Talk:Simmons Bedding Company/Archives/2014

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SIMMONS BEDDING COMPANY

Simmons Bedding Company is an American-owned major manufacturer of mattresses and related bedding products, based in Atlanta, Georgia. The company was founded in 1870 and is one of the oldest companies of its kind in the U.S. In 2012, Simmons and its sister company Serta International were acquired by private equity company Advent International.1

Simmons is the maker of the Beautyrest brand of mattresses and its proprietary Beautyrest Pocketed Coil® spring construction.2

Tony Smith is the current President of Simmons. He has been with the company since 2010.3 Gary Fazio, formerly CEO of Simmons Bedding since 2010, was appointed CEO of Serta Simmons Holding in October 2013. Serta Simmons Holdings is majority-owned by Boston-based private-equity firm, Advent International.4

CONTENTS

1. History 1.1 Early History 1.2 Modern History 2. Product Development 3. Advertising History 4. Simmons Hospitality 5. Community Outreach 5.1 Fire House Makeovers 5.1.1 National Fire House Makeovers 5.1.2 Firehouse Recharge Atlanta 6. References

1. HISTORY

1.1 EARLY HISTORY In 1870, Zalmon G. Simmons opened his first factory in his hometown of Kenosha, Wis. and started off manufacturing wooden insulators and cheese boxes.5 In 1876, Simmons became the first manufacturer to mass-produce woven wire mattresses.6 This process helped the company produce beds faster and cheaper, and by 1889, with the introduction of spiral coil springs into woven mattresses, Simmons’ mattress prices dropped from $12 to $.95, making mattresses affordable and available to the general public.6 [insert accompanying image]

In 1900, James Marshall patented a wrapped coil spring. Each spring had to be made by hand, and because of the time and cost involved, wrapped coil spring mattresses were only found on luxury liners like the Titanic. 5

By 1919, Simmons Bedding Company had grown and acquired manufacturing plants in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Seattle, Atlanta, and Elizabeth, NJ. A year later, Simmons streamlined the mass purchasing process by creating a nationwide service-station program. Instead of purchasing a mattress directly off the retail floor, customers would now experience the product through in-store samples and place their mattress order through the retailer. Customers would receive direct delivery within 24 hours from the Simmons warehouse. 5 This process eliminated the need for retailers to purchase and store product themselves, theoretically allowing them to increase their sales and profitability.

In 1925, Simmons’ top engineer John Franklin Gail designed an automated machine that would quickly coil and insert wire into fabric sleeves. Gail’s Pocketed Coil® spring machine generated the unique Pocketed Coil® design that formed the basis of the Simmons Beautyrest mattress, both past and present. 5

During World War II, Simmons answered the nation’s military demands by producing approximately 2,700 different items, including cots, parachutes and bazooka rockets.5

In 1958, Simmons introduced the industry’s first king and queen size mattresses.5

1.2 MODERN HISTORY In 1975, Simmons moved its corporate headquarters to Atlanta, Ga. Shortly after, its research and development team relocated to Norcross, Ga. to a building then known as the Simmons Research Center (SRC). In 1995, the company’s R&D division moved into a new home, the Simmons Institute for Technology and Education (SITE).5 Simmons opened the Simmons Sleep Technology and Advanced Research Center (STAR) in 2012, which to this day remains the home of Simmons R&D division.

In 1979, Simmons was purchased by Gulf+Western, which sold Simmons to Wickes Corporation in 1985.7

In 1991, Merrill Lynch Capital Partners, Inc. acquired a majority interest in the company.7

In August 2006 Simmons sold its chain of retail stores to The Sleep Train of Citrus Heights, CA.8

In 2007, Simmons acquired the Comfor–Pedic line of memory foam mattresses and pillows from Comfor Products in Kent, Wash. This acquisition marked the first venture into the memory foam market for Simmons. 9

On September 25, 2009, Simmons announced a Chapter 11 restructuring plan and signed a purchase agreement with an investor group led by Ares Management and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (TPC).10 The bankruptcy court approved the deal, reducing the company’s total debt from about $1 billion to $450 million, and Simmons completed the restructuring plan on January 20, 2010.11 The bankruptcy did not include subsidiaries in Canada and Puerto Rico, but those units were included in the deal with Ares Management and TPC.12

Ares and the TPC were also owners of the Serta brand name under National Bedding Company LLC. They operated Serta and Simmons Bedding as independent entities that continue to compete with one another.11

"The purchase agreement we have executed and the support we have secured from our note holders for this restructuring plan underscore the strength of the Simmons brand, our strong performance in the marketplace, and the value of the strategic and operational investments we have made in our business, people and processes over the past several years,” said Stephen G. Fendrich, then CEO and President of Simmons Bedding. “Simmons Bedding is firmly positioned as an industry leader and under this plan will retain its own identity and operational structure, have a newly strengthened balance sheet, and will remain committed to bringing innovative bedding products to our customers."13

On July 7, 2010 Gary Fazio was named CEO of Simmons Bedding.14

On March 26, 2012, leading bedding trade publication Furniture Today reported that Simmons and Serta could grow even more from working together by growing each brand in a manner that leverages the strength of their respective product portfolios and customer relationships.15

On October 2, 2012, private equity firm Advent International acquired a majority interest in AOT Bedding Super Holdings, the parent company of Simmons Bedding Co. and Serta International. At the time of the acquisition, Simmons and Serta held 34 percent of the industry market share. Simmons and Serta retained separate sales, marketing, research & development, and merchandising departments, and the two entities departments remain separate to this day.1

On October 1, 2013, Gary Fazio became Chief Executive Officer of Serta Simmons Holdings (SSH).16 As of October 14, 2013, Simmons’ Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, Sleep Insights and Innovation (R&D) and Operations departments reported to President Tony Smith.17

2. MODERN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & INNOVATION

In 1996, to further its sleep research, Simmons began working with famous sleep experts Dr. James Maas, Professor of Psychology at Cornell University and author of the best selling book “Power Sleep”, and Dr. James Wellman, the director of one of the nation’s largest sleep disorder clinics.5

In 2000, Simmons celebrated the 75th anniversary of its Beautyrest line by introducing a no-flip, no-rotate mattress.5

A year later, the company introduced the Olympic Queen, its first new mattress size in 42 years. This model was developed to be a full six inches larger than a traditional queen size mattress, but made to fit on a traditional queen frame. The new model was toted as the ideal solution for those who want more room, but don’t want the size and bulk of a king.5

In the next several years, Simmons introduced a wave of new product innovations. In 2004, the company developed the next generation of its Pocketed Coil spring technology with its Advanced Pocketed Coil springs, containing triple-wrapped, high-carbon steel springs for increased strength, motion, separation, conformability and durability. The zip-off topped HealthSmart bed was introduced the same year.5

In 2006, Simmons introduced Beautyrest Black, the company’s high-end luxury innerspring mattress line. Simmons’ NaturalCare latex line of mattresses was also introduced that same year.5

In 2007, Simmons introduced and distributed its first memory foam product line ComforPedic by Simmons, after acquiring the Comfor-Pedic brand earlier that year.9 The brand launched its second-generation memory foam line ComforPedic Loft in 2009.18

In 2008, Simmons released the Beautyrest NxG series, its first line to incorporate memory foam and Pocketed Coil® springs.19 A new hybrid line, Beautyrest TruEnergy, debuted in 2012.20

The company introduced the Smart Response Pocketed Coil spring, the third-generation of its Pocketed Coil technology, into its Beautyrest line in 2011.21

In January 2012, Simmons developed the Recharge Sleep System, a combination of new cooling memory foam and fabrics. This system – made up of Pocketed Coil technology and new AirCool memory foam and AirCool design – was incorporated into each new bed in the Beautyrest line. 20 [accompanying photo]

The ComforPedic line received an update in October 2012 with the introduction of proprietary phase change gel in the line’s new high-end models, then low-end models in April 2013.22,23 Simmons rebranded the line under the Beautyrest umbrella, renaming the brand “ComforPedic from Beautyrest”.20 In July 2013, the company introduced Simmons CURV, an affordable, high-quality memory foam line geared to Millennial consumers.24

3. ADVERTISING HISTORY

In 1916, Simmons initiated its first national advertising campaign with a double-spread ad in the Saturday Evening Post. Later ads famously featured testimonials from memorable celebrities and dignitaries such as Eleanor Roosevelt in 1927 and Henry Ford, H.G. Wells, Thomas Edison, Gugliemo Marconi and George Bernard Shaw in 1929. The First Lady continued to be an advocate for the brand through her radio show into the 1930s.5 [insert accompanying image]

In 1947, Simmons turned to glamour in advertising with ads featuring some of the 40’s legendary leading ladies like Dorothy Lamour and Maureen O’Hara.5 After its creation of the king and queen size mattresses, the company was featured in Life Magazine and other national publications in the 1960s for its new solution to the “space battle in the bedroom”.6 [insert accompanying image]

In 1980, Simmons became the Official Bedding Supplier of the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY and again in 1996 for the Centennial Summer Olympic Games in the company’s hometown of Atlanta.5

Simmons launched one of its most iconic advertising campaigns in 1995. The “Bowling Ball Mattress” campaign dramatically illustrated how one person’s movement is less likely to disturb his or her partner on a Simmons Beautyrest.5 Simmons resurrected the campaign at Las Vegas Furniture Market in January 2006, a return that was welcomed by dealers, industry experts and consumers alike.25 [insert accompanying image]

In January 2012, the company introduced a revamp of its Simmons logo, a repositioned Beautyrest line and a new national Beautyrest advertising campaign. The “Live Life Fully Charged” ad campaign and brand overhaul were part of a brand-building effort focused on elevating its Beautyrest brand.26 The company continued its efforts in 2013 with second-generation Beautyrest ads, which features undercharged consumers in humorous situations, backed by the Eddie Money hit, “We Should Be Sleeping”.27

In 2013, Simmons also launched its first national advertising campaign for its ComforPedic brand. The “Expert” ad campaign featured world-renown experts ocean explorer, conservationist and environmental activist Philippe Cousteau, Jr., mathematician Maria Chudnovsky, and astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison, sleeping on ComforPedic mattresses.28

At Las Vegas Furniture Market in January 2014, Simmons debuted ComforPedic iQ, a new self-adjusting foam mattress that responds and adapts to the sleeper’s body without motors, buttons, plugs or electronics. The line is endorsed by Dr. Andrew Weil, a pioneer and leader in the field of integrative medicine.29 That same Market, Simmons also introduced its new Beautyrest Black line and announced a partnership with Dempsey Racing and actor and race car driver Patrick Dempsey.30

4. SIMMONS HOSPITALITY In an effort to improve sleep quality and comfort for its customers, Westin Hotels and Resorts approached Simmons to develop an exclusive, high-quality mattress. In 1999, Simmons developed the Westin Heavenly Bed, a Beautyrest mattress constructed for the needs of its hospitality clientele.31

Simmons Hospitality is now the exclusive, preferred mattress provider for 18 of the top 20 hotel chains worldwide. The division introduced a new line, Recharge Beautyrest, in mid 2013.32

5. COMMUNITY OUTREACH

5.1 FIRE HOUSE MAKEOVERS Simmons Bedding has a history of philanthropic giving in its local and national community. Recent efforts have largely focused on fire fighters nationwide. Since 2011, the company has outfitted nearly 40 fire stations throughout the U.S. with new mattresses.

5.1.1 National Fire House Makeovers In 2011, the company introduced its “Work Hot, Sleep Cool” Fire Station Mattress Makeover as part of its ComforPedic Loft national mobile showroom roadshow tour. Over the course of the 20-week tour, Simmons and local retail partners outfitted five fire stations around the U.S. with new ComforPedic mattresses.33 In April 2013, Simmons also teamed up with hospitality bedding partner Westin Hotels & Reports to make over an LA fire station bunkroom with 29 Simmons-manufactured Westin Heavenly Beds.34

5.1.2 Firehouse Recharge Atlanta In April 2013, Simmons launched the Firehouse Recharge Atlanta initiative, a campaign to donate 275 beds to the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department. Kickoff festivities took place at Stations 25 and 30 in South Atlanta on April 9. Throughout the month, each of the 30 stations that comprise the AFRD received brand new Beautyrest mattress sets to outfit their bunkrooms.35

This initiative fulfilled the company’s donation promise first announced by Simmons President Tony Smith at the Atlanta Fire Foundation’s “Breakfast for Our Bravest” in November 2012.35

6. REFERENCES

1. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/554091Advent_to_acquire_majority_interest_in_Serta_Simmons_parent.php

2. http://www.beautyrest.com/recharge-technology

3. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/531217-Simmons_names_Tony_Smith_president_of_U_S_sales.php

4.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20131001/NEWS07/131009969/ceo-wife-leave-mattress-maker-serta

5. http://web.archive.org/web/20081210105706/http://www.simmons.com/company.cfm

6. http://www.beautyrest.com/about/history

7. http://amhistory.si.edu/archives/d7731.htm

8. (via Wikipedia user) Simmons selling Sleep Country for $55M, Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), July 26, 2006

9.

http://bedtimesmagazine.com/2007/08/simmons-buys-comfor-pedic-line/

10. (via Wikipedia user) http://www.simmons.com/documents/press/PR2009-09-25.pdf (PDF included)

11. http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/01/21/simmonsbedding-bankruptcy-idUSN2121403220100121

12. (via Wikipedia user)

"Simmons plans to file for bankruptcy protection", Physorg.com (Via AP), September 25th, 2009, retrieved September 27th, 2009

13. (via Wikipedia user) "Simmons to file Chapter 11, be sold", Sacramento Business Journal, September 25, 2009, retrieved September 27, 2009

14. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/529946-Gary_Fazio_named_CEO_of_bedding_major_Simmons.php

15. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/549763-Serta_Simmons_owners_pleased.php

16. http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20131001/NEWS07/131009969/ceo-wife-leave-mattress-maker-serta

17. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/568255-Simmons_R_D_division_now_reports_to_company_president.php?intref=sr

18. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/367454-Retailers_give_good_reviews_to_ComforPedic_Loft.php

19. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/45855-New_memory_foam_added_to_Beautyrest_line.php?intref=sr

20. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/547970-Simmons_recharges_its_brands.php

21. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/535170-Simmons_offers_new_Beautyrest_coils_at_Las_Vegas_Market.php

22. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/556309-Simmons_beds_include_new_phase_change_gel_at_High_Point.php

23. http://bedtimesmagazine.com/2013/04/simmons-celebrates-comforpedic-in-high-point/

24. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/565428-Simmons_pitches_CURV_bedding_to_younger_generation.php

25. http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20060130005445/en/Simmons-Launches-Bowling-Ball-Advertising-Campaign-Las

26. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/547970-Simmons_recharges_its_brands.php

27. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/560118-Simmons_prepares_to_launch_brand_building_campaign.php

28. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/562571-Simmons_gets_expert_help_in_ComforPedic_ad_campaign.php

29. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/571005-Simmons_new_ComforPedic_iQ_is_self_adjusting_.php?intref=sr

30. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/571647-Patrick_Dempsey_touts_Simmons_partnership_at_Vegas_market.php

31. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2009-05-14-westin-heavenly-bed_N.htm

32. http://www.hotelmanagement.net/mattresses/good-snooze-simmons-hospitalitys-recharge-beautyrest

33. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/544572-Simmons_Steinhafels_make_over_Illinois_fire_house.php

34. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/562648-Simmons_Westin_donate_beds_to_Los_Angeles_firefighters.php

35. http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/561972-Simmons_helping_Atlanta_firefighters_get_better_sleep.php

(Cmsthree (talk) 22:18, 4 February 2014 (UTC))

Phew! That's a mammoth request. In view of your connection with the company, you are to be congratulated and thanked for making your request on the talk page, rather than editing the article directly. Much of your request appears to be consistent with Wikipedia policies and guidelines, but some items are not going to be acceptable. I started making changes to the article (details here), but the changes are going to be slow going. You could help out a lot by inserting your reference citations inline and added bibliographic details (see my edit for formatting hints). --Orlady (talk) 22:47, 4 February 2014 (UTC)

Thank you so much for your help. We understand this is a huge request, so please let us know if we can help in anyway. We put the references in the text itself to make the process as easy as possible for you. We cited the information in the text via endnotes and will leave those for fact checking. Thanks again! Let us know if we can do anything else.

(Cmsthree (talk) 18:45, 7 February 2014 (UTC))

The page looks great so far (we saw your note that says you think you're finished for now). Thank you again for your help, we really appreciate it.

(Cmsthree (talk) 16:58, 11 February 2014 (UTC))

• I was pleased to be able to improve the article, with your input. You probably have noticed that I didn't pick up very much information about recent commercial introductions -- and I didn't include any of the community outreach content, as this seems to cross the line from "encyclopedia" to "promotion." You may be interested to know that I have nominated this article for a brief main-page appearance in the Did you know feature. See Template:Did you know nominations/Simmons Bedding Company. I listed you as one of the users who will get "credit" for expanding the article. --Orlady (talk) 18:28, 11 February 2014 (UTC)

That is great news, thank you so much for the nomination and your help We respect your choice to exclude some of the information to keep the integrity of the "encyclopedia" in tact. Is it at all possible to add relevant pictures to the page? (Cmsthree (talk) 21:43, 18 February 2014 (UTC))

Yes, we can use pictures! First, a company logo could be used in the article. Since logos are protected intellectual property, it would need to be used under "fair use". If you want to use a logo, it should be uploaded here at English Wikipedia, and it will need a "fair use" justification for use in this article. Other images (such as photos) would need to be licensed for free use (for example, under a Creative Commons license) by someone with the legal right to release them. Any image that you want to release should be uploaded at Wikimedia Commons. --Orlady (talk) 23:56, 18 February 2014 (UTC)

Images

That is great news. We will track down some logos and pictures and make sure they are in compliance with Wikipedia's guidelines. Thank you so much for nominating us for the feature, we received over 1000 views on our page on the day it ran. Is there anyway to track down a screenshot of the 'Did you know' section when we were featured {via archives or link}. We would love to have that on record and unfortunately received word too late that it had already run. Thank you for your continued help, you have been amazing to work with! (Cmsthree (talk) 20:38, 24 February 2014 (UTC))

We have images that are ready to be added to the page. They are all available under the fair use policy. I did some research and realize that our profile is not confirmed and therefore we cannot upload the images ourselves. We would love to provide you with the images and logo if you would provide the next steps? We have three images and the Simmons Bedding Logo. Thank you so much for all of your help. (Cmsthree (talk) 15:04, 17 March 2014 (UTC))

You are now autoconfirmed because you have 10 edits. Try again! --Orlady (talk) 15:52, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

In the process of uploading the images now, thank you! Since we do not want to directly insert them into the context so we don't interfere with Wikipedia's guidelines, I will post the links to the images here: thumb|right|insert a caption here and thumb|right|insert a caption here and thumb|right|insert a caption here and thumb|right|insert a caption here . Let me know if there is anything that we need to do. Thanks again! (Cmsthree (talk) 20:07, 17 March 2014 (UTC))

Cool! For starters, I've inserted the logo into the article, but I think we will need to make a low-resolution copy of the image so that no one can steal it from Simmons via Wikipedia. Can you do that, or do we need to have another volunteer handle that? --Orlady (talk) 20:25, 17 March 2014 (UTC)

Great! We can definitely make low-resolution copies of the images. Is the logo image okay? Just low-res images for the others, correct? (Cmsthree (talk) 21:20, 17 March 2014 (UTC))

The logo is the only image that needs to be converted to a low-resolution version -- basically so that the image can't be stolen from Wikipedia and used to label fakes as Simmons products.

The Zalmon G. Simmons image and the Maureen O'Hara ad both have "free" image licenses and can be used in articles as is. I don't believe we can use the bowling ball image, as it does not have a free license and I don't think that its use can be justified as fair use (but I could be wrong on that). --Orlady (talk) 01:22, 18 March 2014 (UTC)

The images look great! We will check into the Bowling Ball ad with our legal team, but in the meantime this looks perfect. Here is the link for the new lo-res Simmons Bedding Company logo : thumb|right|insert a caption here . Thanks for all of your help!!! (Cmsthree (talk) 15:46, 18 March 2014 (UTC))

After discussing the bowling ball ad, we think that this image (Simmons owns the right to the photo) is justified as "fair use". We would love if you could put it up on the page or let us know your thoughts on the matter. Thank you! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Cmsthree (talk • contribs) 13:45, 20 March 2014 (UTC)