One day a few years ago, Reginald Douglas was enjoying gardening and tending to the flower beds outside his Orchard Park townhouse when his scoliosis and back pain began to worsen.
Douglas was in pain after hours of bending over and having to use multiple hose extension cords to reach the taps at the back of his house, and was considering taking up another hobby.
Big Daddy Garden CEO Reginald Douglas on Thursday, June 13, 2024, showed off the company's signature garden cart, which he developed after encountering problems while gardening.
Derek Ghee/Buffalo News
“I thought there had to be a better way, and if there wasn't, I'd just have to give up gardening,” said Douglas, 57, a former mental health counselor.
That night, he drew sketches of a device that might help him work in the garden more comfortably, and about a week later, he had created a prototype garden cart.
But by working with Mary Constantino, founder of consumer product design firm ProductLogic LLC, and the University at Buffalo's Cultivator program, he was able to move the product forward and bring Big Daddy Garden Co.'s patented caddy to market in February.
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“It was chaos at first, but it worked out,” said Douglas, who earned his MBA from Canisius College, where he took an entrepreneurship course that planted the seeds for this ultimate endeavor.
“It allowed me to carry water and I could actually sit on it and garden,” he added. “It made my life a lot easier and after a few weeks I thought there must be other people out there who are just like me and that's how my journey began.”
Mary Constantino, vice president of research and development at Big Daddy Garden, demonstrates the company's signature garden cart, which Douglas began developing after he encountered problems while gardening, Thursday, June 13, 2024.
Derek Ghee/Buffalo News
This was the first horticultural product Constantino brought to market, but she immediately saw its value and recognized its potential.
“I knew right away,” Constantino said. “I'm a gardener and I've struggled with all this just like him.”
Douglas says the cart, now in its third generation, is ergonomically designed for those with back problems. It has a 13-inch platform where gardeners can sit while working, silicone straps to hold larger tools, pockets for smaller tools, under-seat storage, bungee cords to help secure bags of gardening supplies, and a 12-gallon motorized watering system built into the cart. It also has wheels that support the weight and memory foam cushions to sit or kneel on.
“You can literally just leave the hose there,” said Douglas, who is trying his hand at entrepreneurship for the first time. “The wheel system makes it incredibly easy to roll hundreds of pounds. It's packed with features.”
Douglas had been working on the idea for years, but it took a leap of faith to get to this point. After receiving his patent and developing a second prototype, Douglas, who initially started gardening as a way to relax from work, had been working on the idea for months. Then UB Cultivator came along and Constantino agreed to work on the idea with him.
“What he's decided is a big decision, a costly decision. It affects your whole life,” she said.
Douglas graduated from the program last year, where he received mentorship and learned the fundamentals of customer discovery, product refinement, and other key principles for entrepreneurial success. Cultivator also provided him with $100,000 in pre-seed funding, a key source of capital for a growing startup. It was the first significant investment in the company, aside from funding from his family.
The company initially sold about 100 units, but by April they were all sold out. The company is working with a manufacturer in Ohio to refine the product before resuming sales.
Douglas is considering seeking help from nonprofit venture development organization Launch NY to expand the business and raise additional capital. He wants to launch a line of gardening hand tools and a smaller version of the caddy, and get his products into retail stores.
State venture capital program invests $1 million in PostProcess Technologies
PostProcess Technologies is set to receive an additional funding infusion from the Empire State Development program.
NY Ventures has made its fourth investment in a Buffalo technology company that provides automated, intelligent post-print solutions for additive manufacturing.
The $1 million funding is a key part of PostProcess Technologies' Series C funding round. The company will use the funds to enhance its product offerings, expand its market reach, hire additional talent, and build out the infrastructure needed to scale the company.
PostProcess Technologies uses advanced software and automated technology to streamline and optimize the post-processing of 3D printed parts.
“This investment will enable us to continue attracting the best talent and capitalize on new opportunities to drive accelerated innovation,” said Jeff Mize, CEO of Post Process Technologies.
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A New York City nonprofit has proposed building a veterans village in Cheektowaga.
The housing project received tax abatements from the Amherst Industrial Development Authority.
Kaleida Health and Catholic Health Systems are set to receive about $140 million in federal funding.
Construction, manufacturing and health services are driving job growth in Buffalo Niagara.
KeyBank Chairman and CEO Chris Gorman said the bank is unlikely to acquire another bank anytime soon.
A closer look at the ongoing construction work at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Park.
The SUNY chancellor discussed artificial intelligence efforts at UB.
A long-awaited bridge is now complete at Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Park.
A crane at the Buffalo Bills stadium construction site was struck and damaged by lightning during last week's storms.
The owner of a Tonawanda marijuana business criticized state marijuana regulators, and days later inspectors showed up in what the owner says was retaliation.
For those who missed it
Five articles from Buffalo Next:
1. At the University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine, approximately 10,000 people and their families are participating in clinical trials, with plenty of room to enroll more.
2. Amazon has begun construction on a massive distribution facility in Niagara County that will be very similar to the one in Rochester.
3. A former 43North winner aims to stand out from the crowd.
4. Imagine turning a truck bed cover into a mobile solar power plant. Worksport is developing the technology.
5. A focus on semiconductors could spur manufacturing and technology job growth in Western New York.
The Buffalo Next team will be bringing you the full story on the region's economic revitalization. Email your tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or call Buffalo Next Editor-in-Chief David Robinson at 716-849-4435.
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