ISPA industry conference held

More than 200 mattress industry professionals including mattress manufacturers, retailers and suppliers came together for education, networking and a little rest and relaxation at the 2013 ISPA Industry Conference that took place in Orlando.

The Conference offered attendees timely and relevant educational sessions geared specifically toward the interests of the mattress industry. Such topics included marketing to the “rationally irrational,” the importance of search engine optimization and social media, updates on mattress
recycling legislation, ways to increase creativity and imagination in the workplace, and finally, how to really understand an important demographic- Generation Y. “This Industry Conference
was a tremendous success,” noted John Grove Sr. of Spring Air Mattress Corporation. “The quality of speakers and the educational programming were excellent. My two sons, John Jr. and David, and I, were able to take full advantage of the agenda and the many networking opportunities offered. Another big plus was the location…great weather and Disney World, too! How can you beat that combination?”

“Traveling to the ISPA Industry
Conference in Orlando from California
was a worthwhile trip,” said Robin
Azevedo of McRoskey Mattress
Company. “I have already shared and
even put some marketing and retail
ideas into action. Networking is always
valuable, and I’ll be meeting with a
couple of other attendees in the next
two weeks. The up-to-date status of
the recycling legislation in California
and other states is critical information,
and I appreciate ISPA’s efforts of
keeping us informed and involved.”
And no trip to sunny Florida would be
complete without some fun in the sun.
When attendees weren’t engaged in
the educational sessions, they were
networking and catching up with friends
during one of ISPA’s many receptions,
including a special event for the ISPA
Women’s Network (IWN) where they
mixed and mingled with other likeminded
women in the mattress industry.
4 new trustees elected to ISPA Board
Four new trustees have been elected
by the membership of the International
Sleep Products Association (ISPA) to
serve on its Board of Trustees. The
newly elected Trustees are: Iv Culp,
president of Culp, Inc.; Jim O’Donnell,
vice president of ales development for
Tempur-Pedic International; Robert L.
Simpton, executive vice president for
Lady Americana Associates, Inc.; and
Valerie Stranix, chief marketing officer
for Rev.
With the expiration of his term as Chair
of the ISPA Board, Gerry Borreggine,
president of Therapedic International,
has taken on the role of Immediate Past
Chair. The Board elected Ron Passaglia,
president/chief marketing officer of
Restonic Mattress Corp. and Vice Chair
of the ISPA Board, to the position of
ISPA’s Chair. Kathryn Roedel, executive
vice president, chief technology &
services officer, of Select Comfort
Corporation, was elected Vice Chair.
Passaglia and Roedel assumed their
new roles during the ISPA Board of
Trustees meeting last week,
immediately prior to the ISPA Industry
Conference in Orlando.
Board members who were re-elected
as Trustees were Roger Coffey, Latexco
West LLC; Aslan Cohen, Spring Air
Eric Spitzer and Armando Murillo of Spring Air International;
Ryan Trainer, ISPA; and Rick Robinson, Spring Air International.
Mexico S.A. de C.V., Tom Eisenberg,
Latex International, Adam Lava, A. Lava
& Son Co., Tony Smith, Simmons
Bedding Co., and Scott Veitzer, Omaha
Bedding Co. Rick Anderson, Tempur-
Pedic International, Don Wright, Wright
Global Graphic Solutions, Michael
Crowell, Flexible Foam Products, Inc.
Dean Woods, Hodder Lumber Company,
and John Larsen, Sound Sleep Products,
have completed their terms on the
Board.
“I congratulate our new officers on their
election and welcome the new trustees
to the ISPA Board,” noted ISPA President
Ryan Trainer. “Generous volunteers like
these, who dedicate their time and
creative energy for the betterment of
the entire industry, founded this
association nearly 100 years ago and
are what keeps it vibrant and relevant
to this industry today. I look forward
to working with them and getting their
input on the issues we currently face.”