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Is the Diaperbridge a Bridge Too Far?

Garrett Stackman could be nominated as Dad of the Year. Not only does he change diapers, this 39-year-old likes it. “I like to be involved. There’s an intimacy in doing everything for your baby, even if it smells bad.” And it’s this strange love of diaper changing that gave birth to Garrett’s portable changing station.

The Diaperbridge story started when Garrett and his wife, Lisa, were visiting in Maryland and went to a fancy restaurant for dinner. While there, Lisa took Alex, their three-month-old son, to the bathroom to change his diaper. Finding no place to change him and realizing it was too cold to go out to the car, she changed Alex on the floor. Yuk. Lisa voiced her anger at the situation when she returned to the dining table. “There’s a perfectly nice vanity in there. Can’t someone invent something that can cover up the sink hole?”

“I’m pretty handy,” says Garrett, “so as soon as we returned home, I gathered materials.” He laminated pressboard and a stop hinge so that when the Diaperbridge was unfolded, it made a sturdy platform. Then he attached harnesses for the baby and was ready to test it out. “When we put it over a sink, we realized we were sunk. If the baby grabs the faucets, he or she can get wet—or worse, scalded. And while a baby would be securely affixed to the platform, the platform itself could fall off the counter. The last thing we wanted was a baby getting hurt.” So Garrett made a flip-up panel that covered the faucet, and added additional straps. “I used a 4-point harness to hold the baby in place. Most harness setups are 5-point, but you need the crotch-point open to change a diaper.” Yup, that’s a critical point.

Once they had a viable prototype, Garrett and Lisa searched for plastic manufacturers. Through the Internet, they hooked up with a top plastic guy near their home in Morristown, New Jersey. He designed a mold that can make half a million pieces. They started the patent process and the patent was issued on his wife’s birthday. “I’m an attorney, but I don’t specialize in product safety, so we hired specialized attorneys and a testing firm to make sure the Diaperbridge is approvable and complies with regulations and laws in the U.S.”

The next step was to market the Diaperbridge. Garrett participated in three trade shows and got a handful of orders. “I’m normally a pencil pusher in an office, so I don’t get to hawk wares to people. But at these shows, nobody got by my booth without getting their hand on the Diaperbridge… . It’s exhilarating. I’ll never forget that experience. I spent several days being a bit of a nut, making the most of every opportunity.”

Garrett did get some sobering news while there. “A lot of the big guys said, ‘Sorry, but you have to get this made in China; it’s too expensive.’ I don’t want to do that. It’s hard to coordinate. I have a full-time job as a pharmaceutical corporate lawyer, and my wife is the director of human resources at a hotel. We can’t just take off for two weeks to do this. And besides, we don’t have a distribution channel, such as Target, Babies “R” Us, or Wal-Mart, set up.

“We thought we could do it all and it would sell itself. From the stainless steel pins to the waterproof sticker, every step of the way has been a huge research project. I’m ready to stop getting my hands dirty with this business and be in a royalty situation. Lack of results might just be this product, or the way this particular business works. In pharmaceuticals, people come after the products.” It seems there’s a world of

difference between diapers and drugs, he’s finding out.

“We have a PR firm, but it takes a full, coordinated approach to sell a product—website, magazine ads, and a store presence—because people want to touch it. We went for broke trying to get on The Oprah Winfrey Show and news shows. But even when you’re on for a couple of minutes, people don’t buy your product; they just become familiar with it.”

The Stackmans have invested a great deal trying to solve the world’s diaper-changing dilemma. “Our costs of $200,000 have been spread over three years, and we have decent jobs, so it’s not killing us.” But then there are all those Diaperbridges languishing in their garage!

There’s no question the Stackmans are pooped. “I’m a test-tube guy. I can develop the product, but I don’t have the marketing ability or penetration strategies to actually sell it.” Garrett wants someone to take his patent and bridge his efforts. But even though he’s looking for some company to take over his product, he’s not giving up. “I believe you’ve got to take a chance on something you believe in at some point in your life. It’s been really fun.”

Still, every time Garrett drives by the restaurant in Maryland, he stares at it and thinks, “You either did me a huge favor or you’re mocking me, kicking me in the butt.” Garrett will cross that Diaperbridge when he gets there.