Ogden City, Utah is accepting entries for its “Concept to Company” contest, which aims to attract new product ideas and new companies to Ogden’s burgeoning outdoor recreation business environment.


With the support of primary sponsors Zions Bank, Grow Utah Ventures and USTAR, Concept to Company may be the first competition in the nation to focus on spurring innovation in the outdoor recreation products industry.


The winners will be announced on September 27th, as part of the City of Ogden’s “Mountain to Metro” festival. The contest is open to any Utah-based inventor or small business with a product or service idea that applies to outdoor recreation. Ideas should focus on skiing, snowboarding, cycling, climbing, hiking, paddling, and other non-motorized, non-fishing or non-hunting sports.

 

The idea or invention must not yet be introduced into the market and must have no sales revenue.

 

“Ogden has gained a reputation as an outdoor industry-friendly town,” Ogden City Mayor Matthew R. Godfrey said. “We want to further that reputation by encouraging creativity and product development that could impact a wide range of sports.”


A panel of outdoor industry experts will evaluate ideas based on innovation and marketability. The winning entries – one in-state the other out-of-state – will receive a $20,000 award, comprised of cash and the equivalent value in consulting or prototyping services to help bring the idea to fruition. Two in-state runner-up winners will receive $10,000 awards, comprised of cash and services.


The contest is open to individual inventors or to innovative small businesses with less than $5 million in annual revenues. Applicants must reside or be based in Utah.


“Contest winners will get a lot of attention from the outdoor recreation industry, and that could lead to increased opportunities in licensing or in the actual launch of some new businesses, which is our ultimate goal,” T. Craig Bott, president of Grow Utah Ventures, said.


The Concept to Company contest may be unique.

 

“There are a number of product innovation contests around the country, but to the best of our knowledge, this is the first and only one to foster new ideas in outdoor recreation,” Curt Roberts, Northern Utah Regional Technology Outreach Director for USTAR, said. “We look forward to working with the winners to help them turn their concept into sales revenue, or better yet, into a company.”

Industry sponsors of the contest include Amer Sports Winter & Outdoor, Backcountry.com, Black Diamond Equipment, Ltd., Deer Valley Resort, Descente North America, GOODE, Mountain to Metro, Ogden City, Outdoor Industry Association, Ogden Climbing Park, Petzl America,
Rossignol Group North America, Seed Weber Davis Morgan.


Contest rules and an application form are available at
www.launchutah.com/concepttocompany.php Applications may be submitted now through the submission deadline of August 30, 2008.