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F/T conference gets strong bedding turnout

David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 16, 2007

Palm Beach, Fla. — The mattress category was strongly represented at the recent Furniture/Today Leadership Conference here, with top producers, retailers and suppliers in attendance.

The producer lineup featured half of the Top 10 producers, with delegations representing Sealy, Simmons, Serta, Tempur-Pedic and Therapedic. Executives of Restonic, Natura and Carolina Mattress Guild rounded out the producer lineup.

Bedding retailers included a team from PMD Furniture Direct, Columbus, Ohio, a frequent conference attendee, and Slumberland, the bedding-savvy retailer from Little Canada, Minn.

The supplier presence at the conference was headlined by Leggett & Platt, which had several top executives, including Karl Glassman and Mark Quinn, in attendance. Executives with Hickory Springs, Protect-A-Bed and Protect-All were also at the conference.

In addition, Dick Doyle, CEO of the International Sleep Products Assn., also attended the Leadership Conference.

The awards dinner, traditionally a highlight of the Leadership Conference, featured two companies with strong bedding ties.

Leggett & Platt was named Furniture/Today's Supplier of the Year. A video tribute to that producer included comments by three bedding producers: Kevin Toman of Englander, Brian Akchin of Fraenkel, and Neal Grigg of Carolina Mattress Guild. Glassman and Quinn accepted the award for L&P.

Furniture/Today's Retailer of the Year was Jake Jabs, CEO of American Furniture Warehouse, Englewood, Colo., who has a strong bedding department, and was named a Retail Giant of Bedding by Furniture/Today earlier this year. Therapedic CEO Gerry Borreggine saluted Jabs in the video tribute aired at the conference.

In addition, bedding was mentioned several times during presentations at the Leadership Conference. Jim McIngvale of Gallery Furniture, Houston, turned some heads with his account of high-end bedding success with Tempur-Pedic and Hastens.

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