Posturepedic’s father’ visits Sealy
Orthopedic surgeon Addison helped establish line
David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 27, 2008
ARCHDALE, N.C. — The orthopedic surgeon who helped develop Sealy’s flagship Posturepedic brand half a century ago visited Sealy’s headquarters here and received a round of thanks for his work.
Dr. Robert G. Addison, 86, was honored with a ceremony celebrating his contribution to the original Posturepedic line, which has become one of the best-known and most widely distributed bedding brands in the world. Sealy officials proudly call Addison the “father of Sealy Posturepedic.”
Sealy’s work with Addison and other orthopedic surgeons in the 1950s helped establish Posturepedic as a brand with a strong health benefit story. Sealy is now drawing on that heritage as it rolls out its revamped Posturepedic line, which incorporates a number of new features and is designed to eliminate tossing and turning caused by pressure points, the producer says.
As part of that new push, Sealy recently saluted Addison for his work on the first Posturepedic line.
“Dr. Addison’s insight into the development of the original Sealy Posturepedic was critical in helping Sealy become the world’s number one mattress manufacturer,” said Alan Letton, chief science officer and vice president of research and technology innovation for Sealy. “His research and findings are still being used today by our Orthopedic Advisory Board, which has designed the new Posturepedic line to eliminate one of the world’s greatest sleep obstacles — tossing and turning caused by pressure points.”
Added Philip Dobbs, senior vice president of marketing at Sealy: “Dr. Addison is glad to see his work is still being considered and applied. He is happy to be involved with Sealy again.”
Like any good sleep researcher, Addison tried out several of the sleep sets in the Sealy showroom. “He made specific comments and had specific questions on each bed,” Dobbs said.
Addison is an honorary member of Sealy’s Orthopedic Advisory board of orthopedic surgeons, researchers and clinicians. Sealy created the board in 2006 to emphasize orthopedically correct design in product development. Sealy officials credit the board with playing a vital role in developing the latest Posturepedic line. Sealy said it consults with the board to better understand the nature of sleep and to design products that meet consumers’ evolving needs.
