A conversation with Tim Illguth, inventor of Fiber Optic Pliers
Tim Illguth, third from left, holds his $6,000 prize with, from left, Jessica Taft from GCI, Andrew Heckman with Northrim Bank, in the back row, Jared Rhea and Justin Seavey representing Usibelli Coal Mine, and in front, the CBSM Dean Cameron Carlson and the Vice President of Public Relations at Usibelli Coal Mine, Lisa Cassino.
Morrow Duszynski, July 18, 2024
In this interview, Morrow Duszynski, communications specialist at the UAF College of Business and Security Management, sat down with Tim Illguth, the second-place winner of the 2024 UAF Arctic Innovation Competition. Tim's groundbreaking invention, Fiber Optic Pliers, earned him a $6,000 prize. These pliers are designed to enhance the efficiency and reliability of fiber optic installations, a vital component in telecommunications. In this conversation, Tim shares his experiences and insights from the competition, the impact of his invention on both the industry and everyday users, and his plans for the future with his company, Golden Heart Innovations.
Morrow Duszynski: When you think back to the Arctic Innovation Competition that you competed in this April, what are your top three takeaways?
Tim Illguth: Well, the biggest thing that I got out of it was that it really helped me flesh out how to structure the business around the innovation. Taking that innovation as far as I could in steps to you know, bring it into reality. That was a big takeaway. As far as the competition goes, get your product as far along in the innovation process before entering the competition. That will help you in the presentations and in the scoring too.
Morrow Duszynski: In your presentation, you mentioned that you did work in telecommunications?
Tim Illguth: Yes, I was in charge of satellite communications with NASA's Near Earth Network that goes out to Mars. It was my job to help facilitate the connections between UAF, NASA and the satellites. That was the data flow I was in charge of.
Morrow Duszynski: That’s awesome. So, you developed this product to make work for you or your coworkers more efficient. How can this product affect people who are not working in the industry?
Tim Illguth accepts his second-place award, shaking hands with CBSM Dean Cameron Carlson.
Tim Illguth: To help the people who are not working in the industry, fiber optics are very fragile because they're glass fibers that are about half the size of a human hair and when they get bent, they cause service outages. There are right around six to eight hundred service outages a day. For people that have the internet, anything from social media to Netflix, all streaming services go over fiber optic cables. This tool would help them to have a better service uptime.
Morrow Duszynski: Less Internet outages! We were all really impressed by the product. What are the next steps for the fiber optic pliers? And what would it take to launch your company to the next level?
Tim Illguth: The company I started is called Golden Heart Innovations, going along with the Fairbanks, Alaska theme. I have the prototype in production now in Minnesota and they're going to ship that to me. With that, I’ll make a marketing video that I send out to places like Harbor Freight Tools, AT&T, Verizon, and anybody that uses a lot of telecommunications; and just market it to find a potential customer. Once I get a list of potential customers, then I'll talk to producers that make the tool, contract with them and they can lease the patent from me and the university.
Morrow Duszynski: Did you make any other connections at AIC that were helpful for you?
Tim Illguth: I did so. I took second place, and the first-place winner gave me some really helpful advice about the business structure as far as making as far as innovations go, and I really appreciated his thoughts.
Morrow Duszynski: I know you were working with UAF Center ICE as well; did they encourage you to enter AIC?
Tim Illguth: Yeah, they did. They really did encourage me to enter. I wasn't going to do that at first, because I was so busy with my move and everything. The Center ICE program was neat because it gives you a name you can put behind your innovation, like the National Science Foundation, which is a big name to drop when you've got an invention that you're pushing forward. So that was cool. I really did appreciate that.
Morrow Duszynski: What advice would you give to future competitors in the Arctic innovation competition?
Tim Illguth: The biggest thing is just to take the idea as far as you can, and utilize the SBDC in Fairbanks if possible. If you're affiliated with the University, talk to the Patent Office in the Geophysical Institute. They were a huge help when writing the patent. Also, I would highly suggest when experimenting with an innovation to go through a few iterations and 3D printing some stuff, try it in the real world, and come back to it.
Celebrating the win after the AIC 2024 Finals and Awards Ceremony.
Morrow Duszynski: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Tim Illguth: I'm going to do my best with the company that I'm building right now to make it more accessible to innovators who want to patent. The patent process is very difficult and takes about five years.
Morrow Duszynski: Oh, wow!
Tim Illguth: Yeah, but you can get a provisional patent and you can file that right away, which I didn't even know about when I started this. We have a lot of innovators in Alaska, and I would love for them to have an easier avenue to pursue their ideas. I've got a section on the website for my new business to help assist others with the process, so they don't have to go through as much as I had to go through.
To connect with Tim Illguth and learn more about Fiber Optic Pliers, you can find him on LinkedIn or visit his company, Golden Heart Innovations' website. You can also rewatch the 2024 UAF Arctic Innovation Competition on YouTube.