The Team
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Scott Wurtele, CEO
In 1997 Scott Wurtele founded WorldBid.com, an international trade website that has handled a million trade leads, and in 2000, LawyersandSettlements.com, a company that helps hundreds of thousands of people to connect with the legal resources they need.
Scott, along with a knowledgeable team of experts, has now developed IdeaConnection.com, whose core service is its ThinkSpace® where corporations and companies can have problems solved by collaborative teams of experts and innovators that are chosen from its database of the world's best minds.
IdeaConnection's vast collection of experts can work for you in a variety of ways: from R&D Problem Solving, to Technology Scouting, to Prior Art Citation Search, Idea Rallies and Ideation Contests.
IdeaConnection.com also offers posting of Technologies for sale or wanted, Inventions for sale, Solutions for the Common Good, and weekly updates to its New Inventions, Conventions and Contests pages, as well as a weekly Innovation Newsletter.
[EMAIL SCOTT]
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Paul Wagorn, President
Paul Wagorn has more than 18 years of experience in the information technology industry, including more than 11 years of Internet and e-commerce experience. Previously, Paul served as the chief operating officer of Worldbid Corporation, where he was instrumental in developing the patent-applied-for technology. He is also the founder of MerchantSense Consulting, where he created a software solution to the massive issue of online credit card fraud. In addition, Paul worked as a marketing and search engine consultant at Online Legal Marketing.
Paul was previously employed as a corporate sales manager at JD Micro Devices, Inc., where he co-developed the point-of-sale software and experienced a 300% sales increase under his leadership. He gained additional experience working for Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada, where he led a team that updated the data retrieval system for Canadian patents and developed a quality assurance system for patent examiners.
Paul received a scholarship to attend the University of Waterloo, and completed courses toward his Bachelor of Science degree in computer engineering. He has also completed business administration courses.
[EMAIL PAUL]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 105 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Jim Beaumont, VP Business Development
Jim comes to IdeaConnection from a long career in consumer media & software sales, most recently as Vice President, Sales at SpectraCal, growing CalMAN calibration software to become the industry leader in video calibration of high definition displays.
Prior to that, he was Vice President, Sales at First Look Studios, a major independent film and DVD producer, where he managed the team for Wal-Mart, Netflix, and many others.
Jim spent 22 years with a world class team at The Walt Disney Company, managing national accounts and helping scale one of the world’s leading brands to well over $3B in sales.
[EMAIL JIM]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 102 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Sue Adams, Business Development
Sue Adams has a business background that stretches from banking to public administration; from small business administration to yacht brokerage to new technology launches. Before taking on this role in business development, Sue was a facilitator on many IdeaConnection challenges, which gave her a unique insight into how the company works.
Her education focused on public administration and financial management, and she finalized a number of courses in sales and marketing. Sue is dedicated to establishing business-to-business relationships that create positive changes and growth for leading edge companies, and believes her commitment with IdeaConnection fulfills her passion for exploring uncharted territory. She is also actively involved with a start-up company and recently acquired the Canadian distribution rights for a new technology in biological decontamination.
[EMAIL SUE]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 103 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Vern Burkhardt, Business Development
Vern Burkhardt has extensive leadership experience, as well as executive-level experience. His previous positions include serving as chief executive officer in a number of major organizations, as well as commodore at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club. Vern received the Gold Award for Leadership in 2001, recognizing his efforts in establishing one of the best-performing organizations. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal for his contributions to his community and to Canada.
Vern earned his Bachelor of Education degree, as well as his Master of Arts degree in sociology from the University of Alberta.
[READ VERN'S ARTICLES]
[CONTACT VERN]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 150 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Dr. Jürgen Quandt, Technology Transfer Officer
Jürgen has 20 years of scientific and business expertise related to the Ag-Biotech and Bio-Products industry. Working for some major players like the Plant Biotechnology Institute of the National Research Council Canada and Aventis CropScience, he was involved with developing some of the first "Plants with Novel Traits" specifically herbicide tolerant Canola and Wheat. At the Alberta Research Council he and his group contracted with clients to develop novel crops and Bio-Products for the bio-based economy.
Jürgen’s experience spans the entire chain of technology development and commercialization from applied research and IP development, assessment of patentability and market potential, identification and engagement of customers, to technology transfer and negotiation of agreements with a variety of institutions and industry partners.
Jürgen received his PhD. in Genetics and Molecular Biology at the University of Bielefeld in Germany. He is excited to combine his scientific and business experience in his role with IdeaConnection.
[EMAIL JURGEN QUANDT]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 125 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Jessica Letour, Technology Transfer Officer
A graduate from the University of Victoria, Jessica studied both science and psychology completing her BSc in 2009. She comes to us with a broad educational background. Her coursework ranges from biochemistry to neuropsychology. She spent the last two years as an information analyst and front line representative in public health and her background also includes management and education. Jessica is dedicated to finding solutions and she is excited to bring her enthusiasm to IdeaConnection.
[EMAIL JESSICA]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 123 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Nicole Van Herwaarden, Team and Challenge Management
Nicole graduated from the University of Victoria with a BSc. in biology in 2006 where she realized her passion for discovering new ideas by studying the imaginative and innovative thinkers of our past. She then went on to spend three years learning about the inner workings of small to medium sized businesses as a trusted advertising representative. Nicole is excited to combine her scientific interests and business knowledge to her role with IdeaConnection. Nicole loves to problem solve and commits herself thoroughly to all challenges.
[INTERVIEW WITH NICOLE]
[EMAIL NICOLE]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 120 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Wendy Wurtele, Content Management, Newsletter Editor
Wendy comes from a background of graphic design. She studied typesetting at George Brown College and developed her design skills under the tutelage of Robert Eby & Associates. Wendy also studied programming at Niagara Collage. After moving to Whistler, BC, in 1988 she opened her own design company and embraced the new technology of personal computers and “desk top publishing”. Wendy successfully ran her company, On Line Design Ltd., designing brochures and rack cards, supervising photo shoots, creating corporate identities, and producing a quarterly Newspaper, until she sold the company to concentrate on co-developing internet businesses with her husband, Scott. She incorporated website design into her skill set and has subsequently been involved in developing four successful internet startups.
[EMAIL WENDY]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 152 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Jonathan Knopp, Systems Engineer
Jonathan Knopp completed his BASc in Computer Engineering at the University of British Columbia in 1999. He has spent most of his time since then designing and implementing website backends on the LAMP platform (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), focusing on ground up custom coding to maximize efficiency, speed, and security. Frontends of the standard HTML/CSS/JavaScript variety occupy nearly as much of his time, with a similar focus on performance in the form of cross-browser compatibility, loading speed, and rendering speed.
[EMAIL JONATHAN]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 122 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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Ann Eastman, Open Innovation Technical Writer
Ann has over 20 years of plant science and biotechnology experience in the private sector, government and academia. She has worked in pure and applied research, commercialization, and science communication in agriculture, food and bioproducts, exploring a breadth of opportunities in the bioeconomy. Her multidisciplinary education and experience in plant physiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology, and participation in the evolving world of innovation provide her with a solid foundation for the analysis and communication of complex challenges.
Ann earned an MSc in Plant Biochemistry from the University of Guelph in Ontario and a PhD in Plant Physiology and Biotechnology from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. She is delighted to use her technical communication expertise to foster open innovation through IdeaConnection.
[EMAIL ANN]
1-877-525-6671 Ext 124 (In North America)
1-250-483-6328 (International)
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