Roger Kjonaas opens a door to a trailer to reveal a small, mirrored room. His reflection goes on for miles when he stands in the middle of the 4-foot-by-6 foot box, made of polished steel and bathed in a soft blue glow.

"I'm an inventor," Kjonaas said, looking around at the mirrored walls in the room.

He's standing in his most developed invention, InfraSpa, an infrared sauna that uses light therapy, music therapy, aromatherapy, mirror therapy and infrared heat therapy.

Kjonaas, a custom home builder and inventor, began designing the spa sevenyears ago, after hearing the buzz about using infrared lights in saunas, instead of steam. But most saunas, he said, have cedar walls.

"Right away, all these problems stuck out at me," he said. "You have an incubator for microbial growth."

They may be hard to keep clean, he said.

His product has polished stainless steel walls, which are quickly and easily sanitized, he said. The temperature never gets above 120 degrees, and he's researched the five different therapies so whoever's using the sauna can maximize their relaxation time.

The aromatherapy comes from a small capsule containing oil, which sits above one of the infrared lights. A stereo face sits in the middle of another wall, for music, and the blue lights in the ceiling are supposed to encourage tranquility, he said.

All of the stainless steel walls are polished for reflection, which is said to have self-healing powers, Kjonaas said.

"It also allows people within this unit to really have a feeling of a greater space,"Kjonaas said.

And infrared heat, as opposed to steam heat, directly heats the user instead of heating the air. In fact, with the stainless steel walls, the air never gets above 120 degrees, he said.

The room is equipped with a cotton hammock seat or a stool, both of which also are easily cleaned.

"This looks high tech,"he said. "And it is high tech."

And there is a market for the product, but working on the invention by himself as a side business, then marketing it, building it and selling it himself, could get a little overwhelming.

Innovating North Dakota

Which is why Kjonaas decided to submit his invention to Innovate ND, a new statewide economic development initiative designed to help entrepreneurs turn business ideas into functional businesses.

Kjonaas is one of the 22 finalists, four of whom were from Bismarck, who have submitted ideas, developed and refined business plans, listened to podcast training, worked with mentors and ultimately have their eyes on the cash prizes and access to valuable, new business resources.

"I've been really encouraging the state to do a statewide business plan contest for several years,"said Bruce Gjovig, director of the University of North Dakota Center for Innovation. Gjovig started the center in the mid-'80s, and has been the state's biggest cheerleader for entrepreneurs since then.

"I've been pushing innovation, and to embrace the culture and embrace entrepreneurs statewide,"he said.

The new program, which began in November, encouraged North Dakotans, current and past, to submit their business ideas, big or small, for developing and judging.

The plans were sent through different phases, each phase of judging whittling through the ideas until the final 22 plans were decided upon.

But whether or not a plan was chosen to go forward, the innovator had access to tools, such as business planning software and workbooks, Gjovig said.

"It's not just the finalists that are being impacted by this program, it's all 112 people who originally signed up for it,"Gjovig said. "Most business plan competitions, you really have to figure it out for yourself, and you're left pretty much on your own. We made this very rich and interactive."

Ultra interactive

The interaction is what helped Kjonaas work through his business plan, enabling him to identify markets for the InfraSpa and create a manufacturing structure for the product, going forward.

"Not only does it create a blueprint for success of the business, but it also gets you motivated,"Kjonaas said.

Kevin Leier with Tao Interactive agreed.

Leier is another Bismarck finalist in the program, for his company that creates software and services related to software, for Web-content management.

"Innovate ND attracted me for resources that were available,"Leier said.

Leier's actually been in business for several years, and recently opened an office in downtown Bismarck.

"A lot of Innovate ND is based off of ideas, but we're already in business,"he said. "To me, it's a value. What attracted me to it, is there are a lot of in-kind services (available)."

The top five finalists receive $5,000 in cash, and access to in-kind services from engineers, lawyers, attorneys and accountants, said Linda Butts, who's part of the team organizing the program.

Perfect for a start-up business, Leier said.

His business is based not on box software, but software as a service, he explained. They're the "tech geeks"behind Web pages.

Gjovig said Tao Interactive is one of 10 technology teams in the program.

The other categories:Three teams each in retail, manufacturing, Internet and services.

"It's really meant to stimulate innovation in all sectors of the economy,"Gjovig said.

Making an impression

Another Bismarck innovator, Craig Nelson, offers a service that truly does make an imprint on several different industries. Nelson owns a "printer"that creates full-color, three-dimensional models that can be used as prototypes for engineering or architecture firms, or in museums and archaeology projects, or for medical models, among other applications.

The printer, made by a Minneapolis-based company, receives data and dimensions of models, then compacts layers of loose powder into a three-dimensional shape.

Leier with Tao Interactive said you could give Nelson a stapler, and he could make an exact, three-dimensional copy of it in his printer.

Nelson is looking to expand his services, called Prairie Fire 3D, nationally and even internationally, having recently attended an archaeology trade show in Berlin.

"It's also a great communication tool,"he said. For example, an inventor or developer can have a three-dimensional prototype of a design to show to investors, he said.

And while he's owned the printer for about two years, he says the Innovate ND program has helped move him further along with his business plan.

"It's a great opportunity to get some exposure, and to learn more,"he said. He's been trying to figure out a way to maximize the time he can commit to his service, and the program has so far helped him organize and grow.

Eyes on the prize

In less than three weeks, all of the finalists will head to Fargo to present their business plans to angel investors, in the hopes of scoring those final prizes. Prizes will be presented at the Governor's Innovate ND Awards Banquet on May 15.

Nelson said he's a little nervous about presenting, but he and others can practice with their appointed mentor, if necessary. In a week, though, they'll have to submit their final business plan for the investors to look over.

Overall, Gjovig and Butts said the process has been a learning experience for everyone, not just the innovators.

And they're pleased with the level of participation, both in the innovators and the sponsors. In the future, Butts said she'd like to see larger cash prizes, and perhaps better timing.

"We were a start-up organization ourselves,"Gjovig said. "We had to keep just ahead of everyone else through the whole process. We had to be flexible and adaptable."

Nelson, Kjonaas and Leier will all come away with the necessary tools to go forward with their plans, however, even if they don't make it to the final five.

"I think Innovate ND is a such a good catalyst to get you to do what you want to do, and really fly,"Kjonaas said.

(Reach reporter Crystal R. Reid at 250-8261 or at crystal.reid@ bismarcktribune.com.)