PDF version - BedTimes Magazine

NewsMakers
VyMaC names creative director
Retail Marketing Services,
the in-house marketing
department of mattress kit
supplier VyMaC Corp., has
hired Art Aiello as creative
director.
The position is a new
one for VyMaC, but Aiello
replaces Katrina Janes, who
performed some of the same
duties as marketing and advertising
manager. Janes left VyMaC to pursue a
position outside of the industry.
Comfort Solutions
adds new exec post
Mattress M a k e r and licensing
group Comfort Solutions
has hired Kevin
Damewood to fill a
newly created position,
senior vice president
of sales and business
development.
“Based on Kevin’s
Kevin Damewood
more than 25 years of
experience in mattress sales working in key
corporate and field posts for several of the
industry’s top producers, we’re confident
that his contributions to increasing the
company’s distribution and market share
will be significant,” said Dave Roberts,
president and chief executive officer of
Comfort Solutions, which is based in Willowbrook,
Ill.
Damewood has held executive and sales
positions at several major mattress manufacturers.
He was executive vice president
of sales at Spring Air before joining Comfort
Solutions. Previously, he was divisional
vice president and vice president of sales at
Simmons. He began his bedding career at
Sealy, where he held a number of posts.
Damewood reports to David Binke,
Comfort Solutions executive vice president
of sales.
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
Art Aiello
As creative director,
Aiello is responsible for
directing the production
of marketing and advertising
programs for VyMaC’s
internal divisions, as well as
for external clients. Products
and services include
product packaging, marketing
collateral, custom design
and point-of-service materials.
“Art is very capable to lead the
charge in bringing much-needed
McAndrews moves to Mattress Firm
R etail
branding and value-proposition focus
to the factory-direct and independent
manufacturers and retailers,” said
Dave Young, chief executive officer of
VyMaC, based in Fort Atkinson, Wis.
Aiello has 15 years of marketing
communications experience and
joins VyMaC from the Glowac +
Harris + Madison marketing agency,
where he was an account executive.
He previously was marketing communications
manager for Covance.
He reports to Young.
consultant and mattress industry veteran
Craig McAndrews has been named regional
sales manager for Mattress Firm, a Houston-based
national retail chain. He is responsible for a newly
created fifth sales region.
Most recently, McAndrew was co-founder and director
of the training firm Innovate Retail and founder
of The Retail Institute, a research group. Previously, Craig McAndrews
McAndrews was vice president of sales at Simmons.
Prior to that, he owned and operated a Mattress Firm franchise in Arizona
that grew to 18 stores. He later sold it to corporate Mattress Firm. McAndrews
began his mattress industry career as a sales representative for Sealy.
“Craig has seen all sides of the business, from owning a franchise to retail
consulting. He is very familiar with Mattress Firm’s culture, which will aid in
his transition and ability to make an immediate impact on the business,” said
Steve Stagner, Mattress Firm president and chief operating officer.
McAndrews reports to Brian Bandarra, Mattress Firm executive vice president
of sales.
Short
Specialty association adds board members
The Specialty Sleep Association, a mattress industry group, has added
two new members to its board of directors, Jeff Scorziell and Todd
Youngblood. Scorziell is president of Anatomic Global, a mattress
manufacturer based in Corona, Calif. Youngblood is president of Chili
Technology, ProSource Services International and T2International, all in
Mooresville, N.C. The association is led by Dale Read, editor in chief
and publisher of Bedroom magazine. Other board members are Michael
Nermon, Ergo Customized Comfort; Mark Miller, Innomax; Dennis
Boyd, Boyd Specialty Sleep; and Bart Dehaerne, Deslee Textiles.
BedTimes | May 2009 | 85