The history of the Fort Wayne Inventors Club begins in January 2007, when it was formedĀ by Dave Gross of Collision Control Communications, Inc., Dave Byrd, and Sunil Jain. ItĀ is believed to be the longest continually running organization for inventors in northeast Indiana.
In the fall of 2006, Karl LaPan of the Northeast Indiana Innovation CenterĀ sent out congratulatory dinner invitations to a group of individuals in the Fort Wayne area, who had received patents. Roughly 60 people accepted Karlās dinner invitation at the Fort Wayne Marriott (now called the Hotel Fort Wayne at Coldwater and Washington Center Roads).
During the dinner and award presentations, the three founding members couldnāt help but noticeĀ that everyone in the room had the same passion for inventing and problem solving.Ā They asked Mr. LaPan if he would be willing to make an announcement to the group assembled, to see if any of the other attendees would be interested in getting together at a future date to share experiences.Ā This was the catalyst that started the Fort Wayne Inventors Club.