The Boarding Process
Working with OddBird Product Creation is pretty simple and straight forward. If you have an idea that you want to transform into a product or even if you’re not sure what your product is, contact us at [email protected] and describe what you are trying to do. We will organize an initial introduction meeting and are happy to sign confidentiality agreements beforehand. Once we understand your product need, we will research the relevant science, engineering, consumer behavior and manufacturing techniques that we think are required and begin to draft an initial plan. In a subsequent meeting we will present to you our plan for achieving your product goal along with an initial cost to get started. If you decide that we are a good fit, then a robust product development plan will be built with you and your team.
The Landing
Creating a new product idea can be a transcendent experience. Translating that idea into reality is typically anything but. There are the realities of physics and engineering, development costs, funding, finding a manufacturer, distribution, and learning whether your wonderful idea is shared by your customers and consumers. OddBird Product Creation will create order for all of these activities by creating a product plan that is simple to understand and straightforward to follow. Typically, our product plans will follow this outline:
Meet the OddBirds
OddBird Product Creation is a small team that has worked together designing, building and testing products for over two decades. We’ve worked in many multinational pharmaceutical corporations and also in smaller private equity and family-owned companies.
I grew up in the Mississippi delta and to this day nothing says home for me like eating hot tamales sold from little dive joints by the highway or having a backyard catfish dinner with family and friends. I was always interested in the chemistry of the things I could see and touch, like a baseball bat, a tube of paint or rubber bands which seemed very different from what I was being taught in high school.
I received a BS in Chemistry and Biology from Delta State University and a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from The University of Southern Mississippi. I’ve worked for some great companies around the world, but by far my greatest growth as a professional and product developer came from my 24 years with Schering-Plough, Merck and Bayer supporting the Dr. Scholl’s brand. There were so many types of products to design and manufacture from foam cushioning products, adhesives, aerosols, medical devices, topical drugs and all kinds of cosmetic products. It was a job that constantly required education in areas that were new to me like biomechanics, consumer science, controlled release of topical drugs and the internet of things.
But likely the most important thing I learned during that time was that products are made to be used by people and learning how to understand their needs and working with them during the development process really produces a better outcome.
I spend my time between Raleigh and Birmingham, love walks in the woods with my dog Jimmy Carter and spending time with my family.
I was born and raised near a farm in Mississippi. It’s amazing how much you can learn working on a farm that guides you throughout your career. I attended Ole Miss and received a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and received a Master of Engineering Management from Christian Brothers University.
I have been lucky to have worked with incredible people and teams throughout my professional research and development career with several consumer product companies.
Whether it’s developing new polymers or designing new products, I have learned the key to delivering innovative consumer products and services are to ensure they are guided by consumer needs.
I recently moved to the coast of Mississippi to increase my chances of getting to a beach. When not working, you can usually find me in my shop creating something using the many tools I’ve accrued over the years.
“I worked with Charlie and Harold for years and could always count on their creativity and technical expertise to create exceptional consumer products. They have a unique product development approach that combines consumer co-creation and rigorous scientific and engineering principles that produces great products. They also have a lot of experience in manufacturing and quality systems. They really understand all aspects of the development cycle”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Charlie and Harold for 10+ years and couldn’t recommend them more highly. They have extensive technical expertise (30+ years each!) and are always willing to listen and make adjustments until everyone is satisfied. Charlie is the visionary and often partners with marketing teams to identify what solution consumers might need. And Harold figures out how to make them come to life. They make a great team. And are great people on top of that”
Ideation
The capacity for or the act of forming or entertaining ideas
Design
The process designers use to blend user needs with business goals to help brands make consistently successful products
Testing
The process of measuring the properties or performance of products
Development
The culmination of the device design team’s efforts during which the product and process designs are transferred to production
Building The Future
OddBird Product Creation is a multi-disciplinary product creation company committed to creating and translating ideas into products you can sell. Our goal is to provide you with all of your innovation and development needs, whether you need a team to build a product from ideation to the first shipment, or just some help with ideas, designs, prototypes, clinical studies or qualifying a manufacturer.