When these four highly creative, independent people brainstorm, there is as much emphasis on the word, "storm," as there is on the word, "brain."

It's every inventor's dream. Your creative talents are in such demand that you live the life of the independent inventor earning a living as "Inventor for Hire." Outside the corporate world, you're free to pick and choose the challenges you accept. Freed from corporate bureaucracy, you move quickly, unfettered by corporate "rules and regulations." You access information and source materials independent of the mandates of the monolithic corporation. You're on your own, inventing on demand and, best of all, doing it YOUR way!

For four very talented inventors in Massachusetts, the dream has come true. Six years ago, Sol Aisenberg, George Freedman, Ze'ev Hed and Richard Pavelle joined forces as "Inventors For Hire," and since then their company, Invent Resources, Inc. (IR), has been hired by some of the biggest companies in the country! These world-class senior scientists and engineers have tackled problems as extremely sophisticated as "Thermo-electric Devices with Recuperative Heat Exchangers" and as mundane and prosaic as wart removers and pencil sharpeners.

"We're generalists," explains IR President Richard Pavelle. "We come from different backgrounds and together we can offer the client an innovative solution for what may be a very old-fashioned problem." The "client" may be a large company seeking an improvement of an existing product or it may be a small business that wants to create and introduce a whole new product. There's no problem too big-or too small-for the always clever, and sometimes quirky, minds at Invent Resources.

Bright and early, every Tuesday morning, the four partners meet to review requests for inventions. Richard is well-suited for his responsibilities as president of IR as he appears to be the most organized and least "flappable" of the foursome. When these four highly creative, independent people brainstorm, there is as much emphasis on the word, "storm," as there is on the word, "brain." Several years ago, a reporter for the Boston Globe wrote of IR: "A brainstorming session can turn into a multi-lingual floor fight where an engineer's pragmatic approach competes with a mathematician's elegant theory. Their business is inspiration and it can be messy. Indeed, posing problems to the foursome has a similar effect to tossing bread to ducks: they attack hungrily, noise level climbing and social graces forgotten."

Being creative usually means breaking the rules, and that's what the foursome does best-even if it may appear "messy" to those accustomed to living in a tightly structured, "organization chart" world. "Inventors are often considered crazy people," says Ze'ev, "and that's because very few captains of industry have vision. If there are 30 people in upper management, one has the vision but the other 29 don't! Also, too many people in companies have blinders on and they look at problems from only one perspective. With our diverse backgrounds we know how to merge a variety of technologies to arrive at some amazing answers!" Combined, the IR partners hold more than 100 patents and have licensed over 50 products.

As consummate inventors, they delight in their ability to solve problems, but "we do the hardest part first," explains Sol. "We find the customer! We run ads in publications like the Wall Street Journal and the M.I.T. Tech Review offering our services. Our strength is inventing and, almost unfailingly, we've been able to come up with an invention that solves the clients' problems."

IR's clients seek new consumer products, medical device improvements, and answers to manufacturing challenges. "One of the first things we have to do is qualify the potential client," explains Richard. The qualification is very important because IR charges no up front fees. "If we feel we can develop a viable solution, both IR and the client sign a confidentiality agreement. We then proceed to solve the problem, but the client is under no obligation and, initially, pays us nothing. If we develop a concept, it is our property. If the company is interested in the concept, they pay us $2,000 for first option on the technology while we negotiate a licensing arrangement. If we strike a deal, then we receive a royalty. If we don't strike a deal, then we are free to license the technology to another company." This is a win-win situation for all concerned: inventors spend their time seeking solutions to real problems and companies can, under no obligation, seek solutions from the outside to problems they haven't been able to solve on the "inside."

Each of the partners of IR has extensive corporate experience which enhances their ability to provide what the client wants. "We're all very practical," says George. "We understand the inside politics and the 'NIH Syndrome' [Not Invented Here]. We know how important it is to have a champion inside the company." Their considerable inside experience also provides them with a huge network of contacts. "Over the years we've worked with thousands of people," says Sol. "Whenever we have a problem in any field, one of us knows someone somewhere whom we can call for information we need. That person could be here in the States or anywhere in the world. We've all accumulated a powerful reference library that we can access just by picking up the phone."

Not too long ago, the inside politics of corporate America made it nearly impossible for any outside problem solver-no matter how skilled-to get his or her foot in the door. "In recent years the severe downsizing of the major corporations has forced companies to look outside their own R&D departments and they've begun to realize that it's often cheaper to subcontract out functions like new product development," says Ze'ev.

This spring, IR's first licensed product will hit the market. "This very new product will impact a very old problem; it's a new pencil sharpener!" laughs George Freedman. "What could be more prosaic? We can't divulge the details just yet, but let's say it's very quiet and we were able to create something that greatly reduced manufacturing costs." While eagerly awaiting the "birth" of their first joint creation, the partners credit Inventors' Digest for the initial contact with the manufacturing company. "We're always looking for companies that need new products," says Richard. "About two years ago we contacted one of the companies that advertised in the back of Inventors' Digest in the 'Inventions Wanted' section. They wanted a new pencil sharpener and that's what we delivered!"

Sol Aisenberg, George Freedman, Ze'ev Hed and Richard Pavelle are four men looking for problems. Their independent spirits are bound together by their mutual quest to solve the seemingly unsolvable and by their obvious deep respect for each other's abilities and talents. They are living the "Inventor's Dream" and their professional approach towards creativity and problem solving will quickly dispel the image of the "crazy inventor" for all who have the pleasure of working with them!