WASHINGTON STATE INNOVATIONS & INVENTIONS
Fig. 2 WASHINGTON STATE: INNOVATIONS & INVENTIONS If you’ve ever fought off the biting cold with a down parka, fired up a pellet stove in the dead of winter, punched out a term paper on a Windows PC or changed a disposable diaper, you can thank Washington State. Without fanfare, Washington’s residents, businesses and entrepreneurs have changed the world we live in, bringing fresh ideas to market that have captured our imaginations, improved our environment, reshaped entire industries, rekindled our hopes and every so often, changed the course of civilization with something so new and so bold, that it became a disruptive innovation. We’re extremely proud of this role we have played in making the world a better place through our innovations, our ideas and the pioneer spirit that has created legendary businesses and enduring products and services for more than a century. While space prevents us from listing everything “Made in Washington,” we’ve put together some of our favorites, from the groundbreaking to the breathtaking.
1880
WALLA WALLA SWEETS
You can keep your Bermuda sweet onions Texas, and your Vidalias, too. We’re good with our Walla Walla Sweets, which came to the Walla Walla Valley at the end of the 19th century and were first harvested in 1900. Walla Wallas are only grown in the Pacific Northwest, must be 95% water and must be harvested by hand, not machine. Onion lovers can thank a French soldier, Peter Peiri, for bringing Italian sweet onion seeds with him then he emigrated from the Isle of Corsica. Careful cultivation and breeding created the super sweet and super hardy onions that have earned the Walla Walla Sweet Onion name. Today, only 30 farms on less than a thousand acres produce these highly prized onions.
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1893
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1903
AUTOMATED FISH CLEANER
Edmund Smith was obsessed with finding a way to automate the process of cleaning salmon. After getting a stroke of brilliance, he went to work in his workshop, turning out the prototype in just 10 days. The resulting invention could gut, clean and can a salmon 53 times fasters than humans could. Canneries were skeptical at first, but the raw processing power of the Automated Fish Cleaner was hard to argue with. In the time it took an experienced worker to process two fish, Smith’s machine could process 110.
Fig. 4 1912
ROMAN MEAL BREAD
Long before the nation had a health craze, a Washington State baker was creating bread that offered outstanding nutrition and solid health benefits. Based on a hot breakfast cereal of whole grain wheat, rye, bran and flaxseed, the bread was similar to the diet Roman soldiers lived off of as they conquered the world – two pounds daily of wheat or rye. Though Dr. Robert Jackson came up with the cereal, it was master baker Henry Matthaei who created the bread recipe, which remains largely unchanged. Today, Roman Meal Bread is produced by 90 bakeries across the United States and abroad and is still a family owned and operated business that was dedicated to the health of families long before it was fashionable.
1914
FILSON CRUISER
In a world where fashions change daily, it’s refreshing to know that the Filson Cruiser remains a popular fashion statement today. Patented in 1914, the jacket is named after its inventor, C.C. Filson. Still manufactured in Seattle, the Filson Cruiser (it’s also known as the Alaska Tuxedo), continues to be the company’s bestseller. It was originally designed for loggers who appreciated the tight woven fabric that kept them dry and warm on the job.
1918
OBERTO JERKY
While the Oberto Sausage Company has been known for its salami, sausage and pepperoni over the years, it’s the jerky that has earned it lasting fame. Though the company didn’t invent jerky, they perfected it over the years, not only creating a world-class jerky, but the market for it as well. Demand soared once Safeway began to sell its products nationwide, and Oberto became the leader in the natural beef jerky category within just five years. Six members of the Oberto family still run the company, which has become a national business legend with very local roots.
1923
ALMOND ROCA
Brown & Haley had a good thing going with their full line of candy products, including their ode to Mt. Rainier, the Mountain Bar. But the company struck gold with Almond Roca, a delicious buttercrunch confection that a local librarian dubbed Almond Roca. The foil-wrapped candy quickly became a hit, even traveling with troops overseas. Today, Almond Roca can be found in 63 countries in Europe, Africa, South America, Australia, Asia, and of course, North America. True to the Northwest spirit, the candy is still made in the same factory that Brown & Haley built back in 1919.
1926
1928
WATER SKIS
Great minds think alike, particularly in the case of water skis, which were invented by three different people, each unknown to the others. Don Ibsen of Seattle is credited with being one of these innovators, becoming consumed with the idea in the summer of 1928. After failing miserably with boards pulled from wooden boxes, Don crafted his first water skis out of two slabs of cedar. He sold his first pair of water skis in 1934 and took his love of water skiing to a new level in 1954, appearing in Life magazine dressed in a hat and briefcase as he skied to work at Ibsen Water Skis.
VINYL RECORDS
Waldo Semon wasn’t born in Washington State, but without his education at the University of Washington where he earned his doctorate in chemical engineering, you may have never have been able to hear your favorite song on the hi-fi. The holder of 116 patents, Waldo invented vinyl, the second most used form of plastic. He did it by mixing several different synthetic polymers together, creating a substance that was elastic, but not adhesive.
Fig. 6 1930
FLIGHT ATTENDANTS
To win the confidence of passengers and lure them away from trains, Boeing Air Transport hired eight nurses to serve aboard its passenger planes. Ellen Church has the honor of being the first stewardess. It was her idea. Originally, stewardesses (flight attendants today) had to be single, younger than 25 years old, weigh less than 115 pounds and be less than 5’ 4” in height. They not only comforted passengers and took care of those who were airsick, but were responsible for screwing down loose seats, fueling planes during stopovers and hauling all the luggage aboard.
1936
DOWN PARKA
Necessity is the mother of invention they say. It certainly was in Eddie Bauer’s case. After suffering hypothermia on a fishing trip, Eddie tried to find an alternative to the bulky wool garments used by outdoorsmen. His solution was The Skyliner, the first quilted goose-down jacket. As the story goes, Eddie was just 22 when he had his near death experience with a soaking wet wool jacket. It was then that he remembered his Russian uncle who survived the harsh winters of the Russo-Japanese War by wearing goose-down undergarments. He went on to sell his parkas to the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, along with pants and sleeping bags. He was the only government supplier to be allowed to affix his company logo to his products.
Fig. 7 1936
BASS GUITAR
Rock ‘n’ roll may have never rolled without the invention of the bass guitar. While Leo Fender often gets credit for perfecting the bass, it was actually Paul Tutmarc of Seattle who made the first modern electric bass guitar. The Audiovox was a solid body, bass guitar made out of walnut and came on the scene in 1936, 16 years before Fender brought his to market. It was distributed by the L.D. Heater Music, Co. of Portland, Oregon and was the first bass that could be held and played horizontally, as opposed to stand up models.
1936
KIRSTEN PIPE
Fresh from making neon lighting that made Seattle theater facades 20 times brighter than their contemporaries, UW professor Frederick Kirsten turned his attention to the problem of smoking. Told by his doctor to quit cigarettes, he found pipes unfulfilling. So he designed a new pipe, the Kirsten Pipe, which uses an aluminum stem that cools the smoke, a tissue-paper filter to remove impurities, and a more efficient bowl to help the tobacco burn more purely. It is considered the Cadillac of pipes and is still produced by the Kirsten family which follows the designs created by Frederick.
1937
SINGLE HANDED WATER FAUCET Al Moen was a young college student who was earning his way through college by cleaning up a garage. After being scalded with water from an old-fashioned two-handle faucet, Al knew there had to be a better way to draw water and soon his idea for a single-handle faucet took shape. Though he was granted a patent in 1939, World War II put his plans on hold and it wasn’t until 1947 that he found a manufacturer who could handle the project – Ravenna Metal Products of Seattle. From there, Moen plumbing products found their way into tens of thousands of homes, leading Fortune magazine to crown Moen Faucets “100 of America’s Best.”
Fig. 8 1940
TREE FARM
Sustainability is a big buzzword in the timber industry today, but it was the Weyerhaeuser Timber Company that thought up the idea of farming trees. The company set aside 120,000 acres of land in Washington to experiment with the idea of fire control and reforestation in 1940, decades before there was a Department of Ecology or Earth Day. The tree farm included lookout towers, telephone networks and roads to prevent and fight fires and a public education program taught the public how to enjoy forest lands while protecting them from fire. Today, their pioneering tree farm concept is an industry standard.
1940
DICK AND JANE PRIMERS Generations of school-age moppets can thank or curse Elizabeth Rider for learning all about Dick, Jane, Sally, Father, Mother and Spot in grade school. Containing just 17 words, Rider’s first book, We Look and See, introduced the world to Dick and Jane. Hardly an overnight success, it took her seven years to finally get these famed elementary readers published. She went on to write 14 additional books for the Foresman Company and helped teach a generation or two how to read.
1949
HYDROPLANE
Riding a cushion of air trapped between two outrigger sponsons, the hydroplane is as much a flying wing as it is a boat. Created by Boeing engineer Ted Jones, boat builder Anchor Jensen and auto dealer Stan Sayres, the first hydroplane, the Slo-Mo-Shun IV, captured the Gold Cup in 1950, bringing the prestigious race to the shores of Lake Washington and putting Washington State on the map. Hundreds of thousands of spectators would line the beach to see these boats hit speeds of almost 180 mph with only one square foot of the boat in the water at speed.
Fig. 9 1950
THE MODERN SHOPPING MALL After World War II, suburbanization was well under way. While a few shopping centers had already popped up across the country, Northgate Mall was the first to arrange all its stores so they faced towards each other along a lengthwise mall corridor. Northgate also has the honor of opening the first mall movie theater, beating Shopper’s World Center in Framingham, Massachusetts by a month in 1951. The mall featured 80 stores just two years later. It is considered the granddaddy of all modern malls.
1952
SLINKY DOG
The idea for the Slinky may have come from an engineer in Philadelphia, but it was Helen Malsed from Seattle who gave it a personality. The Slinky found its way under the family tree one Christmas and Helen’s six year old asked, “I wonder what this could do with wheels?” Off went Helen to the basement, Slinky in hand. She sent off her drawings and suggestion to make the Slinky a pull toy, and the Slinky Dog along with the Slinky Train and other toys, were added to the Slinky production line. Over the course of her lifetime, Helen invented 26 different toys, including Fisher Price’s Snap Lock Beads.
Fig. 10 1955
HEART DEFIBRILLATOR
Portable heart defibrillators are everywhere today, but there was a time when lives hung in the balance as precious seconds ticked by with no hope of restarting the heart. Thankfully, Washington State physician Karl William Edmark created what others have called the “most dramatic medical innovation to emerge from the Northwest.” Dr. Edmark’s claim to fame was creating a device that used direct current, making the defibrillator safer and more effective than previous designs which used alternating current. The resulting lightweight, portable defibrillators set a new standard in treating heart attack victims and allowed medical personnel in the field to terminate ventricular fibrillation and stabilize a patient before transport to the hospital. The first life saved was a 12-year-old Seattle girl in 1961.
1955
THE “I” FORMATION
Seattle native Don Coryell may have lacked the size to be a star halfback for the University of Washington, but his 29-year coaching career solidified his place in college football history books. While he was running back coach at Wenatchee Valley College, Don created the “I” formation in football. During his college and professional coaching career, he also created the H-back and pioneered many aspects of what is now known as the West Coast Offense, which has many of the elements of the Air Coryell all-out passing attack he perfected as head coach of the San Diego Chargers.
Fig. 11 1959
DISPOSABLE DIAPERS
Vinyl inventor Waldo Semon was the adviser on Victor Mills’ thesis at the University of Washington where he too was studying to be a chemical engineer. Tasked with finding a way for Procter & Gamble to use a new paper pulp plant it had purchased, Victor came up with the idea of disposable diapers because he hated changing his grandson’s cloth diapers. Pampers were an instant hit with parents even though the original Pampers required you to supply your own tape. Victor also improved the recipes for Duncan Hines cake mixes and figured out how to keep the oil from separating in Jif peanut butter.
1961
FIBERGLASS SKIS
While other inventors toyed with the idea of using fiberglass for skis, wrapping wood skis with the material to increase performance, Bill and Don Kirschner created the first modern fiberglass skis with a foam, not wood, core in 1961. It wasn’t until three years later, however, that the first Holiday K2s went into production and within a year, the company was churning out 21,000 pairs of the new skis with their characteristic red, white and blue stripes. Once a K2-equipped skier won the World Cup, sales skyrocketed and the company solidified its place as a business legend with its American-made skis.
1964
KIDNEY DIALYSIS MACHINE A high school student by the name of Caroline Helm changed the course of kidney dialysis. Denied access to a machine by an ethics committee, a Seattle team led by Dr. Belding Scribner (inventor of the Scribner Shunt) asked Albert Babb to design a portable dialysis machine Caroline could use at home. The resulting prototype became the basis for commercial versions that now treat 750,000 patients worldwide. Dr. Scribner went on to spearhead the formation of the Northwest Kidney Centers, the first “outpatient” dialysis treatment center in the world.
Fig. 12 1964
CARNATION INSTANT BREAKFAST Any kid growing up in the 1960s knew of this amazing space age innovation: A beverage that promised all the nutrition of a full breakfast. Carnation Instant Breakfast was created by the Carnation Milk Company, which used an ordinary glass of milk as the basis for this product. Available in several flavors, Carnation Instant Breakfast made its debut in seven western states in 1964, offering three new flavors – coffee, chocolate and plain – a box of six costing just 69¢.
1965
PICKLEBALL
Part badminton, part tennis, Pickleball was created on a hot summer’s day in 1965. Washington Congressman Joel Pritchard and friends Bill Bell and Barney McClellum were bored. When they couldn’t find a shuttlecock to play badminton, they began to improvise, chopping the rackets down and using a whiffle ball instead. Eventually, new paddles of wood were fashioned, rules were established and the game of Pickleball took shape. The name of the game comes from a term used in crew racing. A boat where the oarsmen are chosen from the leftovers of other boats is known as the pickle boat. Since Pickleball was a combination of other activities, the name seemed fitting.
1967
AERO-GO
Washington resident Walt Crowley is quite the inventor. He created the first practical air cushion vehicle in 1967, then later went to work for Boeing where he pioneered an air-bearing system for moving heavy loads using compressed air. Boeing backed his design, which could move an entire 747 jumbo jet on a cushion of air and then spun the idea off into at new company, Aero-Go. Today, the company continues to provide manufacturers with practical and efficient ways to rotate, align and move products up to 5,000 tons using air caster technologies perfected by Walt when he worked for Boeing.
Fig. 13 1969
THE JUMBO JET
Launched by Pan Am, the Boeing 747 ushered in the age of the jumbo jet. The plane was so large that the Wright Brothers wouldn’t have even made it out of the Economy section on their first flight (150 ft.). Constructed in Everett in the largest building in the world, which is so large it can be seen from space, the 747 evoked gasps of wonder when it first rolled out from the factory. When Pat Patterson, president of United Airlines saw it for the first time, he was so awestruck by its massive size that his first words were reportedly, “Jesus Christ!”
1970
MEDIC ONE
If you ever watched the TV show Emergency, then you know how Medic One works. While several cities developed the concept simultaneously, Seattle was first in creating a tiered response system that is now the standard in emergency response. Fire departments served as the front line response, supported by a mobile intensive coronary care unit which was equipped with heart defibrillation capabilities administered by specially trained paramedics. The final part of the program called Medic 2 trained the public in CPR techniques. Within two decades, more than 500,000 citizens were certified in administering CPR.
1971
THERM-A-REST SELF-INFLATING INSULATING MATTRESS Idleness is said to be the devil’s workshop, but it can also be a source of inspiration. Two laid-off Boeing workers, John Burroughs and Lim Lea, were avid backpackers. Climber bedding at the time required lying on the cold, hard ground; not much fun. Inspired by a kneeling pad used in a garden, the two inventors built a prototype of the bed using a secondhand sandwich grill, heating fusing layers of perforated polyurethane together to create a self-inflating pad.
Fig. 14 1973
MOUNTAIN SAFETY RESEARCH MODEL 9 STOVE Dehydration is serious stuff at altitude, causing Accute Mountain Sickness. Toting weighty bottles of water up a mountain isn’t practical and boiling snow was laborious, at least until Larry Penberty came along. An avid climber himself, Larry perfected the first stove burner that could efficiently melt snow at high altitude. At just 12 oz., the lightweight Model 9 stove used small fuel tanks that were separated from the burner. The stove was just one of his many inventions. To include them all, we’d have to do a “Made by Larry” instead of a “Made in Washington” publication.
1974
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION Before Dr. E. Donnall Thomas pioneered the bone marrow transplantation procedure, those with leukemia and other blood cancers faced a bleak prognosis and perhaps even death. Dr. Thomas and his team worked for years to perfect the process of destroying diseased bone marrow using radiation and chemotherapy and then introducing healthy bone marrow, either from the patient when he or she was in remission or a healthy donor. Dr. Thomas was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work.
1975
ALUMINUM FRAME BICYCLES In biking circles, the name Klein is synonymous with the advent of aluminum frames. Until Gary Klein came along, it was thought that aluminum was too weak to use for bikes. Using thicker tubes and a new welding process that he pioneered himself, Gary turned out the first high performance, lightweight bikes built of aluminum. The Quantum Pro line of Klein bikes also introduced internal cabling, further reducing frame weight and creating better resistance to the elements, such as mud.
Fig. 15 1979
ABRASIVE WATERJET CUTTER Waterjet cutting was nothing new when Dr. Mohamed Hashish joined Flow International in 1979. But his process for adding abrasives to a standard waterjet revolutionized this cutting technique, creating the strongest cutting tool in the world. His invention, which has been improved over the years with 30 additional patents, allows any exotic or heat-sensitive material to be cut into the most unusual and complex shapes, thanks to its cold-cutting process and unparalleled precision.
1981
THE WAVE
O.K., we all know about Chicken George or whatever his name was and how he invented The Wave. However, we still give the nod to guest yell king and one-time Entertainment Tonight cohost Robb Weller, since Seattle was the first city to perform The Wave at college and professional sports events. Weller first tried to do The Wave from top to bottom at a University of Washington football game on Oct. 31, 1981. But fans yelled to him to go sideways. Running around the track that surrounded the field, Weller got the crowd waving, and as they say, the rest is history.
1983
WAREHOUSE/CLUB STORE We’ll grant that others may have experimented with this format before 1983, but it’s tough to argue that Costco didn’t perfect what we know today as the warehouse/club store. The idea of selling products that are profitable and sold in bulk at low prices was revolutionary at the time it was introduced, back when the concept was targeted to businesses, not consumers, and you had to know somebody who knew somebody to get a coveted Costco membership card.
Fig. 16 1984
PELLET STOVE
The first stove to use sawdust waste for fuel, the pellet stove was the brainchild of Boeing engineer Jerry Whitfield. Jerry had learned about pellet technology while in Europe and introduced the first stove at the Wood Heating Alliance show in Reno in 1984. Fueled by compressed sawdust that is formed into pellets that look a lot like rabbit food, the state-of-the-art stoves greatly improved safety and efficiency and require no venting through a traditional chimney, making installation simple and inexpensive ($125 to $300).
1985
WINDOWS
Love it or hate it, but Windows put computers and a Redmond company named Microsoft on the map. In 1975, two computer nerds by the name of Paul Allen and Bill Gates decided to put a computer on every desktop. After debuting MS-DOS, their first computer operating system that bridged the gap between computer hardware and software, the company introduced Windows, a point and click interface with pull down menus and icons and the ability to switch between programs without quitting and starting each one. Microsoft Windows went on to dominate the computer industry, at one time commanding 95% of the operating system market.
1985
THE SEATTLE FOOT
With a name like Seattle Foot, it would be hard to claim that this important prosthetic device was invented anywhere else. Conceived by Ernest Burgess, an orthopedic professor at the University of Washington, the Seattle Foot was designed specifically for athletic amputees. A patented spring known as a monolithic keel that’s made of a strong, lightweight material called Delrin, is at the heart of the device. It helps store energy when the athlete steps down, then releases that energy at the ball of the boot once the heel is lifted off the ground, completing the step. The stored kinetic energy can help the foot’s owner ski, rock climb, run or lift weights and participate in other motioncentric sports and activities. More than 120,000 of the devices are in use today.
Fig. 17 1985
CELLULAR NETWORKS
Being in the right place at the right time is what makes an average entrepreneur a business legend. Just ask Craig McCaw and his brothers. Seeing the potential of cellular phones, he bid big on FCC auctions for cell licenses. McCaw snapped them up, including licenses for Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Houston and Dallas, in effect shutting out all competitors and building the first national cellular network. Serving 150 markets and employing 10,000 workers by 1994, McCaw Cellular was sold to AT&T for $11.5 billion.
1985
PICTIONARY
Picture this! Two waiters who were looking for something to do at a party create a new game that goes on to become one of the biggest sellers in the 1980s and 90s. Rob Angel came up with the words to draw and Gary Everson designed the cards and the game board for Pictionary, using a $35,000 loan from a Canadian uncle to print up several thousand finished games. After selling a couple dozen here and there locally, the two hit it big when Nordstrom ordered 167 games. The following year 350,000 games were sold and today, Pictionary continues to be a family favorite.
1985
CINNABONS
Long before Washington became a paradise for foodies, Rich and Greg Komen of Restaurants Unlimited were working on the “world’s best cinnamon roll.” After hundreds of recipes and a trip to Indonesia to find the best cinnamon, the Cinnabon was perfected. The first Cinnabon store opened in 1985 at SeaTac Mall, just south of Seattle. It has since become a worldwide sensation, becoming an irresistible treat, with its gooey, moist dough, heavenly cinnamon and cream cheese frosting that has yet to be duplicated.
Fig. 18 1980s
GRUNGE
If you ever dug the music of Nirvana, Sound Garden, Pearl Jam or Mudhoney, you don’t have to be told that the grunge sound came from Washington State. With its heavily distorted guitar riffs and growling vocals filled with angst and apathy, grunge was influenced by hardcore punk, heavy metal and indie rock. In contrast to the hair bands of the 1980s, grunge bands were decidedly unkempt and devoid of theatrics on stage. Though grunge has faded in popularity, aficionados can still watch Cameron Crowe’s movie Singles, which captured the grunge era well. Bonus points for being filmed in Seattle.
1986
PAGEMAKER
While everyone seems to have design software on their computers these days, there was a time when books, newspapers and magazines had to be designed and published using expensive phototypesetter equipment and waxers that applied sticky wax to the back of photos and type so they could be repositioned on a paper sheet. PageMaker changed all that. Developed by Aldus in Seattle, the software revolutionized publishing, putting powerful design tools into the hands of anyone with a personal computer. Even the term “desktop publishing” came from Aldus, an attempt to describe the difference between traditional publishing and the new method made possible by PageMaker.
1987
PHILIPS SONICARE TOOTHBRUSH After 5,000 years of manual tooth brushing, entrepreneur David Guiliani and UW professors Drs. David Engel and Roy Martin thought they had a better idea. Using a piezoelectric multimorph transducer (say that three times fast), the trio came up with a toothbrush that vibrated 100 times faster than a manual brush, literally blasting bacteria off with sound waves. The revolutionary toothbrush, the Sonicare, was debuted at a periodontal convention in Florida in 1992 and became the #1 selling rechargeable toothbrush by 2001.
Fig. 19 1991
COIN COUNTERS
1991
Once Stanford student Jens Molbak put his mind to it, the traditional piggy bank didn’t stand a chance. Instead of saving up all those coins, Jens came up with the idea of letting a machine do all the work for you, counting all the coins and allowing you to cash them in (minus a service fee), get eCertificates and gift cards from retailers or donate the money to charity. Today there are nearly 20,000 Coinstar Center® machines across the country and piggybank futures have never been softer.
1991
ROTABLATOR
Invented by Dr. David Auth, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington, the Rotablator sands the plaque away from the inside of heart arteries. As its name implies, it’s a lot like a Roto Rooter, though the Rotablator has the more challenging task of cleaning hard material from soft pipes rather than the reverse. The Rotablator could be used on patients who were once candidates for bypass surgery, the device cleaning the plaque from hardened arteries without requiring an invasive procedure.
MAGIC: THE GATHERING
Ever heard of Mana Clash? Well, that’s what Magic was officially known as when it was first released, though those who played it never called it that. Richard Garfield is credited with creating the trading card game, a concept that fit Wizards of the Coast’s need for a portable game that could be played during the frequent breaks at gaming conventions. Originally, attorneys thought Magic was too generic to trademark, hence the Mana Clash name. Not only was the game original enough – the trading card game format was patented by Wizards in 1997 – but the ever-changing orientation of the game components allowed multiple decks to be produced, keeping the game fresh with players new and old since.
Fig. 20 1994
REALAUDIO & REALPLAYER
Before the age of smartphones and iTunes, there was RealNetworks audio and video players. At one time 85% of all streaming content used their format. The original goal of the company was to distribute politically progressive content, but that fell by the wayside as the company perfected technology to use the Internet to distribute audio broadcasts using their proprietary streaming technologies and player. If you’re a history buff, the first streamed event on the Internet was a game between the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees and at one time the technology was embedded into both Apple and Microsoft player technologies.
1998
CRANIUM
A “Game for Your Whole Brain,” Cranium was created by two former Microsoft executives, Whit Alexander and Richard Tait. Spending $100,000 of their own money to create and test the prototype, Cranium borrowed a little from this game and that, finally hitting upon a format that required players to spell, draw, mold clay and answer trivia questions. The creators went on to win 130 awards and sold 22 million games, including their follow-on creations, Cariboo, Conga, Cosmo, Hoopla, Hullabaloo and Zigity.
2000
UTILIKILTS
The Scots were obviously on to something when they came up with the kilt. It was reborn and improved upon in Seattle by the Utilikilts Company, which created this comfortable and freeing alternative to pants. This modern take on traditional kilts was created by Steven Villegas, who came up with the design when he wanted a little more freedom while working on his motorcycle. The company went from selling 750 kilts their first year to more than 11,000 three years later. Men who become part of the Utiliclan are generally 45 years of age and older and are comfortable with themselves and their sexuality, said Utilikilts cofounder Megan Haas.
Fig. 21 2002
REDBOX
The company that gave us Coinstar was hardly a one-hit wonder. With 36,000 locations, Redbox offers movie buffs the latest releases on DVD or Blu-ray. Contained in just 12-square feet of retail space is a fully automated video rental store containing 200 different titles on 630 discs, all within a five-minute drive of nearly 70% of the U.S. population. Customers can even use their phone to reserve a game or movie to ensure that it is at their nearest Redbox kiosk.
2006
CUSTOM BIOMASS STOVES
Learning that two million people around the world die from smoke-related diseases each year because they must cook on poorly ventilated, fuel inefficient stoves, BURN Design Lab had a better idea. Their biomass stoves require half the energy to create the same heat output and use construction materials that are readily available in third world countries. The result: millions of lives saved, millions of trees used as fuel left standing, and a new source of economic wealth in emerging countries.
2007
CIMMED COMPRESSION MASK If being burned wasn’t painful enough, doctors at one time used the same material dentists used on teeth to make an impression of the patient’s face, layered over plaster strips that had to air dry. The entire procedure took 10 hours, required three therapists and the patient had to be anesthetized. Enter CimMed and Harborview Medical Center. Using a handheld scanner, a nurse can complete a three-dimensional digital map of the patient’s face in just two minutes. The data from the scan is then fed into a computer-controlled milling machine that can turn out a tight fitting, customized mask that holds skin grafts in place as they attach in less than an hour.
Fig. 22 2008
RECYCLED T-SHIRT
In a state where sustainability has always been in fashion, it shouldn’t be too surprising that someone in Washington would figure out how to turn plastic bottles into something cool. The honor goes to Rethink Fabrics, which figured out how to remanufacture pop bottles into quality clothes where bottles are cleaned, melted and reused. This repurposing not only reduces the waste in landfills, but creates a desirable product that customers seem to love. Each t-shirt shows how many bottles went into making it. If you’re a size small, 13 plastic bottles find their way into your shirt or bag.
2012
MOBISANTE SMARTPHONE ULTRASOUND Ultrasounds have become an important diagnostic tool in medicine. And yet, 70% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to them. With the Mobisante MobiUS™ SP1 System, ultrasounds can be performed instantly using any smartphone. Developed by former Microsoft mobile executive Sailesh Chutani and David Zar, the device is a tenth of the cost of comparable ultrasound equipment and can be used with any smartphone or tablet. The subsequent images can either be stored and annotated later or shared with medical professionals across town, across the country or across the world.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE... BUTTER CUTTER (1920) William Ruttle’s butter cutter could slice one-pound blocks of hardened butter into 54 perfectly formed and sized pats of butter, so Betty Botter could buy that bit of better butter and make better squares with a Ruttle Butter Cutter. Sorry, we couldn’t resist. DOUGHNUT MAKER (1924) Who would have guessed that a calumet baking powder can would lead to a dynasty in the doughnut cutter business? Coffee shop and bakery owner Thomas Belshaw and his brother Walter were using the can to cut out doughnuts when they were inspired to create the first automated doughnut machine. Over the years the brothers have developed 26 models of the machinery and Thomas was awarded nine patents for his doughnut making and bakery equipment. And yes, it’s safe to say this story probably has a lot of holes in it. COMPACT DEPTH FINDER (1953) You can thank Wayne Ross for making it hard to run your boat aground. He invented the compact depth sounder in 1953,
the first sonar small enough to fit on a pleasure craft or commercial fishing boat. Before Wayne came along, you had to know someone to get a bulky war surplus sonar machine and they were pricey. At $169 each, his Ross Laboratories depth finders were an instant hit. SCRIBNER SHUNT (1960) Before the Scribner Shunt, veins became damaged every time a patient was connected to a kidney dialysis machine. The shunt, which routes blood from the artery back into the vein, allowed the patient to be connected to the machine without additional incisions and without destroying the blood vessels. Pioneered by Belding Scribner and his team at the University of Washington, the shunt’s first recipient was Boeing machinist Clyde Shields, who received his shunt on March 9, 1960. Scribner went on to pioneer the portable kidney dialysis machine, another Washington State invention. COMPACT DISCS (1974) It’s pretty poetic that the same state that gave the world vinyl should come up with its replacement. The folks at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory pioneered the technology
Fig. 23 that can track dots one micron in diameter. This optical digital recording technology made modern CDs possible. Good thing, as playing vinyl in your car required a really big dashboard. WHAMMY BAR (1979) A jeweler and budding rock star, Floyd Rose is credited with inventing the locking vibrato arm for the electric guitar. Popular with the likes of Eddie Van Halen, Brad Gillis and Steve Vai, the whammy bar allows a guitar to stay in tune, even as the pitch is changed, often to extremes. It is regarded in music circles as a revolutionary addition, making Guitar World’s “10 Most Earth Shaking Guitar Innovations.” BODY SCANNERS (1989) Holography took a bit of a Star Trek turn with the invention of holographic imaging systems. While you won’t be beamed anywhere (yet), you won’t be able to hide any weapons, explosives or other contraband either, thanks to the security-minded folks at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who invented these scanners. VACCINE VIAL MONITOR (VVM) Heat sensitive vaccines, such as the ones used to prevent polio, lose their potency without proper refrigeration. To help heath care workers identify viable vaccines in the field, PATH developed the vaccine Vial Monitor. The technology, which uses a small circle sensor printed on each vial of vaccine, was originally used in the food industry. The World Health Organization now requires all vaccines purchased through UNICEF to use VVMs. “GLASSTIC” (1999) OK, so that’s not the real name for this amazing plastic that acts like glass. But it does describe this new, impermeable plastic that can be used in commercial applications to make devices thinner while still remaining strong, including cell phones and flat-panel displays. KINDLE (2007) Libraries nationwide shivered in fear as the Amazon Kindle arrives on the market, allowing avid readers to search, shop, download and read e-books, newspapers, magazines
and other digital media to their heart’s content without worrying about library hours and mounting fines. The Kindle became an instant success, selling out in just 5 ½ hours online and it remained out of stock for five months due to overwhelming demand. It was also the first device to include free nationwide 3-G access so owners could download books from the Kindle store almost anywhere. ARKTEK PASSIVE VACCINE STORAGE DEVICE (2013) Each year, approximately 1.5 million children die from vaccine-preventable deaths. To allow vaccines to be stored in regions where there is no electricity or refrigeration, Intelligent Ventures developed the Arktek™, a passive vaccine storage device that uses technology developed for space exploration to keep vaccines usable for up to a month in a controlled temperature environment. DRIPASSIST INFUSION RATE MONITOR (2015) Worldwide, up to 50 million IV infusions are administered daily. With gravity fed systems, the accuracy of the flow can be off by as much as 20%, which can adversely affect the patient. Invented by Shift Labs, the DripAssist Infusion Rate Monitor provides healthcare professionals with a safe, accurate way to monitor infusion flows without expensive pumps. PICOBREW (2015) With Keurig-like ease, the PicoBrew brings home brewing to the casual beer lover. Invented by a former Microsoft employee, this countertop craft beer appliance allows users to slip in a cartridge and brew up a batch of delicious craft beer, all without the fuss and muss of traditional beer making. A new product, introduced in 2107, takes it a step further, adding dishwasher-safe accessories to make cleaning up a snap and an app to let you know how your beer is doing while you’re away.
LEGENDARY IDEAS FROM A LEGENDARY PLACE TO DO BUSINESS Washington State has a rich history of creating, nurturing and creating some of most well-known businesses, products, services and brands in the world. The state’s business legends have ushered in the age of jet and space travel, spawned an international coffee culture with a language all its own, built digital empires out of slivers of silicon and strings of binary code, and in the process, fundamentally changed the way we think, shop, travel, communicate, eat and learn. Washington may have earned its rightful pace one of the leading centers of innovation over the years, but it is the future that we look forward to the most. Companies and entrepreneurs throughout Washington State continue to challenge the status quo at every turn, bringing new ideas to market that will continue to earn their rightful place as a Made in Washington success story.