About Us

Marie’s passion for innovation began in her 20’s, when she had an idea for a women’s cosmetic product. As most inventions go, the product had a few uphill challenges, but she persisted and guided it from the idea stage to final manufacturing stage launching it successfully on QVC and eventually distributing to the international markets.

Through the early 2000’s, she worked with the home shopping networks and continued learning the product development and distribution process. She became instrumental in assisting hundreds of inventors navigate the innovation space, successfully creating, manufacturing, launching, promoting, and distributing their products locally and internationally. Products such as Z Pointe; the first ever automatic cosmetic pencil sharpener, Crovel; a unique shovel/crowbar tool, Skyscapes; a DIY water fountain, X Caliber; a firearm adapter, to name a few.

Fast forward to today, after being featured in Women Inventors and the 7%, Marie discovered that women hold only 7% of US patents! Overnight, her passion for innovation turned into a mission to help encourage and empower other women to pursue their ideas. Along with co-inventor Terri Love, nVentra, a new women’s innovation company was born.

Marketing

Marie also possesses extensive capabilities as a top-tier marketing professional. As a seasoned executive, she has guided her team with proven experience in the advertising, public relations, creative, digital online and marketing arenas. She has assisted hundreds of businesses by creating innovative marketing solutions, merging traditional and online strategies, elevating her client’s visibility, both domestically and internationally, while substantially increasing revenues and profits. Marie’s agency has represented well-known brands such as Daewoo, Bank One, Sports Illustrated, Patrick Dempsey Racing, BMW, Las Vegas Golfers Club, Blackhawks Soccer, American Cancer Society, Big O Tires, to name a few.

She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of GearUp Outdoors, LLC, a preparedness company with a magazine marketing component, Survival Homes and Gardens Magazine, as well as Quest Firearms, an innovative firearm company.

Marie holds several patents and is Bi-lingual in English/ Spanish.

As a co-founder of nVentra, I am passionate about helping women inventors take their ideas from concept, to market. This passion comes from a family history of lost opportunity, specifically my grandmother Opal. Back in the 1940’s my grandmother had an idea for creating frozen meals that could be heated up in the oven. She took her idea to the local banker to request a capital loan, but she was not taken seriously. The banker told her “Sweetheart, you are going to thank me for saving you from this bad idea”. The Swanson Brothers launched their line of frozen TV dinners in 1953 and became a huge success that lives on today!

Over the past 20 years, I have been a successful project manager developing processes, procedures and building teams for an international engineering company, Jacobs Engineering. Throughout my career I have mentored and empowered many women into leadership positions, in a very male dominated industry. I have always had an entrepreneurial spirit and now I am focused on building nVentra with integrity, honesty and as a true partnership to grow the female presence in the innovations market.