Inventors, companies, cities honored at Utah Genius Awards event in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — It's not every day someone is recognized as a genius in their chosen field, but a number of Utah's best and brightest received that honor Wednesday.

Twenty inventors, 20 companies, 10 cities and one renowned entrepreneur were presented 2010 Utah Genius Awards for their creativity and ingenuity. The awards are co-sponsored by Bateman IP Law Group and Utah CEO magazine.

The annual event recognizes cities, organizations and individuals who received trademarks and contributed to a record-breaking year for the number of patents issued, a news release from the award presenter said.

"We selected (the recipients) because records at the patent trademark office show that they are prolific in what they do, whether it's creating new inventions or trademarks that usually relate to new products," Randall Bateman, Utah Genius founder and president of Bateman IP Law Group, told an audience of about 500 people at the awards ceremony at the Little America Hotel.

Bateman said Utah is unique in its economic makeup, making it a hotbed for innovation.

"We have a lot of small companies, and small companies tend to be more creative," Bateman told the Deseret News. "There is less of 'You have to do it our corporate way,' and some companies are constantly trying to find a better way."

He said that notion promotes a culture of numerous small companies that are creating new, interesting products.

Last year, 1,003 patents were granted to people or companies in Utah, up from 889 in 2008, the news release said. Bateman said that increase speaks volumes about the kind of ingenuity that exists in the Beehive State, which bodes well for Utah's overall economy.

"It helps us because these people are creating new products that are going to sell," he said. "They're creating new technologies, everything from what L-3 is developing that's being used in Afghanistan to Lifetime Products doing a new folding table that's going to be used all over the country."

He said the fact that many of the products are manufactured in Utah will help sustain the economic viability of the state and keep people working.

The event honored Deseret Book President and CEO Sheri Dew with its Lifetime Achievement Award for her "significant contribution to creativity in Utah."