It's the kind of success story many dream about, having a simple idea and turning it into a successful venture. Grace Welch, local inventor, businesswoman, and first and foremost, mom, did just that. Her patented, award-winning invention is called the Patemm pad--a mobile diaper-changing pad that is notable, among other things, for being round (pic above). It's sold (along with other baby-related products) on her Web site, patemm.com.

Grace was kind enough to send us a Patemm pad for review purposes; in the two weeks we've been taking it for a spin, we've found it to be a simple-yet-clever idea. It's one of those products that we didn't know we wanted until we had it--now we don't travel without it when we're bringing the baby anywhere. It folds up to be small, rectangular, and easily portable (it could fairly easily fit into a mid-sized diaper bag). The pad has internal pockets in which to fit your diaper-changing accessories (diapers, wipes, etc.). The round shape is advantageous, as babies tend to be squirmy. Believe us--a few days ago, we were forced to change our Judah on the less-than-sanitary floor of a restaurant bathroom; the round shape helped keep the little guy on the pad.

The Patemm pads have garnered a good amount of national attention and many celebrities are noted to use it. However, in our opinion, the Patemm isn't just a fashion accessory of some kind -- it really suits our lifestyle. For a couple like us -- urban, with no vehicle (thus at the mercy of public transportation), and a tendency to end up far away from baby-friendly establishments -- the Patemm pad has proven thus far to be a huge help.

How did Grace Welch come up with this idea? And where is her company going from here? We had a chance to ask this local entrepreneur a few questions.

How long have you lived in the Bay Area? What was the impetus for moving here? (or, if multigenerational, how did your family end up here?)

I moved to San Francisco in 1990 after graduating from New York University "to start a new life." I met my husband Marty here and we got married in 1999. We have 3 awesome children--Patrick, 6, Emma, 3.5, and Jack, 11 months.

Is this your day job? What's your professional background?
My "24- hour" job--I'm a mom, first and foremost. My "other job"--founder/ president/ mom inventor of my own online business called patemm & company. Patemm & Company sells my patented, award-winning patemm pad and other baby accessories that I designed.

Prior to being a "mom inventor", I worked as a Marketing, PR, and Branding Specialist for a design firm here in San Francisco.

What's the origin/story behind the pads?
I had a simple idea and turned it into a successful e-business -- all by accident.
With my first child Patrick I found the small rectangular shape of diaper changing pads frustrating because aligning him in the right position was always a challenge particularly since he was a rather wiggly baby. Even more annoying was the design of the folding/rolling pad that had ties, buttons, or even Velcro. I needed something simpler, a pad that could fold easily especially with one hand.

When my second child Emma was born, I, like most parents today, was always on the go and found my diaper bag overwhelming especially for quick trips to the grocery store or a visit to the park. For these short jaunts, I only needed a few diapers, wipes, perhaps a change of clothes, and a changing pad. Plus, I wanted something small and compact that could be thrown in my car, handbag, or even at the bottom of my stroller.

By 2004 I had been out of the workforce for a few years, and I wanted to return on my own terms with my own business. I discussed various possibilities with my eldest sister Hanna, a researcher and consultant, who advised me that developing solutions to problems was a key way to think of new businesses. At one point during our conversation, I had to change the diaper of my daughter Emma on the ever so popular rectangular pad. Not surprisingly, she was rolling off this changing pad, and opening and closing the pad with a squirmy Emma in my arms underscored my frustration. The idea immediately hit me! A ROUND changing pad with handles would work so much better.

I recognized the need for something that worked better, so I started to create a solution. Months later after several prototypes, I created the idea for a ROUND diaper changing pad. I had a product, now I had to build a business around this solution. When I started my business I wanted to incorporate themes of my inspirations--my children and my husband Marty. I named my product "patemm" pad as a combination of my two children's names: patRICK and emmA.

I developed my product choosing various prints and names to extend the idea of my family and my cultural background. Each print is named after a family member and each collection is either in Bicol or in Tagalog, a Filipino dialect and the Filipino national language, to honor my parents' homeland, the Philippines.

I had a product and my prior experience in public relations, marketing, and branding made getting my product to market less challenging. Not only did I feel that I invented a much needed and practical product but I had the skills to promote it.

How long have the pads been available?
I launched my online business in July 2004 and since then my patemm pads have received rave reviews from parents across the country and abroad (including actress Courteney Cox-Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Brooke Shields, etc.) and the media. FitPregnancy and BabyTalk Magazines gave my patemm pads an Editors Choice Award and iParenting Media Awards named the patemm pad an Outstanding Product of 2005.

As my business has grown so has my family; Patrick and Emma have a new baby brother, Jack Martin. The path to my success was the result of doing research, the support of my family, many sleepless nights, hard work, believing in my idea and just having fun!

What's their availability? Local stores or just on-line?
We sell my products exclusively online through our Web site: patemm.com.

Anything else in the pipeline, or are you concentrating on current product line for now?
I just introduced an new 100% organic cotton, machine-washable patemm pad called kinaban which means Earth/world in Tagalog. I hope to introduce another organic print in a few months as well as a new bag.

What are some of your favorite activities to do with your children?
Favorite activities with the kids: We just moved into our new remodeled home in SF and we love to just "hang" in our new house! We are also big baseball fans (SF Giants, of course) and enjoy going to the games. We love going to the movies, hanging out in the backyard, and taking road trips. We live right next to Richmond Playground so we hang out there often as well. My six-year son Patrick plays golf and loves baseball. He will be playing in the Jr. World Golf Championships in San Diego and also just qualified to play in Pinehurst, NC in the U.S. Kids World Championships later this month. Our daughter Emma attends preschool at Mother Goose School and loves to sing and dance. My husband just started teaching her how to putt so we will see if she will be interested in golf like her big brother. Our little guy Jack is on the verge of starting to walk ... so he is on his way to a whole new adventure!

Excellent! Thanks for introducing us to your product and telling us about your venture, Grace!