For more info about IASL OR TO MAKE A DONATION, CONTACT:
Cheri Renee, MBA/MSW Director, President
Joan Brennan, Inventor Mentor, IASL Board Member
Joan Brennan, Inventor Mentor, IASL Board Member
Cheri Renee is a Private Business Consultant and entrepreneur with over 20 years of combined business management and non-profit leadership experience. She has a BA in Psychology, MBA’s in Management and Marketing, and an MSW in Non-profit Organizational Management earned from Washington University St. Louis.
After working in leadership and
Cheri Renee is a Private Business Consultant and entrepreneur with over 20 years of combined business management and non-profit leadership experience. She has a BA in Psychology, MBA’s in Management and Marketing, and an MSW in Non-profit Organizational Management earned from Washington University St. Louis.
After working in leadership and Director roles in non-profit sectors the first half of her professional career, Cheri took the bold leap to launch her free-standing retail store. Surprisingly profitable after only 2-years in business, she received a number of awards and a proclamation from the United States Senate for her entrepreneurial achievements. This resulted in her being invited to speak at professional venues in addition to a number of aspiring entrepreneurs visiting her store to seek advice about how to successfully launch their businesses. She loved it! It was at this time that she realized that business consulting was her truest calling and that she became passionate about providing entrepreneurs with their “Own MBA’s” (Many Business Answers) to help start, expand, and maximize the potential of their business ventures, inventions, and/or non-profit organizations.
After closing her retail business many years ago, Cheri has served as a Private Business Consultant providing many comprehensive, on-call professional and emergency services to entrepreneurs and non-profit managers and has developed custom business/program development workshops for community organizations and professional groups. Leveraging her MSW experience, she provides non-profit entities with grant/ RFI/RFP proposal writing, strategic planning, grant research, and new social program development to aid in the increase of their organizational outreach, participation, and funding opportunities. Applying her MBA skills, she offers business development planning, feasibility examination, and emergency restructuring services.
And if that weren’t enough, she is currently putting her own advice and skillsets to the test by finalizing the development of two patent-pending inventions she aims to bring to market in 2021!
Contact Email: inventstlorg@gmail.com
Joan Brennan, Inventor Mentor, IASL Board Member
Joan Brennan, Inventor Mentor, IASL Board Member
Joan Brennan, Inventor Mentor, IASL Board Member
Joan Brennan is the parent of 4 sons, middle-school educator, business owner and patented inventor of 2 customizable tools for challenged readers of all ages. Her physical Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759) and the Reading Focus Cards desktop app (Patent 8,360,779) for Macs and Windows PCs can be especially helpful to children and ad
Joan Brennan is the parent of 4 sons, middle-school educator, business owner and patented inventor of 2 customizable tools for challenged readers of all ages. Her physical Reading Focus Cards (Patent 7,565,759) and the Reading Focus Cards desktop app (Patent 8,360,779) for Macs and Windows PCs can be especially helpful to children and adults with ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other issues that often impact reading success. Both her low-tech and the digital Reading Focus Cards’ tools have and continue to help thousands of challenged readers here in the U.S. and around the globe each year since 2007.
A graduate of the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) with K-12 teaching certification from the State of Missouri, she has taught grades 6 through 8 for more than 18 years. She is also the founder of Brennan Innovators, LLC, which manufactures and provides her reading tools (made in St. Louis) to parents, teachers and others in the U.S. and around the world. Her company also visits schools and other organizations to provide presentations, consultation and other professional educational services for those interested in addressing the needs of challenged readers.
Mrs. Brennan is an active member of the Illinois Innovators and Inventors networking group for inventors in the Greater St. Louis Area (2003 to the present). She is also a member of the Gifted Association of Missouri (GAM), the St. Louis Association of Gifted Education (SAGE) and the St. Louis Suburban Council of the International Literacy Association (ILA). Since 2008, she has been an instructor in the College for Kids Program (St. Louis Community College-Meramec Campus) for gifted and talented K-8 students in the area.
Inventor News
"I Have a Dream... to INVENT!" Event - (Part 1)
Mr. Stephen Key - Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success"
Mr. Stephen Key - Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success"
This unique event has been CUSTOMIZED by The Invent-ED Network Connection (The I.N.C.) in collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Inventors Assoc. of St. Louis, and Washington Univ. Skandalaris Center for local inventors to advance them to the next stage of development and provide the education and tools needed to protect their ideas along the way.
Date: 01/11/2021 3:00 pm-4:25 pm Let's walk-through the Trademark application process!
Need to file a trademark yourself but don’t know how? Then, you don't want to miss this live walk-through of the trademark application process with an Attorney-Advisor for Trademark Educational Outreach at the USPTO. The presentation will cover how to use the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS) and explain the various sections of each form.
ONLINE- Register below to reserve your space and receive a ticket
Event Details 4:30 pm-5:30 pm
Path to a Patent: How to draft provisional patent applications and become PATENT PENDING!
Stuck in limbo due to the pandemic? Not comfortable trusting or sharing information about your invention without IP protection? Concerned about having publicly disclosed your innovation within the past 12 months and need to become Patent Pending asap? Learn from USPTO experts the key differences between provisional and non-provisional patent applications, filing requirements and fees, the different ways available to file a provisional application, and more.
ONLINE- Missed it?
View the recordings on YouTube!
Mr. Stephen Key - Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success"
Mr. Stephen Key - Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success"
Mr. Stephen Key - Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success"
Join us LIVE on Fri., Jan.15, 2021, as Cheri Renee, IASL President, interviews Mr. Key who will share valuable information to help individuals realize their dreams of becoming an inventor! Ask questions and learn "Key" steps one can take to submit ideas or products to trustworthy major brands and receive royalties.
"I Have a Dream... to INVENT!" Event (Part 2)
Mr. Stephen Key - Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success"
Keeping an Inventor's Notebook - Protect your idea with these easy...
This unique event has been CUSTOMIZED by The Invent-ED Network Connection (The I.N.C.) in collaboration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Inventors Assoc. of St. Louis, and Washington Univ. Skandalaris Center for local inventors to advance them to the next stage of development and provide the education and tools needed to protect their ideas along the way.
DATE: January 13, 2021 3 pm-4:30 pm
Path to a Patent: Learn how to draft patent claims to better protect your innovation.
Claim drafting may be the most important part of protecting your invention. Learn the basics of claim drafting from USPTO experts in this interactive workshop. You will develop a better appreciation of how a patent examiner views a claim during the course of examination.
4:40pm-6:00 pm
Path to a Patent: Common mistakes and support available to you after filing
During this time of national crisis, many inventors find themselves with little resources to afford an attorney to secure needed IP. Hence, many must consider filing patent applications themselves to meet certain USPTO deadlines.
This session is designed to provide inventors with relevant information on topics that assist with applying for a patent. It will also address the common mistakes made (especially by inventors) and how to avoid them along with how to remedy errors when an "office action" is received from the USPTO. This information should also prove helpful in clarifying how to "read" and better "understand" patents.
ONLINE- Register to reserve your space and receive a ticket
Keeping an Inventor's Notebook - Protect your idea with these easy...
Keeping an Inventor's Notebook - Protect your idea with these easy...
Keeping an Inventor's Notebook - Protect your idea with these easy...
Where Do I Start?
So you've come up with a great and inventive idea, and you're absolutely itching to take action. But where do you begin? Do you start looking into patents? Search online? Run your idea by trusted friends or family members?
Before you do any of these things, there's one important step to take: start an inventor's notebook. Why an inventor's notebook, you ask?
Not only will a separate, defined notebook become your de facto organizer for all the ideas and information related to your invention as you move forward, it can also provide some legal protection for you in the future... (CLICK LINK TO SEE MORE)
Walmart’s Seventh Annual Open Call Event... ONLINE!
Keeping an Inventor's Notebook - Protect your idea with these easy...
Prepare to Enter the Collegiate Inventors Competition Spring 2021!
BENTONVILLE, Ark., Sept. 4, 2020 — More than 4,800 businesses applied for the chance to pitch to a Walmart Merchant on Oct. 1, 2020.
Approximately 850 small and medium-sized businesses received their official invitations to pitch Walmart merchants at Walmart’s annual merchandising event on Oct. 1st.
This year, more than 4,800 businesses representing 49 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Australia, and Mozambique applied for the chance to pitch a Walmart merchant, a 44% increase in submissions from last year. The businesses selected to participate in Open Call will now start preparing for their 30-minute virtual one-one-one pitch meetings and their chance to realize the American Dream.
Prepare to Enter the Collegiate Inventors Competition Spring 2021!
Keeping an Inventor's Notebook - Protect your idea with these easy...
Prepare to Enter the Collegiate Inventors Competition Spring 2021!
Don’t miss this opportunity to participate in an exciting, university-led invention competition.
Take Your Innovation to the Next Level with Our Collegiate Inventors Competition. Each year, the NATIONAL INVENTORS HALL OF FAME brings together the nation’s most promising college students to showcase, recognize, and reward their cutting-edge research and discoveries.
The nation’s most creative college students come together to compete while networking with world-class inventors.
What is the Collegiate Inventors Competition?
The Collegiate Inventors Competition® is a unique competition that can take your invention to the next level through networking, marketing exposure, mentorship and more!
Since 1990, with the help of our sponsors, we have awarded more than $1 million to students nationwide.
Day 1
You’ll arrive at the competition and prepare for your judging session.
Day 2
Our panel of experts will judge your invention. Then, you’ll present your innovation to the public during the Expo, followed by the Awards Dinner — where we will announce the 2020 Winners!
Day 3
You'll head home knowing that you’ve had the opportunity to network with the country’s most innovative students, received mentorship from our Inductees, and gained national exposure for your invention
Inventing 101: A Crash Course in the Inventing Process
Marcus Lemonis Launches Lemon-Aid Foundation, Pledges $50 Million of His Own Money to Help Others
Marcus Lemonis Launches Lemon-Aid Foundation, Pledges $50 Million of His Own Money to Help Others
On Tues., Nov. 10th,
gain a clearer understanding of the invention process and the “business” of inventing and get started on an accelerated path to development!
Join us for the #STLStartupWeek as we present The “Inventing 101: A Crash Course in the Inventing Process” webinar that will:
- Introduce the different types of intellectual property (IP) available,
- Review the key parts of different patent types,
- Provide information about how to access available inventor resources, and
- Provide sufficient cost-saving tips that are immediately actionable and will enable students to CUSTOMIZE and BEGIN their OWN innovation roadmaps to success!
Our classes help inventors and entrepreneurs gain a clearer understanding of the invention process and the “business” of inventing that will help them to become actually become inventED!
#STLStartupWeek The schedule: https://www.stlouisstartupweek.com/schedule
NOTE: Zoom link will be provided to registered attendees prior to the event.
Marcus Lemonis Launches Lemon-Aid Foundation, Pledges $50 Million of His Own Money to Help Others
Marcus Lemonis Launches Lemon-Aid Foundation, Pledges $50 Million of His Own Money to Help Others
Marcus Lemonis Launches Lemon-Aid Foundation, Pledges $50 Million of His Own Money to Help Others
The host of CNBC's The Profit hopes to help underserved small businesses, communities, and organizations with his new foundation
By Mia McNiece October 28, 2020
"My mom would say to me, 'Your job in life is to kick down the door for people that can't kick the door down themselves. That is all you owe me for saving you from the orphanage,'" Lemonis tells PEOPLE.
On Wednesday Lemonis is making good on his promise to his mom by launching The Lemon-Aid Foundation and pledging $50 million of his own money to help underserved small businesses, communities, and organizations... Click the link to learn more about how to apply.
"I Have a Dream... to Invent!" SPEAKER: Mr. Stephen Key
Learn "The 'Key' to Licensing Success!"
Join us LIVE on Fri., Jan.15, 2021, as Cheri Renee, IASL President, interviews Mr. Key who will share valuable information to help individuals realize their dreams of becoming an inventor! Ask questions and learn "Key" steps one can take to submit ideas or products to trustworthy major brands and receive royalties.