For more than 20 years, the New Products Fair, founded by former Congressman Wes Watkins, has been inspiring the creativity of young and old alike. This year’s Fair was no exception with a total of $9,150 awarded to winners in the various divisions.
Fair Grand Prize Winners were Paul Conrady, small business division, Edmond; Brian Burcham, open class, Yukon; and Kenneth McAfee, open class, Madill, OK.
Conrady’s entry, Crimeseen.com is a crime solving social network that delivers e-mail notification of events reported in a specified area. A hardware and software system was Burcham’s winning entry. The MultiSensory Techynology Assisted Reader system is designed to assist students with reading challenges. McAfee’s entry was Hide-A-Ramp, an improved ramp for trailers.
Winner in the elementary division was Gay Maddie, Stillwater Middle School and winners in the secondary division were Tyler Watson, Rana Yuvraj, and Veronica Senkowski, students at Putnam City North High School.
Showana Glasco, Kiamichi Technology Center, McAlester, was awarded honorable mention in the Adult division for her Cell Game entry designed to teach the structures of a typical body cell to users while they play.
The small business division had three winners, Alfaro Nelson, Mustang; Kerry Swink, Oklahoma City and Paul Conrady, Edmond.
Open Class winners included Brian Burcham, Yukon; Kenneth McAfee, Madill, Anne Tuttle, Durant and Jared Bond, Oklahoma City.
Examples of new products showcased at the Fair included SoftBuilt, designed for strength training without using dumbbells and plates for additional weight. A magnetic hand tool set, touch screen menu for restaurants and an electronic device system to track people entering or exiting a room and controlling the lights when no one is in the room were also entered into the competition.
“These are just a few of the examples of the creativity, diversity and quality of the entries in this year’s Fair,” said Karl Scifres, Fair board member, Kiamichi Technology Center, McAlester. “Every Fair contestant is to be congratulated for their vision and entrepreneurial spirit which we need today more than ever. America’s economy is dependent upon it.”