WHO WE ARE

ROO & YOU IS A WOMAN-FOUNDED, FAMILY-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS MADE AWESOME BY PARENTS LIKE YOU

Being a parent really changes your life, because, well, you get to be a kid again! Sometimes that comes at the expense of our adult sensibilities, grown-up relationships, and hard-earned dollars. As parents, we know what that can feel like. Not everything needs to be dinosaurs 🦕 and spaceships🚀! 

Founded in 2017 as Chew Chew Baby Roo, Roo & You is a community-driven business dedicated to creating fun, design-forward products that are a lot less about being expensive and a lot more about having fun. 

"But who are you?!" 🕵️

First, our story!

OUR STORY

Two boys, one staircase, and a pile of cushions

Helen’s story is one a lot of moms can relate to: When her mat leave ended after having her first child (Kai Kai!), she found it hard to be apart from him but still wanted to do something that was just for her. Kai had just started teething around this time and she had a hard time finding modern, minimalist teething accessories, something to match her style while being safe, baby-friendly and affordable, too. Enter Chew Chew Baby Roo: affordable silicone products that provide modern accessories for the whole family! Soo enough, Helen was wrangling two boys and hand-making silicone products while they slept, with a sweet “office” setup under the stairs, Harry Potter style.

Fast forward to Fall 2020, Kai and Finn were getting into making forts using the couch cushions, Helen realizing the boys need their own couch to build with! And that's when the Joey was born!

Since then, Roo & You has evolved its product line while teaming up with Matt (her husband) and her baby brother, Rozin, to design and create products that aren't only functional but also modern and chic that you’ll be excited to have your family use. Who says you can't have both style and function?

HELEN SMITH

Mom, Founder, Designer, CEO

Hey!! I’m Helen Smith, a mama to three littles, a wife, a big sister to two little brothers, an entrepreneur and founder. As a long-time stay-at-home mom, I never would have imagined creating something that has brought so much joy to so many littles and their families. It has been an amazing (and tiring, with 3 kiddos running around) experience but the smiling faces and excitement from our Roopers make it all worth it! 

Thank you for supporting us and helping us build such a fun and amazing community.

OUR TEAM

At Roo & You, family and community (that’s you!) come first, which is why our team and their families are super important to us. 

Helen Smith

Founder & Designer, CEO

Helen is Roo & You’s creative genius and leads all of our innovation, design, and product development. She was an educator for most of her career but left when she had Kai. Although she loved being a mama, she felt the need for a creative outlet, something just for her while being a SAHM - enter Roo & You. Helen has loved seeing her vision for Roo & You come to life. Born with mama bear instincts, Helen is fiercely protective of her family, team, and roopers.

Littles: Three (Kai, Finn, and Piper)
Education: Bachelor’s in Psychology and Sociology, Specialization in Children & Family at King’s University College + Child & Youth Worker Diploma at Lambton College
Past Work: Child & Youth Counsellor
Favorite Shade: Black
Favorite Food: Fish Tacos, Mashed Potatoes with lots of gravy or Poutine. Too hard to chose :p
Favorite Cartoon: Rugrats

Rozin Abbas

Marketing & Revenue, CRO

Rozin directs all things marketing, money, and business. He also made a sacred vow to never grow older than 12 years old, so he’s still a kid at heart. 

Littles: one (Nolan)
Random Fact: Was on Masterchef Canada
Education: Honors Specialization in English, Minor in Philosophy at Western University
Past Work: VP of Marketing
Favorite Shade: Robin’s Egg Blue
Favorite Food: All of the food. Eating is my favorite pastime.
Favorite Cartoon: Spongebob SquarePants

Matt Smith

Operations, COO

Matt is a seasoned operations vet who likes to move big heavy things. When not engaged in multimodal movements of product,  Matt’s childish approach to life makes him Roo & You’s  Master Play Couch Builder, sometimes known as a Foam Architect.

Littles: Three (Kai, Finn, and Piper)
Education: Honors Specialization in Psychology, Minor in Criminology at King’s University College
Past Work: Transportation Manager for Choo Choo Trains
Favorite Shade: Blue
Favorite Food: Biryani
Favorite Cartoon: Archer

Ian Robbins

Project Executive

Ian comes from an ecommerce and digital marketing background with experience working in large CPG companies. He does his best to keep the Roo & You train on the tracks.

Education: Political Science at Queen’s University, Corp Comms and Public Relations at Fanshawe College.
Past Work: Ecommerce Manager
Favorite Shade: Navy
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Cartoon: Catdog

Kiana Sheldon

Graphic Designer

Little blurb: Kiana is a graphic designer. She is not sure what to put here. You can delete this. Uhmmmm… She really likes Helen and the team :)

Education: First Nations Studies, Advanced Diploma in Graphic Design, Fanshawe College Past Job: Many serving and bartending jobs!
Favorite Shade: Vantablack 😯🖤
Favorite Food: Tacos! Nachos. Fries.
Favorite Cartoon: Futurama

Joey

Resident Mascot

Joey comes from the great land of Tasmania, where they like to hop around, do some boxing, and eat grass all day!

Littles: None! They are a little!
Education: PhD in Kangaroo-ology
Past Work: Living in mum's pouch
Favorite Shade: Red!
Favorite Food: Grass
Favorite Cartoon: Numberblock

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