Mattress Firm Holding Corp. has promoted Ken Murphy to president, replacing Dale Carlsen, who assumes the role of executive vice chairman and chief philanthropy officer, and named Rob Killgore chief operating officer.
In his new role, Carlsen, the founder of Sleep Train, which Mattress Firm acquired in 2014, works closely with the senior executive team on key strategic initiatives, vendor relations, mergers and acquisitions, and community engagement.
Murphy, formerly co-chief operating officer, now is responsible for all sales functions, including store operations and distribution, marketing, merchandising and e-commerce. Murphy, who joined Mattress Firm in 1998, has held positions of increasing responsibility, including executive vice president of sales and operations, national vice president of sales, director of training and recruiting, and vice president of field and talent management.
Killgore manages all support functions, including strategy, information technology, real estate, legal and human resources. He joined Mattress Firm as co-chief operating officer in 2014 as part of the Sleep Train acquisition. Killgore was with Sleep Train since 1986 and held various posts, including chief operating officer.
The top management realignment is the next step in the integration of the Sleep Train organization and is intended to drive future growth, according to a news release.
“During his over 15 years with the company, Ken has been instrumental in driving the growth of Mattress Firm into the nation’s largest specialty mattress retailer,” said Steve Stagner, chief executive officer. “We look forward to applying Ken’s leadership and passion to additional areas of the business. I am equally excited to leverage Rob Killgore’s vast industry experience, strategic thinking and analytical mind by expanding his role as sole chief operating officer. Rob has played a key role in the acquisition integration and our overall operations.
“I look forward to continuing to partner with Dale Carlsen on key strategic initiatives in his role as executive vice chairman,” Stagner said. “As an industry pioneer, Dale is a trusted advisor and we will continue to benefit from his over 30 years of industry experience in key areas of our business.”
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