Simmons team hears first Bush
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 24, 2003
Atlanta — Former President George Bush talked about world and domestic politics in a speech at Simmons' 2003 National Leadership Meeting here earlier this month.
Bush, a friend of Simmons Chairman Charlie Eitel, has longstanding connections to the bedding producer. The former commander-in-chief grew up with members of the Simmons family as neighbors in Connecticut, and his father, Prescott Bush, was a member of the Simmons board of directors before he became a U.S. senator from Connecticut in 1952.
And, as a result of his meeting with Eitel in Houston last year, George Bush also is sleeping comfortably on Simmons bedding nowadays.
Bush was the surprise keynote speaker at the leadership meeting, held at the Ritz Carlton Lake Oconee outside Atlanta. It was attended by more than 450 Simmons associates from all parts of the company and its 18 U.S. plants.
The five-day meeting, with the theme Mapping Our Legacy, gave the Simmons leadership teams a chance to celebrate the company's success and develop plans for the future.
In his address, Bush covered a wide range of topics, including the current situation in Iraq and the role his son, President George W. Bush, is playing on that issue. He also recognized Simmons for its 133-year history as an American company with a reputation for producing good products, including those manufactured during two world wars.
And he said how well he and his wife, Barbara, are sleeping on their Simmons Beautyrest bedding. He also took some of the credit for getting Simmons mattresses placed in the White House and Air Force One during the past year.
Eitel's daughter, Jennifer, a professional singer, sang "God Bless America" before Eitel introduced Bush. He said Bush is "not only a respected world leader, but a person whose family is part of the Simmons legacy."
The Simmons chairman said Bush's speech was "breathtaking in its candor and warmth." It was a big hit with the Simmons employees.
"George Bush is a warm and authentic person," Eitel said. "It has been a real blessing for me to get to know him."
Eitel met Bush at the Men's National Tennis Clay Court Finals in Houston. He told Gallery Furniture CEO Jim McIngvale, who knows the Bush family well, how much he admired the former president. McIngvale called the senior Bush and the former president attended the tennis tournament, where he and Eitel spent an enjoyable hour together.
Simmons and Houston-based retailer Gallery are among the sponsors of the tennis event.
After the tournament, Simmons officials set up several of their company's beds in the driveway of the Bush home in Houston. Barbara Bush picked out the bed she liked best. That prompted Bush to give Eitel a call a few days later.
"Barbara and I are sleeping like babies," Bush said. "I never realized how much difference a good mattress can make."
