The Summer Company Sunday Series will be here every week and feature a new entrepreneur from this summer’s team, sharing their story of what inspires them and how it all came to be. First up is Mckay Barr!
Mckay Barr is the founder of Barrk Bowls, a new and innovative company in South Georgian Bay that is giving back to the community. After coming up with a solution to messy golden retriever eating habits, Mckay stumbled upon the solution to a greater problem. Barrk Bowls are raised pet feeding bowls, constructed from recycled barn-board. They improve the overall digestion process and health of your pet; this is a problem which, is unknown to many canine lovers and owners. The raised structure alleviates stress, pain, and prevents blockage and bloating! Mckay has always been entrepreneurial in nature, saying that he often finds himself looking at a situation that could be improved, whether by increased efficiency, design or simply creativity.
“Sometimes I even get stuck on a problem and need to figure out a solution before I can move on. It could be anything from an inefficient system or building design to product design, in this case. And once I’ve solved one problem or completed a project, I am already thinking about my next. It’s great that I get to use my problem-solving skills and creativity when building Barrk Bowls. One summer day at the cottage, a friend of mine offered me some leftover barnboard that I wasn’t sure what to do with. The idea for raised feeding stations, came after I learned that they are not only beneficial by making feeding areas tidier, but they also improve digestion – and after one too many times cleaning up after Coach, our family dog. The natural features of the wood offered character to the project, allowing me to make each box a distinct art piece with a personalized touch.”
Mckay and his family have adopted many pets from the Georgian Triangle Humane Society, so it made sense for him to give back to the animal shelter for helping to grow their family over the years. A percentage of all proceeds from Barrk Bowls are donated to the Georgian Triangle Humane Society.
You can find Mckay and his Barrk Bowls in person, at the Collingwood Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings from 8 to 1 or online by e-mailing barrkbowls@gmail.com.
Visit www.barrkbowls.com or @barrkbowls on Instagram to check out some of his latest work.
To read about the other entrepreneurs, see our last post about Summer Company at https://enterprisecentre.ca/welcome-2019-summer-company-entrepreneurs/