Stephen Wurth

Stephen Wurth

St Louis, Missouri, United States
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About

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• Designer
• Maker
• Musicophile
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Articles by Stephen

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Activity

Experience

  • Nestlé Purina North America Graphic

    Nestlé Purina North America

    St Louis, Missouri, United States

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    St Louis, Missouri, United States

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    Greater St. Louis Area

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    Greater St. Louis Area

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    Greater St. Louis Area

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    Greater St. Louis Area

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    Greater St. Louis Area

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    Greater St. Louis Area

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    Greater St. Louis Area

Education

Licenses & Certifications

Volunteer Experience

  • Cultural Leadership Graphic

    Program Lead | Thinksgiving 2022 (Purina MDO Team)

    Cultural Leadership

    - Present 3 years 6 months

    Civil Rights and Social Action

    Cultural Leadership develops a diverse group of youth into social justice changemakers who advocate for equitable and just practices. In November 2022, Purina was honored to be paired up with their leadership team for the 3rd annual Thinksgiving event to help them rethink their branding & purpose with a focus on driving awareness for their mission in the region. Very exciting changes coming in 2023, but this is an amazing group of human beings that have become part of our Purina family and we…

    Cultural Leadership develops a diverse group of youth into social justice changemakers who advocate for equitable and just practices. In November 2022, Purina was honored to be paired up with their leadership team for the 3rd annual Thinksgiving event to help them rethink their branding & purpose with a focus on driving awareness for their mission in the region. Very exciting changes coming in 2023, but this is an amazing group of human beings that have become part of our Purina family and we cannot wait to keep working with them in the future!

  • Camp Rainbow Foundation Graphic

    Program Lead | Thinksgiving 2021 (Purina MDO Team)

    Camp Rainbow Foundation

    - 2 months

    Children

    In 2021, Purina partnered with Camp Rainbow, a foundation that provides free camp experiences and programs for kids affected by childhood cancer and blood-related diseases, for the 2nd annual Thinksgiving event. Our team helped Camp Rainbow establish a culture of innovation including values that reinforce their mission and new events and experiences that were implemented in 2022 and we couldn't have been more honored to work with such a great group!

  • Seed St. Louis Graphic

    Program Lead | Thinksgiving 2020 (Purina Team)

    Seed St. Louis

    - 1 year

    Economic Empowerment

    Thinksgiving connects St. Louis nonprofits with innovative teams from smart companies for a day of creative problem-solving focused on the future.

    Our Purina team made up of executive leads, designers, PR strategists, and marketers chose to tackle the following challenge from Gateway Greening:

    In 36 years as a nonprofit, our focus has shifted and our name no longer captures the core of what we do (and is often confused with other organizations in our region). How might we find a…

    Thinksgiving connects St. Louis nonprofits with innovative teams from smart companies for a day of creative problem-solving focused on the future.

    Our Purina team made up of executive leads, designers, PR strategists, and marketers chose to tackle the following challenge from Gateway Greening:

    In 36 years as a nonprofit, our focus has shifted and our name no longer captures the core of what we do (and is often confused with other organizations in our region). How might we find a better name that matches our mission and is uniquely ours?

    Welcome to the world SEED St. Louis!

    https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2021/05/06/corporate-philanthropy-awards-2021-filament-llc.html

  • Board of Trustees

    Lafayette Park United Methodist Church

    - 3 years 1 month

    Poverty Alleviation

    Responsible for prioritizing and addressing critical needs of the LPUMC community including building/structural repairs, campaign initiatives/strategies, and developing community outreach programs.

  • Good Samaritan House of Granite City Graphic

    Consultant & Volunteer

    Good Samaritan House of Granite City

    - 3 months

    Social Services

    The Good Samaritan House enriches the lives of women and children who are experiencing homelessness by offering them opportunities to become self-sufficient while supporting them in a loving Christian environment.

    In Fall 2015, a small group from the Nestle Purina Innovation & Emerging Growth team partnered with GSH to look for ways to enhance the overall experience and to connect the vision and purpose to the environment. In addition to various spatial improvement projects, the key…

    The Good Samaritan House enriches the lives of women and children who are experiencing homelessness by offering them opportunities to become self-sufficient while supporting them in a loving Christian environment.

    In Fall 2015, a small group from the Nestle Purina Innovation & Emerging Growth team partnered with GSH to look for ways to enhance the overall experience and to connect the vision and purpose to the environment. In addition to various spatial improvement projects, the key project was a "Celebration Wall" that allowed each of the 10 families to have a space in the central family room to display life successes (school projects, photos, etc.) and socialize it with the other families and staff. It was designed and implemented in October and so far the staff and family feedback has been very positive and is just one little way to help build a stronger community.

Publications

Patents

  • Disposable Litter Box Design

    Issued US D819,900

    Package/product design for Tidy Cats DIRECT - a pre-filled (w/ Lightweight litter), all-in-one disposable litter box that ships direct to consumer that lasts up to one month. Just Open, Scoop, Toss, and Repeat.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Measuring device useful for animal weight management

    Issued US 9,968,072

    The invention provides measuring devices for managing the weight of animals and methods of using the measuring devices. In a general aspect, the measuring devices comprise a container having a first side with a cavity and a second opposing side having a cavity that is larger than the cavity of the first side. The first side cavity is sized to hold an amount of food that restricts calorie intake of an animal. The second side cavity is sized to hold an amount of food that provides daily…

    The invention provides measuring devices for managing the weight of animals and methods of using the measuring devices. In a general aspect, the measuring devices comprise a container having a first side with a cavity and a second opposing side having a cavity that is larger than the cavity of the first side. The first side cavity is sized to hold an amount of food that restricts calorie intake of an animal. The second side cavity is sized to hold an amount of food that provides daily requirement for weight management of an animal.

    See patent

  • Molded Fiber Package (Jug) Design

    Issued US US D742,746 S

    Molded fiber, fully compostable package design for a revolutionary sustainable litter product sold exclusively through the pet specialty channel.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Devices suitable for removing, preparing, and storing materials (ALPO® Serve & Save™ Petfood Utensil)

    Issued US 9,169,049

    In 2006 while conducting ALPO® packaging research, the Purina Design team discovered an unmet user need that wasn't wasn't necessarily tied to packaging, but the process by which they dispensed, served, and stored their (wet) pet food. The team reframed the approach and designed an all-in-one opening, serving, storage (hard-good) product that helps pet owners simplify the feeding ritual. The item was released in 2007 as part of an ALPO® brand promotion and was met with high praise from users…

    In 2006 while conducting ALPO® packaging research, the Purina Design team discovered an unmet user need that wasn't wasn't necessarily tied to packaging, but the process by which they dispensed, served, and stored their (wet) pet food. The team reframed the approach and designed an all-in-one opening, serving, storage (hard-good) product that helps pet owners simplify the feeding ritual. The item was released in 2007 as part of an ALPO® brand promotion and was met with high praise from users, including a feature in the Winter 2008 Housewares section of IDSA's INNOVATION magazine.

    See patent

  • Animal Treat Dispenser ("Wobbert the Wobbler" for Friskies® Pull n' Play)

    Issued US D726,975

    Complementary product design for a new Friskies® cat snacks innovation creating a more playful experience for cats and their owners. https://www.friskies.com/pullnplay

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Container (Beggin'® Party Poppers™)

    Issued US D710,208

    Package container design for the Beggin' Party Poppers product range.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Container lid (Beggin'® Party Poppers™)

    Issued US D705,654

    Lid design for the Beggin' Party Poppers product line. The over-molded rubber nose can be pressed in, has a built-in delay, the pops back into place allowing anything that is placed in the nose (ideally the Beggin' Party Poppers product) to be launched in the air creating an super-fun treating moment between users and their dogs.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Animal Treat Design (Beneful® Healthy Smile)

    Issued US D695,988

    Design patent for new dental snack for dogs.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Packages for Consumable Products and Methods for Using the Same

    Issued US US20120325831

    Package design for Nestle Nutrition product line.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Container (Purina Tidy Cats® Project Slick)

    Issued US D654,796

    Two-handled container design (designed for Tidy Cats premium litter SKU's).

    In market June 2012.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Container / Front Face (Purina Tidy Cats® Project Slick)

    Issued US D646,167

    Container front face ornamental design patent.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Animal Treat (Beneful® Healthy Smile™)

    Issued US D627,536

    Functional dental snack/treat design used for the new Beneful® Healthy Smile brand.

    http://www.beneful.com/Products/Dog-Snacks/Healthy-Smile-Twists/

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Packaging for storing products and methods of making and using such packages

    Issued US 8,794,445

    Paperboard package design for easy storage and multi-placement in the home.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Reversibly Deformable Interactive Package Components (Beggin'® Party Poppers)

    Filed US US2013/051460

    Utility patent application for a popper lid, the technology of which is applied in the Beggin'® Party Poppers product experience.

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Animal Play Toy

    Filed EU WO2013103650

    Play toy design (patent pending) -- US/Europe

    Other inventors
    See patent

  • Animal Weight Management Measuring Device

    Filed EU PCT/US2013/027942

    Breakthrough (food) measuring device for pets aimed at weight management and regulation leveraging existing user behavior.

    See patent

  • Litter Box Assembly Having a Litter Fragmenting Device

    Filed US 2011000572

    The invention provides litter box assemblies useful for managing animal waste. In a general aspect, the litter box assembly includes an animal litter box, a litter fragmenting device attached to the litter box, and an optional hopper attached to the litter fragmenting device. The hopper can store an animal litter that has improved absorption capabilities after being fragmented by the litter fragmenting device. The invention also provides kits useful for making the litter box assemblies and…

    The invention provides litter box assemblies useful for managing animal waste. In a general aspect, the litter box assembly includes an animal litter box, a litter fragmenting device attached to the litter box, and an optional hopper attached to the litter fragmenting device. The hopper can store an animal litter that has improved absorption capabilities after being fragmented by the litter fragmenting device. The invention also provides kits useful for making the litter box assemblies and using such litter box assemblies for managing animal waste.

    Other inventors
    See patent

Projects

  • Tidy Cats® DIRECT™

    Dealing with cat litter sucks, period. Tidy Cats DIRECT is an all-in-one litter solution designed to make life a little easier for cat owners. The box is pre-filled with Tidy Cats LightWeight litter and doubles as a litter box that lasts up to 30 days. Just order it online to get it shipped right to your front door. Open it up, maintain the litter box as needed, then toss it. No scrubbing. No scouring. No kidding.

    Other creators
    See project

  • Friskies® Pull n' Play™

    Leveraging human-centered design to deliver a revolutionary new experience innovation to the cat snacks category. This was the result of empathy-driven user research, multi-disciplinary collaboration, iterative learning and prototyping, and business strategy that led to a platform/systems innovation that is helping transform Nestlé Purina Petcare from a food company to an experience company.

    Other creators
    See project

  • Purina® Pro Plan® RENEW

    Co-led the design development of an all-new pet specialty brand experience using disruptive material application & industrial design. Through a strategic partnership w/ Ecologic Brands, Inc. leveraging external/internal design & prototyping capabilities, and some amazing marketing and manufacturing leadership, this project went from initial problem framing to Petsmart shelves in less than 1 year.

    SILVER Winner, 2015 IDSA International Design Excellence Award

    Other creators
    See project

  • Tidy Cats® Project "Slick"

    Let’s face it. The cat litter experience isn’t the greatest. Under the code-name “Project Slick” the Tidy Cats brand team assembled a multi-disciplinary team to tackle this issue.

    Using a design-led approach by building empathy with current users, the result was an amazingly simple re-design of the traditional packaging, adding a second handle to the back of the jug, making it easier to carry, pour, and solving an everyday user need.

    The introduction to the market in 2012 was…

    Let’s face it. The cat litter experience isn’t the greatest. Under the code-name “Project Slick” the Tidy Cats brand team assembled a multi-disciplinary team to tackle this issue.

    Using a design-led approach by building empathy with current users, the result was an amazingly simple re-design of the traditional packaging, adding a second handle to the back of the jug, making it easier to carry, pour, and solving an everyday user need.

    The introduction to the market in 2012 was met with high-praise from users and positive market figures, showing that understanding core users and making even the most trivial of experiences better, can achieve great results.

    http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/8/21/25-perfected-package-designs-for-pets.html

    Other creators
    See project

  • Beneful® Baked Delights™

    Delivering an iconic structural packaging design for the 2012 introduction of Beneful® Baked Delights that delivers on simplicity, playfulness, and multi-sensory cues to deliver a premium-feel to the baked snack line.

    Other creators
    See project

  • Design Thinking Partnership with Stanford University

    -

    Partnered with Stanford University and developed a case study on implementing design thinking into corporate culture and the business value of design that is being used as part of the Startup Garage course at Stanford's Graduate School of Business.

    See project

  • Beggin'® Party Poppers™

    -

    Delivering an adjacent product (system) innovation for the Purina Beggin'​ brand portfolio by reframing a marketing brief to focus more on delivering an enhanced user-experience between people and their dogs through "extending the moment."​

    2015 CORE77 Design Awards: "Community Choice" Finalist

    Other creators
    See project

Honors & Awards

  • 2022 Category Captain Award

    Progressive Grocer

    https://progressivegrocer.com/what-brands-are-excelling-category-management

    (Scroll to the bottom)

  • 2020 Category Captains Award

    Progressive Grocer

    2020 Progressive Grocer Category Captains award program recognizing overall excellence in innovative, profit-generating category management efforts, while navigating the volatile market conditions of 2020. Nominees were asked how their organizations pivoted at the onset of the pandemic, how quickly they were able to do so, and what results were achieved with specific initiatives. We entered two of our key Nestlé Purina CXD initiatives and both were chosen as…

    2020 Progressive Grocer Category Captains award program recognizing overall excellence in innovative, profit-generating category management efforts, while navigating the volatile market conditions of 2020. Nominees were asked how their organizations pivoted at the onset of the pandemic, how quickly they were able to do so, and what results were achieved with specific initiatives. We entered two of our key Nestlé Purina CXD initiatives and both were chosen as winners.

    https://progressivegrocer.com/2020-category-captains-award-winners

  • Gold Award: Branded Shop Within a Store | 2020 Shop! Design Awards

    Shop! Association

    Considered the “Academy Awards” of the retail design and brand marketing industries, the Shop! Awards competitions recognize the best new designs in retail environments and experiences.

    https://www.shopawards.org/2019-design-award-winners/

  • IDSA Silver IDEA Award | Pro Plan® Renew™ Litter Packaging

    Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA)

    The Purina® Pro Plan® Renew™ cat litter jug, developed in partnership with Ecologic, is the first litter package made entirely from molded fiber, including the friction-fit cap. There is no trace of plastic material in this package and it is completely recyclable in most communities, and can be recycled up to 7x demonstrating Nestlé Purina's commitment to sustainability and the planet.

  • Thinksgiving Innovation in Philanthropy Award 2021 (Partnership w/ Filament)

    St. Louis Business Journal

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0xIeNtlGiU&t=15s

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