BUFFALO, N.Y. -- This week's City Shaper is a Buffalo attorney turned entrepreneur who made it all the way to the 43North finals this year.
"I have been a lawyer for 17 years, and I have two small children, and while I was nursing, I experienced very common and painful conditions. And so, I quickly found there was no adequate remedy on the market," says Rachel Jackson.
So, three years ago, Buffalo native Rachel Jackson invented Rachel's Remedy breastfeeding relief packs to solve that problem.
"Women can wear it right in their bra, and their clothes stay dry. They stay hands-free," says Jackson. "It's so common that women need this. But yet, nothing was out there. I couldn't believe it, and every time I brought it up, people said, well there has to be something. I said, I know, you would think so, and then there really wasn't. So, my father finally said you need to do something about it or stop talking about it."
Jackson formed her company the next day. Within about a month, she had a prototype. She got FDA clearance and space in the Z80 Labs incubator on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.
Jackson applied for the 43North competition three years in a row, and this year, she made the finals. She's proud to be part of Buffalo's resurgence.
"I love it. I love it. I love being a part of it. Even just reading about it, I get all excited about it. But, being a part of it is really special, too, and it's something that really makes me want to be successful and give back somehow, whether it's mentoring, whether it's investing, hopefully I'll be at that point where it's something that I'll be doing soon," she says.
Rachel's Remedies now has a partnership with Dr. Brown's - which opens up the company's worldwide distribution to 60 countries. That's on top of already being in big box stores like Target.
But Rachel's number one goal, is to help women be comfortable breastfeeding.
"My favorite part about this by far, is hearing from those moms that we're helping and when I get phone calls or emails, it just, it gives me goosebumps, it makes me so happy that we're able to help them," says Jackson.
Next, Jackson plans on developing more products. While she won't spill the beans just yet, she says one will be an industry game-changer.
Jackson also played a role in pushing airports to have lactation rooms for mothers and babies.
If you'd like to nominate someone to be a City Shaper, you can email Kelly Dudzik.