Former Engineer now Mother of Invention

Greenville News / Tribune Times

Jan 17, 2007

 

By Chris Worthy

(Emphasis and update for portfolio by VT 9/2007)

 

Valerie Tucker’s life has certainly changed since her days as an automotive engineer. The Mauldin resident once used her innovation and creativity to advance the cause of global companies.  Now, her focus is much closer to home.

 

Tucker and her husband, Jay Tee, made the decision to have Tucker be a stay-at-home mother when their sons Jameson, 3, and Jonathan, 1 ½, were born. The lifestyle change brought more than they bargained for when Tucker began to look for products she needed to make life with kids a little easier. She discovered that the items she wanted didn’t exist, so like any good engineer, she got to work.

 

The result is Tucker’s fledgling company, Pumpkin Mumpkin.

 

“I produced three original items,” Tucker said. “They came as a direct result of being pregnant and then being with my kids. They were things I needed but couldn’t find.”

 

Tucker’s most popular product, the Jay-n-Than^TM Car Seat Caddy^TM , multitasks much like its creator. The caddy protects car upholstery from spills and stains as well as the wear and tear from child safety seats, while providing ample room to stow everything from stuffed animals to snacks. Tucker finds it useful in winter for stashing gloves and other cold weather gear. “When we get out of the car, I know where they are,” she said.

 

Also in production is a stroller accessory, the Spunky Bungee™ Stroll-N-Shop™, that allows shoppers to attach a hand shopping basket directly to the stroller, something that Tucker said makes life easier for quick shopping errands. “Even if I attempt to go grocery shopping for the month, I still find I have to return through the week for milk and bread or items here or there that I may have forgotten or missed,” she said.  The Spunky Bungee™ Stroll-N-Shop™ is the perfect tool for those quick trips into any store or mall.

 

Perhaps the product that elicits the most “why didn’t I think of that” comments is Tucker’s Mommie-2-Be™ Maternity Garment Protector. Though it is essentially a bib for expectant mothers, Tucker said the embroidered accessory (which comes in several colors, including black to coordinate with business attire) is both stylish and practical.

“I wanted it to be dainty and cute,” she said.

 

Tucker’s innovation was recognized recently when she entered the 2006 Whirlpool Brands Mother of Invention Grant program. She placed in the top 30 nationally out of more than 1700 entries.

 

Tucker is working with the South Carolina Women’s Business Center to develop a business plan and is receiving assistance with prototyping and mass production through Clemson University’s Apparel Research Institute.

 

Eva Dobrowolski, business consultant with the SCWBC for the Upstate and Midlands, has worked with Tucker for more than a year. “It’s very complex and it takes time,” Dobrowolski said. “I’ve been meeting with her and doing work online. When she came to us, she was strictly at the concept stage. We helped her with the feasibility study from the financial point of view.”

 

“I am at the point where I am ready to begin marketing,” Tucker said. “I am going to continue working with them as long as they will keep me.”

 

Tucker said her business venture is a natural consequence of the time she has with her sons. “They are the total inspiration,” she said. “I have always been a creator. I am an engineer, but I am left-handed and I love crafts. And always, if I need something, I just make it up. With being at home, I could concentrate on making this a viable business. I’d much rather say I’m going to give it a try than to look back and say I wish I had. You have to keep chugging at it. ”

 

Tucker and her husband have altruistic plans for the business as well. Jay Tee is active is youth ministry and the couple hopes to devote more time and resources to that service in the future. “We always look at abandoned buildings and think how we would love to make a youth center — fun in a Christian environment,” Tucker said. “One of the things we would like to do through this business is to give back to the community.”

 

For now, Tucker’s life is full but happy. “Sometimes I miss the corporate world where it’s always something new, but now I can see new things in a different way — through my kids,” Tucker said. “I love seeing how their minds work. The check comes in different ways, in being there when they need me. I am trying to find a balance, a way to do both things and do them effectively. Being able to be with them and launch Pumpkin Mumpkin ^TM  is such a privilege.”

 

For product information, visit www.pumpkinmumpkin.com. For more information about the South Carolina Women’s Business Center or to learn about Upstate workshops, visit www.scwbc.org.