The innovativeness of Jamie Leach and the leadership of her husband Clyde led to the formation of Leachco, an Ada-based company that focuses on the safety and well-being of children, as well as the comfort of expectant moms while adding convenience to parents’ busy lifestyles in 1988.
Clyde Leach will be the keynote speaker at the Leonard Limes Lecture on Thursday, Nov. 16, in East Central University’s Foundation Hall of the Chickasaw Business and Conference Center. The lecture is being held in conjunction with the Tiger Tank Pitch Competition.
Lunch, at $15 per person, will be served at 11:45 a.m. Those wanting lunch must RSVP by Nov. 8 by calling Julie Bradam at 580-559-5274. Payment for the lunch can be made at the door.
The Tiger Tank competition is similar to network television’s “Shark Tank” in which participants pitch a business idea in hopes of securing an investment deal. The competition is open to high school and college students and begins at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 16. The registration deadline for the Tiger Tank is Oct. 24. Contact Dr. Stacey Bolin at sbolin@ecok.edu or call 580-559-5596.
Limes, a geologist, attorney and entrepreneur from Konawa who lived in New Orleans, established the lectureship to emphasize entrepreneurism in 2000 with a $25,000 gift to the ECU Foundation Inc. He attended ECU for a year and a half in 1946-47 and then completed a degree in geology from the University of Oklahoma.
After he went to night school in New Orleans to earn a law degree, he and two partners formed a law firm for five years. He established an oil and gas exploration company and worked as an attorney specializing in oil- and gas-related legal matters.
The Leach family turned a near accident into Leachco in 1988. Clyde and Jamie were out to dinner with their 7-month-old son, Alex, when he nearly fell out of a defective restraint high chair. Jamie used her purse strap to quickly create a temporary fix to keep him in place.
Some of Leachco’s creations and products include: Snoogle, a total body pillow; Back ‘n Belly, a body pillow; Safer Bather, an infant bather; Cuddle-U, nursing pillow and more; All-Nighter, a body pillow; Preggle, airflow body pillow and Bumpzzz, a travel bed.
Being a registered nurse, Jamie knew she needed something to keep her wiggling baby safe in his high chair. That night, she created a safety wrap using dental floss, tape and a hand towel. That homemade safety wrap quickly attracted the attention of other parents. Months later, Jamie and Clyde applied for a patent for their new safety device, the Wiggle Wrap, and then formed Leachco.
To this day, Jamie still designs all of Leachco’s products, using her years of experience as both a mother and a nurse. Leachco is also known for the body pillow for expectant mothers.
Clyde serves as president and chief executive officer of the company, overseeing general operations, manufacturing, contractor relations, product line selections, vendor negotiations and overall financial management.
Prior to the start of Leachco, Clyde was president and founder of Leach Agri-Sprayers, Inc., a commercial crop dusting company. He was formerly president of an oil and gas exploration company, Lema Petroleum, which he founded. He also managed the family’s 1,200 acre farming and cattle operation for many years.
He has also worked as a professional pilot and flight instructor and serves on the board of the Ada Regional Airport.
A Holdenville native, Clyde earned a bachelor of science degree in aviation from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant.
Jamie is executive vice president of Leachco and is primarily responsible for the development and design of new Leachco products. In addition, she managed the intellectual property interests of the company.
Prior to Leachco’s beginning, Jamie was and still is a registered nurse. She began her nursing career as pediatric critical care nurse at Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City and continued in nursing until 1988 when she retired from that career to devote her efforts fulltime to Leachco.
Jamie graduated from Ada High School in 1973 and attended East Central University to pursue a degree in nursing. After obtaining her prerequisites, she attended St. Anthony Hospital School of Nursing in Oklahoma City, where she obtained her diploma in nursing.
Jamie then earned a bachelor of science degree in nursing from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, and in 1983, returned to Ada and later enrolled at ECU to begin work on a master’s degree in nursing.
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