Welcome, Inventors! 
Welcome to the Inventors Network of Minnesota, where creators and innovators connect, learn, and bring ideas to life.
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What Matters Most in Building an Innovation-Driven Business

Rob Laughlin serves as President of Sunburst Chemicals, a family-owned manufacturer of cleaning and sanitation products based in Bloomington, Minnesota. Since joining the company in 1988, Rob has played an instrumental role in the organization's growth and success for more than 37 years. Founded in 1922, Sunburst Chemicals has established itself as an industry leader specializing in solid detergent systems for institutional laundry, food service, and hospitality markets.  

Event Details
Date: Wednesday, April, 15, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (Networking from 5:30-6:00 & 8:00-8:30)
Location: Star Bank, 250 Prairie Center Dr, Eden Prairie, MN 55344 (near Target at Eden Prairie Center)
Cost: $20 for guests, FREE for members (Annual membership: $80)
Credit cards only (no cash).
 
$80 Annual dues can be paid at the April meeting and can be renewed using this link at Inventors Network. https://inventorsnetwork.org/Stories/pay-membership-dues
 
About Inventors Network: Inventors Network is committed to the Minnesota Inventor Community with; Guidance, Resources and Networking. Monthly meetings (3rd Wednesday) include: Speaker/Topic of Interest with Q&A; Informational Roundtables on Manufacturing/3D-Printing/Prototyping/Legal/Marketing and Licensing.
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Your Board Can Help You

At Inventors Network of Minnesota we take pride in the concept of helping our members network with each other and we strive to create networking possibilities in the Inventor sphere.
 
Networking can be described as the gathering of individuals for the purpose of sharing ideas, concepts, experiences and advice as well as it being a mechanism to find answers to questions within the subject, in our case "Inventing."

 

Your Board of Directors encourages you to seek connections within our organization to learn as well as share.

 

For general information, to inquire to be a speaker, or to join, email us at info@inventorsnetwork.org.
 
Our board is available to answer your questions. You can contact them by clicking on their names below.

 

Board Members


Jahn Stopperan, President
Creating business plans
Go-to-market strategies
Sales & distribution channels
Starting a business around your invention
How to get momentum going with your invention
 
Steve Lyon, Past President
Taking products to market/licensing
Avoiding mistakes & navigating problems
How Inventors Network can help
 
Bill Berggren Esq., Treasurer
Protect the intellectual property of your invention
Applying for patent protection
Obtaining  trademark protection
Provide NDAs for discussions outside of meetings
 
Doug Lenz, Website Manager & Membership Secretary
Electromechanical engineering & design
Manufacturing & automation
Entrepreneurship & business development
 
Chris Polster, Secretary
Strategic business planning
Strategic finance
Digital marketing & networking
 
Jim Smith, Board Member
Strategic business planning
 
Bonnie Sheridan, Marketing
Bonnie.R.Sheridan@gmail.com
Marketing: branding, packaging design,
consumer insights, retail pitching,
and communications
 
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Meetings are third Wednesday of each month starting at 6:00PM.

Star Bank
250 Prairie Center Dr.
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

 

UPCOMING MEETINGS:   
 
  • April 15th: IP/Patents and how they support a 100 year old business - Rob Laughlin -CEO of SUNBURST  
 
  • May 20 th: Elizabeth Sherry- MADE IN MINNESOTA- MN Chamber of Commerce
 
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    Present Your Invention
    Would you like to present your invention at our monthly meeting?  Every month we offer our members 5-minute slots for them to present their invention to the group anyway they see fit.  We do suggest your idea be patented or patent pending first and you have discussed this with an attorney.  For more details click here.