BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Each Monday, we introduce you to a City Shaper, someone or a group of people who are having a positive impact on Buffalo.
This week, 2 On Your Side's Kelly Dudzik takes us to the East Side, where a Buffalo native is helping dozens of new business owners get off the ground.
There is a lot going on at The Foundry on Buffalo's East Side, from woodworking, to upholstery work, to creating bottle openers out of hockey pucks and baseballs. Spearheading it all is Executive Director Megan McNally.
"Typically, someone would come to us saying I have this idea. I've sort of made a prototype. How do I get it to the next level?" says McNally.
McNally began as a woodworker herself, and soon realized she had a passion for helping others. That's when she started running The Foundry.
"What we realized was other people in the city needed spaces. Other people needed support as small businesses. Being a woman in woodworking was really difficult for me and helped me realize that a lot of women also struggle just starting and running businesses, so we wanted to create a really fun opportunity, and supportive opportunity, for people to start their businesses and grow," says McNally.
Since 2013, The Foundry has been a huge resource for people starting their own businesses, or anyone who is looking to learn a new skill.
"The City of Buffalo needs job opportunities, and so, whether it's starting your business that you can make your own income from, or it's that you need a particular skill set to get employed, that's really our focus at The Foundry is how can we help you get empowered to make money and be successful and happy," says McNally.
You can rent space to run your business at a fraction of the cost of what you'd pay if you found your own office. You also have access to expensive tools, which is helpful for people just starting out.
The not-for-profit is helping 35 business owners right now including Joseph Shishi - a Congolese refugee who moved to Buffalo in 2014.
"We teach other people, too. They can come and learn so you can see that enable people not to be jobless," says ShiShi.
ShiShi owns an upholstery company with his son, and he says The Foundry is like a family. It's something that makes Megan proud to be part of it all.
"People just dream up interesting creative ideas, and you see them actually come to life, and I think that's one of the most exciting things about The Foundry," she says.
If you'd like to take a look inside The Foundry yourself, there's an open house every Wednesday night at 6.
If you know a Buffalo City Shaper, nominate them by emailing Kelly a short paragraph about them.