OUR SPONSORS

NICHOLAS BAKER

Nicholas Baker is a designer and maker currently residing in Brooklyn, New York. He studied industrial design at the Savannah College of Art and Design and interned with Boy Scouts of America, Enventys, and HunterGatherer while in school. After graduating in 2015, Nicholas moved to Fort Worth, Texas to design full-time for Petmate Pet Products. He left Petmate in 2017 to pursue new opportunities in New York City. Nicholas launched a design brand, almost object, in 2017. After freelancing part-time for many years, Nicholas started a full-time industrial design studio in Brooklyn. In his free time, he enjoys experimenting in virtual reality, instagramming, and podcasting. 

JAMES CONNORS

James Connors (aka @idrawonreciepts) is a NYC based freelance industrial designer who has designed dog toys, kitchen tools and gadgets, material handling containers, and fitness equipment. In his practice of design, he is driven to bring delightful interactions and forms to everyday objects and to sketch his ideas with the fewest lines possible. He finds inspiration in music, Samurai Jack, and the yo-yo. He also co-hosts the industrial design podcast, Minor Details, with Nick Baker.

MARIAH HAY

Mariah Hay is the VP of Product at Pluralsight, a fast-growing enterprise technology skills platform. In her role, Mariah leads nine cross functional domestic and international product teams. Under her leadership, Pluralsight successfully launched its technology learning platform in June 2016 and by mid 2017, it was serving more than 40% of Fortune 500 companies. Since that time Mariah has lead the product team through a successful 2018 IPO, and complete learning platform integration with Code School (a Pluralsight Company), bringing learn-by-doing experiences to Pluralsight learners globally.

​

Mariah earned a Bachelor's in Studio Art at the College of Charleston and a Master's of Fine Art in Industrial Design from Savannah College of Art and Design. She continues to share her knowledge and passion for human-centered design by serving on the board of the Women’s Tech Council of Utah and actively mentoring aspiring designers. She is the Founder and Co-Organizer for Ladies that UX Salt Lake City Chapter and Co-Organizer for Product Hive, a community of product managers, strategists and designers that come together to learn, contribute and connect, through volunteer-led opportunities.

KYLE MACDONALD

Kyle MacDonald is a mid-level industrial designer at Skullcandy in Park City. He has degrees in entrepreneurship and Multi-Disciplinary Design from the University of Utah. His approach to design is both creative and scientific, utilizing human-centered research to direct every stage of his process. As an entrepreneur and in-house designer, he has helped to bring more than 20 products to market. When he’s not paying off his student loans, he’s snowboarding, camping, or going on walks with his wife and 4-month-old baby girl.

SUZANNE OUDE HENGEL

Oude Hengel graduated from ArtEZ University in Arnhem, The Netherlands in 2015 with a degree in Product Design. She now works on a variety of machines including the latest flatbed and circular knitting machines from both Stoll and Santoni.She creates her own research projects but also does consultancy work/ collaborative projects for brands such as Timberland and Rothy’s.