Jim Nation joins Serta
Fills new post in sales development
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 21, 2008
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Former Spring Air CEO Jim Nation has joined Serta International as president of sales development, a new position. He reports to Serta President Bob Sherman.
“Jim is one of the most trusted and experienced executives in the industry,” said Sherman. “He understands every aspect of the business and is strongly committed to helping our retailers grow. I am thrilled to have him on board.”
Nation began working for Serta last week.
“I am very pleased to join the Serta organization,” he said. “This is an exciting time of dramatic growth for the company. I look forward to working with Serta's management and sales teams to continue this growth.”
He said he will concentrate on retailers who don't carry Serta and on helping existing Serta dealers increase their business.
Nation joined Spring Air in 1990, heading the national accounts department. He was named president and CEO in 1995. He lost the CEO post in the summer of 2007 after a merger unified Spring Air, and former Simmons president Bob Hellyer was named CEO. Nation retained the president's post at Spring Air until August 2007, when he left the company and the industry. Hellyer left Spring Air earlier this month.
He said the decision to resume his bedding career at Serta, the industry's fastest-growing major producer, was a logical one. “I've known the principals for a long time and I like them and respect them,” Nation said. “I think they feel the same way about me.”
Sherman said Nation will be involved with retail and national accounts and with Serta-only America's Mattress retailers, and will also be a consultant for Five Star Mattress, the new bedding line launched by the owners of Serta.
He said Bill West will continue to manage Serta's retail division and that John Rachid will continue to manage the national accounts division.
The hiring of Nation, a former chairman of the International Sleep Products Assn., has some wondering if Serta might be more likely to rejoin ISPA, the trade group it left in 2005. Asked about that possibility, Sherman responded: “Serta evaluates the ISPA opportunity at the end of every year. We will do so again at the end of 2008 and we will welcome Jim's input at this time.”
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Jim Nation joins Serta
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