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The Inventor’s “Aha!” Moment that Led to a Gift
April 2007
Rob Conrad, COO of Tyrell, Inc. and inventor of the Zeno product, says it happened like this: “We were sitting in the lunchroom discussing tying a charitable donation to a pink Zeno online promotion. Our only question was: How do we get this done? There was never a question about whom we would support. It was always going to be M. D. Anderson because we wanted to give to an organization that we trust and believe in.”
For five months beginning in the fall of 2006, all proceeds from the online sales of the pink Zeno were designated for the Breast Cancer SPORE (Specialized Programs of Research Excellence) at M. D. Anderson. On April 24, 2007, Rob and others from the company headquarters in Houston came to the water wall in the Mays Clinic to present a check for $15,000 to Sharon Giordano, M. D., assistant professor of breast oncology.
It was by no means the first time Rob had visited the hospital. His brother, Charles Conrad, M.D., is a well-recognized researcher and clinician in neuro-oncology at M. D. Anderson, and his sister—a young woman at the time—was treated for breast cancer here in the early 90s. Rob himself was the bone marrow donor for his sister’s transplant. The family is grateful for the specialized care she received while here.
The product that made the donation possible, Zeno, is a heat delivery device used to treat acne. Rob invented the Zeno in 1997 in response to his own need for it. An angry red pimple on his forehead had appeared the morning of an important business presentation. He tried repeated hot water compresses, which seemed to break down the pimple, but also caused a large burn mark. This “Aha!” moment led him to design the device that delivers a regulated dose of heat to kill the bacteria causing the pimple. Since the public launch in the summer of 2005, more than 250,000 Zenos have been sold. M. D. Anderson applauds the inventiveness of Rob Conrad and is grateful for the generous impulse that accompanied the success of the Zeno product.