Robinson's big new job: Relaunch Spring Air
Rick Robinson just got a big new job: President of the new Spring Air International LLC. He will be seeking to relaunch the Spring Air brand, which suffered a jarring setback May 5 when the company abruptly shut down its U.S. headquarters.
Robinson, 53, is currently in Australia, where he is wrapping up his work for A.H. Beard, the well-known bedding producer based in Sydney. I saw him there last November during a visit to the A.H. Beard offices. He was in fine form.
Now Robinson gets ready to return this weekend to the U.S., where he made his name in the mattress business. He knows the Spring Air brands well, including its Nature’s Rest brand, for which he once served as president. He was also senior vice president of marketing for the former Spring Air corporate entity, Consolidated Bedding.
Robinson is under no illusions about the challenges posed by his new job. He knows that most of the company’s former business has now switched hands. “But we also know that the Spring Air brand has tremendous equity with retailers and consumers,” he said. “Over the past five years, more than $2 billion in Spring Air-branded products have been sold at retail, and Spring Air mattresses are in well over a million American homes.”
There will be much more to this breaking news story soon. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, we welcome Rick back to the domestic bedding scene. It’s always nice to see a familiar face back in a big new job.
Deep Inside commented:
Amazing. ACAS-SA goes Chapter 7 and screws all of the employees and suppliers. ACAS is now funding the new Spring Air entity. Only in America.American Greed on Simmons? American Greed on Spring Air? Wake up!
TF Downunder commented:
I have known Rick Robinson for 25 years and seen his develop and grow under the guidance of people like Roy Unger. I see him as a hard working, genuine man. He will strive to achieve for the new SA owners and business, the associated manufacturers and licensees and customers alike. Watch how he grows in business and personally.
x SA employee commented:
Good luck. You are going to need it. I think Spring Air left a bad taste for a lot of customers. I know I worked with SA for years, and the product did nothing but go down hill year after year right along side of Natures Rest. You have a huge hill to climb, and I have a hard time seeing that happen.
Unsatisfied customer commented:
Hi Mr. Perry, is there an email address or some new contact info for this new Spring Air company being run by Rick Robinson where we can express our dissatisfaction with the way things are being handled? Pretty much, if you bought your mattress before May 2009 and you want a replacement, you're screwed. I think the new company needs to honor the warranties if it has any chance of revitalizing the Spring Air brand.
long time SA employee commented:
Let's see if I've got this straight. The "know it all", thieving, idiot investment guys couldn't do anything with Spring Air so now let's let Rick Robinson and Ed Bates have a go at it. Give me a break-- nothing good will happen. It's been back "the 3 S's for about six years since SAPNA fell apart and it will stay that way.
Dave Perry commented:
To Give Me A Break: When Spring Air said they were doing well, we reported that. It is not our job to predict the news, only to report it. I stand by my statements that we have reported key Spring Air developments in a timely fashion.
Give me a break commented:
One of the biggest misses in the industry has been FT's miss on not a chapter 11 filing but a full blown Chapter 7 by Spring Air. FT has the gaul to brag about their "breaking the story" on the filing. Give me a break! You broke a story 30 days prior bragging about their performance.
Warranty Victim commented:
Will I be able to get my defective Spring Air mattress replaced now? It made it about 4 months before failing! Wow! Keep up the fantastic work, maybe you can make my mattress again and make it properly this time. Good Luck, right?
Ozzie Osborne commented:
Can you say chapter 7 liquidation? Hard to compete when you will have to service all of those years of Nature's Rest/Spring Air warranties, since you designed poor products with a high rate of failure! Best wishes.
B.A. In Phoenix commented:
It would be great for Spring Air to come back to the market. People are looking for name recongnition at agood price and maybe Spring Air brings that on the table....but the longer they take the less likely Spring Air can hold there market share. Specially NATURES REST the best LATEX mattress for the money.
Really? commented:
How about guilty based on your own actions vs your associations? Hope those you stepped on aren't still around, or have a memory.
Diego commented:
Thanks for the report.
senator commented:
Best wishes for great SUCCESS, Rick! Spring Air is a great Brand Name and certainly worth reviving.
T&H commented:
Mr. Robinson! Best of Luck. WE WILL STILL SUPPORT YOU IF YOU RE-OPEN THE LOS ANGELES BRANCH! WE ONLY LOST ABOUT $20,000/MONTH BUSINESS LOSS IN (WHOLESALE) MATTRESSES SINCE LAST MONTH. WE CARRIED ABOUT 20 DIFFERENT STYLES FROM YOUR COMPANY, WE WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT YOU AND SELL YOUR PRODUCTS WHEN YOU COME BACK! JUST DO IT SOON!!!
1nolaguy commented:
Welcome back to this side of the globe. Alan's loss is Spring Air's gain. I wish you the best of luck as you venture forward in these interesting times!
babu2cfar commented:
Congrats and Best wishes for the active relaunch of the famous Spring Air brand. Will happily promote these, wherever possible,if the specs get improved and the Continuous QC teams, revisit the manufacturing plants.. happy to assist !! Good Luck!!
and here's to you, Mr. Robinson commented:
Can't wait for the New Spring Air to return to Florida so I can crush them everytime the walk into a retailer that I call on! Guilty by association Mr. Robinson, guilty by association!
