Page 25 - Westchester Economic Development Guide - 2017 PDF

PRISKA DIAZ,
Founder and CEO
BITTYLAB – EASTCHESTER
Please describe BARE Air-Free.
Bare® Air-free is an infant feeding sys- tem with new technology that delivers milk without air and upon suction only. An Air-plug® piston allows the user to remove all the air out of the bottle before feeding the baby, like a syringe. Upon suction, the air-plug moves automati- cally to deliver milk without air. We of- fer two separate lines of products: Bare Air-free with Perfe-latch® Nipple for breastfed babies and Bare Air-free with Easy-latch® nipple for bottle-fed babies. Both offer Flow-Control Technology; less suction means slow flow, strong suction equals fast flow.
Why was Westchester an ideal place to start your business?
Westchester is an ideal location for start- ing our business for several reasons. We have received an enormously valuable amount of support and advice from the Small Business Administration, SCORE mentors and locally sourced financial as- sistance (small business loans) from First Niagara, Community Capital and New York Business Development. Westchester is conveniently located near the headquar- ters for major retailers of baby products; Babies R Us, Buy Buy Baby and Diapers. com. We also found that the Westchester community is actively involved in many mom and baby local events that we sup- port, like the March of Dimes walk.
What’s family life like?
I live in Eastchester with my husband Dana and our children Carlton and Adri- ana, ages nine and eight. We all collabo- rate with Bittylab on several levels. Dana has significant experience in sales and he arranges the retail meetings for Bit- tylab. The children are getting exposure of entrepreneurial life at its best. They love when they are in front of the camer- as and the attention we get from the me- dia. At least once a week they mention their new inventions that solve personal,
Priska Diaz
social and house chore issues at dinner time. Sometimes, we take it to the next step and give them tasks to execute their ideas, at least on paper.
What do you see as the benefits of rais- ing your kids in Westchester?
We enjoy the small town lifestyle, ex- cellent school system and international diversity of cultures in Eastchester. Our children enjoy wide open spaces for recreational activities from soccer to fly- ing kites. We swim and kayak in a lake across the street from our home. Prior
to living in Westchester, our kayaking opportunity was a once a year event and three hours of traveling time. New York City cultural events are only a short ride away by car or train. Camping, apple picking or hiking trails in Bear Moun- tain is a short trip north. Westchester and The Hudson Valley offer a cornu- copia of after school clubs, classes and family-oriented events.
What do you love most about living here?
The small town lifestyle and close prox- imity and convenient access to New York City by car or train. Easy travel to New Jersey and New England. The natural beauty of trees, lakes, hills and abundance of open spaces for outdoor recreational activities. We feel very safe, comfortable and connected to our com- munity in Eastchester.
Any other thoughts on building a fam- ily, a business and a life in Westchester? I tell my friends and co-workers that I cannot imagine a better place to live and raise a family than Westchester County. In my opinion, Eastchester is one of Westchester’s best kept secrets.
Bare® Air-free is an infant feeding system that removes all the air from the bottle, to help reduce infant gas and reflux.
WESTCHESTER COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 23