Seasoned team leading Consolidated
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, July 4, 2005
Tampa, Fla. — Steve Antinori, chairman and CEO of Consolidated Bedding, has assembled a stable of seasoned bedding players to grow the company.
The 44-year-old mattress man sets a fast pace, and has built a fast-growing company by focusing on customers, product innovation and results, his colleagues said.
The business was started by his parents, Tino and Pat Antinori. Tino, a former fire chief in Tampa, "started making beds in his garage and it grew into a business," Steve recalled. His parents are now retired.
The company became American Bedding and recently evolved into Consolidated Bedding Inc., a major Spring Air player that's bidding to buy more licensees.
The No. 2 man at Consolidated is Steve Russo, president and chief operating officer. Formerly CEO of Latex International, North America's only latex bedding producer, Russo is focusing on bringing discipline, systems and procedures to Consolidated.
Russo said he has three roles: To successfully integrate the various elements of the company, to serve as a coach and a team builder, and to create "a high-performance culture."
"It took a lot of guts for Steve Antinori to hire me and allow me to be in charge of running this company," Russo said. "I take that responsibility very seriously."
Other key Consolidated executives include:
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Rick Robinson, president and COO of Consolidated's new Innovative Brands Group, which encompasses Nature's Rest, Chattam & Wells and Sleepinergy. The group will be stepping up marketing efforts for the ultra-premium lines.
"These three brands stand on their own," Robinson said. "We will continue to grow this luxury side of the business." -
Mike Rakauskas, chief financial officer, who began his 29-year bedding career as an accountant for Ohio-Sealy, headed by the legendary Ernest Wuliger. He saw how Wuliger integrated Sealy licensees into Wuliger's growing empire, which eventually gained control of Sealy.
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Richard Fleck, Eastern regional vice president, who has over 10 years experience with Spring Air, having worked with Tom LeDuc at Spring Air Mountain West. He joined the Tampa operation in 2002.
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Paul Messerschmitt, Western regional vice president.
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Les Channel, Canadian regional vice president.
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Valerie Stranix, vice president of sales and marketing for Spring Air's Toronto operation.
Robinson spent 12 years with Serta, where his mentor was Roy Unger, another industry legend.
He established Nature's Rest, a latex bedding line, in 1997 and has overseen its steady growth, aided by a team that includes Owen Shoemaker, now senior vice president of brand development for the IBG unit.
Rakauskas sees interesting parallels between Wuliger and Steve Antinori. "When Steve came on as a licensee of Spring Air, he had a desire to do more, just as Mr. Wuliger had a desire to do something bigger with Sealy," he said. "Steve wanted to hook up with a group that was interested in growing the brand and the business."
