think that isn’t limited by age,” he said.
For the LaRoche sisters, the impetus for that innovation came from their cat, Priscilla. They had used a commercial shampoo to wash her, but ran into a problem: The shampoo made Priscilla’s hair fall out.
The solution? Flea Tea, a bag of herbs and minerals that act as gentle, natural flea repellants. A provisional patent for the product is pending.
Julia said that working with Caroline – one of her four siblings – on the inventions was only natural.
“We always worked together our whole lives, and basically know everything about each other,” she said. “So we work together well.”
The girls, who plan to use some of their prize money to bring Flea Tea to market, keep busy outside of the inventing circuit. Julia, who will attend the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., was on track and swim teams in high school, and was a state FBLA officer. Caroline, a junior at Fugua High School, ranked third in the under-17 group of last year’s Junior World Cup luge competition.
Put lightly, this pair keeps busy.
So where, between the pools, luge courses and FBLA meetings, do the sisters find time to crank out pet care products?
“I do a lot of things, but it’s surprising, I still find time to do (more) things,” Julia said. “I’m really good at figuring out my schedule.”
For the showcase, inventions were judged on more than 20 criteria, said Jennifer Gennaro, ERA vice president of membership and marketing. The judges, she said, were industry experts with at least 20 to 30 years of experience in bringing products to market.
Contest finalists included a computer interface system that allows users to replace their keyboard and mouse with a pair of gesture-sensitive gloves, and a floating game table for use in the pool or spa.
Mitchell James Duffy, 16, of Redmond, Wash., invented a device to more evenly distribute buttery goodness through movie theater popcorn tubs. His product, the Butter Blaster, won second place.
Duffy said the idea came from his frustration with concession stand butter pumps – they just don’t cover anything below the top of the popcorn tub. Before, he had used a drink straw to push the yellow oil around.
For the National Invention Showcase, he went one step further – with Butter Blaster, which shoots pressurized butter through a slotted straw, throughout its popcorn target.
“When this competition came up, I decided I’m just gonna invent this thing and get it out there,” said Duffy, who plans to use his prize money to secure a utility patent on Butter Blaster.
Barbara Tulipane, ERA president and chief executive officer, said it’s that motivation to turn an idea into reality that makes prospective inventors stand out.
“Almost everybody has an idea or improvement. The only difference is, the inventors do something about that idea,” she said.
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(c) 2006, Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
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