At first, Janet McCormick did not plan to sell her natural remedies. The Evansville native ran an ad agency for 30 years, making salves, balms, and inhalers as a hobby. Gifting friends led to selling online, which snowballed into registering a trademark, becoming a registered brand on Amazon USA, and adding distributors and retailers. By 2007, Urban ReLeaf had transformed into a natural health care business.
The company is a family affair. Daughter McKenzie McCormick crafts inhalers, salves, and oil products in St. Petersburg, Florida. Son Nick Crawley manages production of the company’s liquid solutions, salt line, and piercing after-care lines, with help from wife Laura at their Evansville home.
“It’s a small family business,” Janet says. “One of the hardest decisions we’ve faced is, do we work hard and stay small, or blow it up, rent space, and hire employees? We’ve made a conscious family decision to stay small.”
Janet’s brother-in-law Scott Titzer, president and CEO of Infinity Molding & Assembly, Inc., in Mount Vernon, Indiana, redesigned a plastic nasal inhaler for Urban ReLeaf that is made in America, easy to open, and preserves essential oils longer.
Urban ReLeaf sells several hundred thousand units annually ranging from inhalers to solutions to medicated salts, and hand poured salves. Janet operates Urban ReLeaf from her St. Petersburg home but maintains strong ties and daily communication with the Evansville team.
“Our hands are flying as fast as they can,” Janet says. “It’s extremely satisfying knowing we’re making natural remedies that help people.”
