Jamison remains committed to quality

David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 10, 2012

Troy Morehead, vice president of manufacturing, checks box spring units in Jamison’s factory in Gallatin, Tenn.BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - There's been a Jamison at the helm of Jamison Bedding since the company first entered the mattress arena in Nashville in 1883.
     The company's current president, Frank Gorrell III, represents the fifth generation of Jamisons to run the business. Pictures of other key members of the Jamison family hang proudly in the factory in Gallatin, Tenn., and at the company's headquarters here.
     Asked in an interview if his company is part of a vanishing breed in the mattress industry, Gorrell, 63, turned the question on its head. "We believe we are part of a resurging breed," he asserted.
     The resurgence at Jamison is led by Gorrell, who has been president since 1986, and by a group of new and veteran executives
     Consumer products veteran Rick MacLean, 54, joined Jamison in 2008 and was recently named chief operating officer. Ken Hinman, 52, senior vice president of sales and marketing, joined Jamison in 2010 after holding posts at Elizabeth Arden, Revlon and Christian Dior, and was more recently vice president of global sales, marketing and design for Hartmann. Troy Morehead, 41, vice president of manufacturing, has been at Jamison for 11 years. Frank Gorrell's two children, Vannie and Beau, are also involved in the business.Banners in Jamison’s factory display pictures of Jamison family members who have led the company over the years.
     Beau, who joined the company in 2003, started on the contract side, an area in which Jamison has excelled over the years. (The company began supplying the Marriott hotel chain in 1966 and remains a major supplier to this day.) Beau Gorrell recently moved to the retail side of the business. Vannie Gorrell joined Jamison in 2006 and represents Jamison's Spring Air brand business in Kentucky. "They were both looking for the opportunity to get retail experience," Frank Gorrell said. "They love being out in the field."
     MacLean said he's pleased to be part of "an engaged, passionate group of people, young and old alike, who are excited to be part of a successful company."
     Jamison has been introducing new products that make the company "much more relevant than it was four years ago," said MacLean.
     And Jamison has remained true to its commitment to quality. "It takes a significant amount of strength," MacLean noted, "to be willing to say ‘no' to the urge to take quality out of the product. Some customers will urge you to take quality out to hit price points. When you worship at that altar, you forgo so many things that add value."
     Hinman says Jamison will continue to grow by emphasizing "the right products and the right story," by continuing to improve all of its products, and by looking for new ways to help consumers get a good night of sleep.
     "We want to develop the next great sleep solution," Hinman said. "You don't have to be a huge company to do that."