Meet Kellen McCormick | Inventor and Founder

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kellen McCormick and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kellen, every day, we hear about how much execution matters, but we think ideas matter as well. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
The initial idea for my product came as a result of the overdose and, thanks to EMS personnel administering nasal NARCAN®, subsequent revival of my older brother. Had the paramedics not been carrying the life-saving medicine, the
outcome of events would have more than likely been a fatal tragedy for our entire family. I’m proud to say that my brother has not used since this incident and has remained in active recovery for roughly 3 years now.

Unfortunately, the pandemic has only accelerated the deadliness of the opioid crisis, given that there are more individuals in isolated battles with substance use disorder. As we fight the deadliest drug crisis in our nation’s history, our mission is to increase accessibility and education surrounding nasal naloxone hydrochloride, or NARCAN®, in order to aggregately minimize the number of fatal overdoses. Ultimately, this allows victims a chance for behavioral therapy and recovery. We also strive to increase the awareness of chemical dependency and addiction as a disease, thus combatting the stigma associated with behavioral health disorders such as SUD and OUD.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
We are most proud of creating an original product from scratch that has the ability assist in harm reduction efforts nationwide. Shortly after graduating from the College of the Holy Cross in 2019, I began expressing the idea as drawings and sketches. With the help of the Lime Design team in Hollywood, FL, as well as our intellectual property attorney, we now have brought a patented product to the market (us patent 11,116,921). No, it was not easy and yes, it was a long process that required patience and persistence. In 2021, we began conducting B2B and direct consumer sales, and we look forward to further spreading the awareness and accessibility of nasal NARCAN in years to come.

We envision our product securing NARCAN in an easily identifiable and accessible manner at nearly every household and commercial business nationwide, just as an AED or fire extinguisher is. We know our product sets us apart given that it is the only of its kind, manufactured from zero filler, FDA-certified silicone that is highly resistant to extreme temperatures, dust, sunlight, etc. Furthermore, it was intentionally designed as a “blister” holder, so that the shape of narcan is obvious and recognizable. Not to mention that it is currently the most reasonably priced naloxone case or holder available anywhere. With more than 100,000 annual accidental overdose deaths, nasal naloxone may very well be the future’s most crucial medicine for our nation’s health.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Being from the West Palm Beach area, I don’t have the chance to make it down to Miami too often. If I had to make a recommendation, it would be the Wynwood district to check out all of the unique restaurants, breweries, art galleries, local shops, etc.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my older brother for bearing the strength and willpower to overcome the physical and mental battles of OUD. While remaining in active recovery and sobriety, he has also been a leader within the recovery community by willingly sharing his journey with others enduring substance use disorder. He is a walking testament to our mission and goal, which is to aggregately reduce the number of overdose deaths from opioids and get more OUD patients into treatment programs, all by making nasal naloxone more prevalent and available to the public.

Website: www.ChanceForRecovery.com

Instagram: @chance4recovery @mccormickkellen

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kellen-mccormick-043029138

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chance4recovery

Image Credits
Holy Cross Department of Athletics (baseball picture)