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Tempur Sealy International Inc. is producing medical-grade mattresses, medical-grade foams and other products for use by healthcare professionals at its plants. In addition, the board of directors and many company officers of the Lexington, Kentucky-based company are donating to the Tempur Sealy Foundation in support of the company’s COVID-19 relief efforts.
“We are producing more than 20,000 mattresses per day for virus response,” said Scott Thompson, Tempur Sealy chair and chief executive officer. “We have a full team of corporate employees who are doing daily outreach to state and federal government officials to let them know that our company has not just tremendous capacity to help, but (also) a tremendous compassion for our fellow citizens. We want to help, and we will continue to help.”
Many of the company’s manufacturing plants are operating medical mattress production lines. An April 6 story by NBC News affiliate KOB 4 Eyewitness News in Albuquerque, New Mexico, reported the Tempur-Pedic plant there is producing 1,000 medical mattresses per day and may ultimately build as many as 50,000 of these mattresses, company officials said.
“We were able (to devise) a medical bed that we could mass produce, and our associates (are very proud) to help out in this relief effort,” said Lisa Walter, human resources manager for the Albuquerque plant.
Tempur Sealy’s Sherwood Bedding plant in Orlando, Florida, also is producing medical mattresses, and in early April shipped 1,000 beds to New York, an epicenter of the pandemic.
Thompson is contributing his remaining 2020 net base salary to the Tempur Sealy Foundation, which helps families and children in need. The company’s board has elected to forego their board fees for the remainder of 2020, which also will be contributed to the foundation, and a number of other executives are donating a portion of their base salaries.
“The Board and leadership have joined me in pledging personal resources to provide critical funds to charitable organizations,” Thompson said. “I am proud to work with such a community-oriented board, executive team and employee workforce. We are thankful for the opportunity to give back to communities through working with charities who are providing assistance to children in need and their families during this unprecedented time.”
