Meagan Beam
OTTER Reading – MICRO Spring 2025
Published October 15, 2025
As part of our ‘Meet Our Founders’ series today, we introduce Meagan Beam, Founder of OTTER Reading based in Concord, NC. OTTER Reading offers hands-on tools to help students become fluent readers. Our tools are durable, easy to use and keep organized, and aligned with research.
Q: What problem are you trying to solve and what influenced you to start your company?
A: In the US, almost 70% of fourth graders do not read on grade level, and if a student struggles to read in the first grade, they have a 90% chance of never catching up. When I taught 3rd grade, my students were struggling to master the change the y to i spelling pattern (penny –> pennies). I wanted to give my students a hands-on tool to make this abstract concept a little more concrete, but I couldn’t find anything that provided that on the market. So I went to Lowe’s and purchased PVC pipes and couplings. I started cutting pipes and using a Sharpie to write on the pipes and couplings. As I began to get some traction, I started using sticker letters instead of writing, and then eventually created an injection-molded part in place of the pipe. The letters are now 3D printed instead of stickers!
Q: What does the road ahead look like for your company?
A: I am so excited about what the future holds for OTTER Reading! I want to be able to create activities, videos, and other supports to make it even more streamlined and easier to use in the classroom. I would also like to do the same for families, so that they also feel empowered to support their child at home.
OTTER Reading believes that all students and teachers deserve access to reading and spelling tools. Because of this, we will continue to develop Braille to support students with low vision and other languages, such as Spanish, French, and many others.
The dream is that OTTER Reading becomes a one-stop shop that parents and teachers can use to support every single student in learning to read.
Q: How will your NC IDEA grant funds advance your company?
A: I am so grateful for the NC IDEA community! The mentorship, the programming, and the support have just been phenomenal! The grant funds have allowed me to…
1. Take product photos for my website for all of my sets, which has helped with providing marketing and product images for my shop.
2. To travel to speak at international conferences across the country, to share my love and passion for teaching students how to read, to support other educators in all they are doing in their own classrooms.
3. To design, print, and purchase ‘retail-style’ packaging to streamline building inventory and shipping through moving from a drawstring bag to a box with the drawstring still included.
Q: Who do you look to for advice and mentorship?
A: The Cabarrus Center’s VMS Mentoring program and other networking and programming at the Center have been an incredible part of my entrepreneurial journey in helping me navigate the growth of my business. My business is local to the center, and I am so grateful for an organization that helps develop my business and celebrate my successes with me. Being able to participate in programming, the Retail Lab, attend ConvergeSouth, and the networking and partnerships have meant the absolute world to me.
While visiting Concord, Meagan recommends:
- Go explore Downtown Concord!
Support OTTER Reading and Meagan by:
- Spread the word about the importance of teaching our students how to read because almost 70% of 4th graders in the US are not reading on grade level.
- Ensure that your local schools are using curriculum and resources that are aligned with the science of reading
- Purchase or share about how OTTER Reading sets to support local schools
- Partner in the mission with OTTER Reading to ensure that every child is given the resources and tools to become confident and fluent readers