Tom Devlin created Pads on a Roll after his wife, who reported on women’s issues for the Boston Globe’s Spotlight team, noticed a trend: girls were missing school because they lacked access to menstrual care products. By designing pads to resemble a toilet paper roll, Devlin aimed to normalize their presence for students and facilities managers while eliminating the expense of bathroom vending machines, since they fit into standard dispensers. Launched in late 2023, the company now supplies more than 1,700 schools, libraries, and healthcare facilities, plus airports like Denver International and stadiums like Allianz in Twickenham, England.