Mattress maker Kingsdown Inc., headquartered in Mebane, N.C., has appointed Frank Hood president. He joined the company in 2008 and previously was senior vice president, chief information officer and president of the company’s Sleep to Live Institute.
Hood replaces Bob Hellyer, who left Kingsdown in February.
Before joining Kingsdown, Hood was senior vice president of Quiznos. Prior to that, he was senior vice president of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc.
“I want to thank Bob for his contributions to our company this past year and wish him the best in his future endeavors,” said Eric Hinshaw, Kingsdown chairman and chief executive officer. “When you look at the sleep products industry today, the successful brands are ones being led by people from outside the industry who are able to bring a fresh and new perspective on how we present ourselves to the consumer. Frank is one of these people. His background in technology and experience in implementing strong marketing programs at Quiznos and Krispy Kreme have given us enormous insight into how we can continue to grow our company and brands. I am very excited about his expanded role with us.”
The company also promoted Joe Schmoeller to executive vice president and chief operating officer and Kevin Damewood to executive vice president of sales and marketing.
Previously, Schmoeller was senior vice president of operations, overseeing production, supply chain management and distribution. He joined Kingdown in 1997. Prior to that, he spent 17 years with Carpenter Co.
Damewood joined Kingsdown in 2010 as senior vice president of U.S. sales. He has more than 27 years in the mattress industry, serving in sales and marketing roles at Sealy, Simmons and Spring Air.
“Combining Frank’s vision with Joe and Kevin’s trade experience and relationships allows Kingsdown to provide its customers with a very powerful combination of service and skill,” Hinshaw said.
In his new role, Hood said his focus will be to better align Kingsdown with the company’s science of sleep message and its diagnostics program.
“Our bedMATCH technology has revolutionized the way bedding is sold because we were the first to use science to help a consumer find the right mattress and pillow for their body type,” he said.
