'Shark Tank' deal: Boonsboro grad gets Mark Cuban's support for Diaper Dust odor control

Stinky diapers.

They have led a Boonsboro High School graduate, nurse and mother into the world of inventions, patents, business ownership, an appearance on TV's "Shark Tank" and a partnership with billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks.

"It's been wild," Regina Crisci told The Herald-Mail last week.

Crisci pitched Diaper Dust, a powder that eliminates odors from disposable diapers, on Episode 1315 of ABCs "Shark Tank," which aired Feb. 25.

After hearing her out, Cuban agreed to invest $75,000 for 40% of the company.

In a telephone interview Thursday, Crisci said her training as a nurse didn't prepare her for dealing with producers, supply chain and distribution problems, marketing and the other aspects of business.

"It's not a money issue," she said. "It's a knowledge issue."

So, being a fan of "Shark Tank," she applied for a spot on the show. She was pleased and surprised to be chosen. And when the time came to make her pitch, she was nervous.

"I'm sure you could see that," she said with a laugh.

At the time, Diaper Dust didn't exactly have an impressive bottom line.

"My revenue is not that good. I didn't have a lot of experience. But I'm driven to learn," she said. "I told them everything. All the good. All the bad."

She told Cuban and the other potential investors — called "sharks" — that she needed a mentor.

"I want to be that partner that can help you … because you've demonstrated every bit that you are an entrepreneur," Cuban told her on the show. "You figured out how to make this gunk in the backyard. You figured out how to sell it. You figured out the formulations. You figured out how to do a patent (all with business) not being your first language. So I'll make you an offer. I'll give you $75,000 or 40% (of the company)."

"That's a no brainer," Crisci replied.

"That was just amazing," she said in the telephone interview. "It was an amazing feeling."

Crisci said Cuban is already providing the kind of mentoring she asked for on the show.

"He and his team have been wonderful. … He's given me that and more."

'The odor was unbearable'

Crisci is a member of Boonsboro High School's Class of 2008. After graduating early, in December 2007, she spent some time studying in Italy.

She became a nurse in 2014 and worked at Meritus Medical Center near Hagerstown. For the past few years, she and Bobby Waugh have been living in Winterville, N.C., and she has worked as a travel nurse.

She and Waugh have a son, Maddox.

Shortly after Maddox made his arrival, the idea for Diaper Dust was born.

"The odor was unbearable, and I didn't have a solution," Crisci said.

It took some tinkering, and time available because of the COVID-19 slowdown, but eventually she came upon the right ratio of baking soda and activated charcoal that does the trick.

You sprinkle the dust on a used diaper, she said, and the powder captures the odor at the source. Diaper Dust is not to be used on cloth diapers.

"You can just leave (the soiled disposable diaper) out on the changing table, and you're not going to notice it," she said.

On the Diaper Dust website, she refers to the product as "the second best thing I have ever created."

The soiled diaper can be "rolled up and thrown directly into the trash," she said.

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The discovery came a little late to help Crisci and Waugh.

"By the time I got that ratio down, we were potty training Maddox," she said.

But when a patent attorney found her product was in the clear, and considering the money she'd already invested, she decided to bring it to the aid of other parents.

"I just kept going," she said. "We nailed down the name, the vessel it would be in, what would be most user-friendly."

The feedback from users has been "great," she said.

'It's all been wonderful'

Response after the "Shark Tank" appearance also has been "great." For a time, Diaper Dust's website listed products as "sold out."

"I completely underestimated everything," Crisci said. "But it's also a supply chain issue."

She couldn't get the kinds of bottles she needed for the product, she said. But she'll soon be filling orders again, she said, because she found another supplier.

"Everyone wants to help," she said. "It's all been wonderful. It's fantastic."

Mike Lewis covers business, the economy and other issues. Follow Mike on Twitter at MiLewis.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Diaper Dust Shark Tank update: Boonsboro grad gets deal