February 2016
Joshua Springer (president, GrinOn Industries , Indianapolis) had a eureka moment at his father’s birthday party when he imagined a beer container that would fill from the bottom. Four days later he had a prototype. Eight years and two U.S. patents later ( US8763655 , US8777182 ), the worldwide market for his invention provides an estimated annual revenue of $10-20 million. Televised interviews with CNN and Inside Indiana Business have showcased Mr. Springer’s pioneering and “paper clip simple” beer dispensing system. In its most prevalent mode, a nozzle pushes up a detachable magnet from the bottom of a plastic cup, fills the cup with beer, and retracts as the magnet seals the bottom of the cup. This highly efficient automated system wastes no beer (in contrast to most dispensing methods that waste 30%) and dispenses beer 300 times faster than is typical with traditional methods. Because of his invention, the number of people in line for beer at an athletic