Caddy Makes Gardening a Breeze for Buffalo Startup Founder

Several years ago, Reginald Douglas was enjoying gardening and tending to his flower beds outside his Orchard Park townhouse when his scoliosis and back pain began to take their toll.

After spending hours working bent over and having to connect several extension hoses to reach the faucet at the back of the residence, Douglas was in pain and considering taking up another hobby.

“I thought there had to be a better way and if not, I would have to give up gardening,” said Douglas, 57, a former mental health counselor.

That night, he sketched a device that could help him garden more comfortably. About a week later, he created a prototype garden cart.

But it wasn’t until he teamed up with Merry Constantino, founder of consumer product design firm ProductLogic LLC, and the University at Buffalo Cultivator Program that he was able to move the product forward and bring Big Daddy Garden Co.’s patented cart to market in February.

“It was a real disaster at first, but it worked,” said Douglas, who earned an MBA from Canisius University, where he took an entrepreneurship course that planted the seed for the eventual effort.

“I was able to carry water with it and sit on it to do a bit of gardening,” he added. “It made my life so much easier and after a few weeks I thought there must be other people like me, so that’s how I started my journey.”

It was the first gardening product Constantino helped market, but she quickly understood its value and realized its potential.

“I understood right away,” Constantino said. “I’m also a gardener and I had as much difficulty with all this as he did.”

The cart, now in its third iteration, is ergonomically designed for people with back problems, Douglas said. It features a 13-inch platform for gardeners to sit on while they work, silicone straps for storing larger tools, pockets for smaller tools, under-seat storage, bungee cords to help hold bags of gardening supplies and a 12-gallon motorized watering system built into the cart. It has load-bearing wheels and a memory foam cushion for sitting or kneeling.

“You can literally leave the hose behind,” said Douglas, who is making his first foray into entrepreneurship. “People can’t believe how easy it is to carry hundreds of pounds with the wheel system. It has a lot of features.”

Although he had the idea for years, it took a leap of faith for Douglas to get to this point. After securing a patent and developing a second prototype, Douglas, who initially took up gardening as an escape from his day job, mulled the idea over for months. That’s when the UB Cultivator struck him, and Constantino agreed to explore it with him.

“What he decided to do is a big and expensive decision. It affects your whole life,” she said.

Douglas graduated last year from the program, which provided him with mentorship and a foundation in principles essential to entrepreneurial success, such as customer discovery and product modification. Cultivator also provided him with $100,000 in pre-seed funding, a critical sum for a growing startup. Along with funding from family, it was the first significant infusion of money into the company.

At first, it sold about 100 units, and by April, the caddy was sold out. The company brought in an Ohio manufacturer, who refined the product before sales resumed.

Douglas plans to enlist the help of the nonprofit business development organization Launch NY to expand and secure additional funding. He would like to launch a line of hand gardening tools and a smaller version of the shopping cart, as well as market the company’s products.

PostProcess Technologies receives new infusion of funds from Empire State Development program.

NY Ventures has placed its fourth investment in the Buffalo-based technology company, which is a provider of automated and intelligent post-printing solutions for additive manufacturing.

The $1 million in capital is a key component of PostProcess Technologies’ Series C funding round. The company will use the funds to enhance its product offering, expand its market reach, hire additional staff and build the infrastructure needed to help the company grow.

PostProcess Technologies helps streamline and optimize post-processing of 3D printed parts using technology powered by advanced software and automation.

“This investment will enable us to continue to attract top talent and capitalize on new opportunities to drive innovation at an accelerated pace,” said Jeff Mize, CEO of PostProcess Technologies.

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Five readings from Buffalo Next:

1. Approximately 10,000 people and their families participate in clinical trials at the Jacobs School of Medicine at the University at Buffalo. plenty of room for more.

2. Amazon begins building a massive distribution center in Niagara County. It will look a lot like this one in Rochester.

3. A former 43North winner wants to become A cut above the rest.

4. Imagine transforming a truck bed cover into a mobile solar power generator. Work sport develops this technology.

5. Focus on semiconductors could boost Employment growth in manufacturing and technology sectors in WNY.

The Buffalo Next team gives you a broad overview of the region’s economic revitalization. Email your tips to [email protected] or contact Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.