TORRINGTON – Calling all creative geniuses, backyard engineers and innovative individuals – Wyoming’s annual Inventors Conference is in Torrington this weekend for the first time since 2011.
“Sen. (Mike) Enzi has been hosting the conference annually since 2004,” press secretary Max D’Onofrio said. “Sen. Enzi has always believed that Wyoming is full of people who bring unique ideas and ingenuity to the table. But sometimes it can be difficult to get your idea off the ground in order to make it successful. That’s why Sen. Enzi started hosting the Inventors Conference  – to provide entrepreneurs with the resources they need to turn those ideas into tangible, usable products and inventions. Whether a person is a full-time inventor or somebody with a weekend project in a garage, the conference is tailored to help provide resources to any type of inventor so that they can succeed.”
Saturday’s event will feature keynote speaker Bob Fuziak, CEO of Omni-wearables. Fuziak’s company manufactures sports sunglasses with a built-in, high-definition camera created to capture photos hands-free.
Other speakers include Davona Douglass, director of the Research Products Center, to discuss patent searching; Toni Tease, an attorney, presenting on intellectual property education; and Molly Kociaklsi, director of the Rocky Mountain U.S. Patent and Trademark office, who will explore the business case for intellectual property.

Residents can also attend three panels with topics ranging from getting an idea off the ground and alternative funding methods to marketing your product.
“We’re excited (the conference) is coming here,” Ashley Harpstreith, CEO of Goshen County Economic Development Corporation (GCEDC) and emcee for this weekend’s Inventors Conference, said. “They’re showcasing all the connections an entrepreneur needs – from getting permits, licenses and help with marketing.”
Harpstreith added GCEDC provides all of these entrepreneurial services in Goshen County year-round.
“This is definitely our (specialty),” she said. GCEDC currently features four entrepreneurs in its office incubators and is working with 70 businesses throughout the county – from established and successful companies to “brand new seed ideas”, Harpstreith said.
It’s these individuals Saturday’s free and open-to-the-public conference may benefit most.
“Inventing, producing and marketing a new idea isn’t always easy, but Sen. Enzi believes that Wyoming has one of the best entrepreneurial spirits,” D’Onofrio said. “And it is those entrepreneurs who are willing to take a chance that grow our economy, create jobs for our communities and make our lives easier. This can be especially true when times are tough for a community, and times have been tough for many Wyoming communities the last few years. But one thing Sen. Enzi knows is that when times are tough, folks in Wyoming are tougher. People get creative and find innovative ways to bring new ideas to the forefront to create industries and livelihoods.
“Sen. Enzi believes that innovation is one of the keys to our success as a nation – we’re built on the premise that our ideas can lead to the creation of products, businesses, jobs, and wealth,” he continued. “The concepts of innovation, entrepreneurship and hard work have buoyed our country into the most economically powerful nation in the world. And he believes these concepts are alive and well
in Wyoming.”