Hank Little Appointed Vice Chair and Newly Elected Trustees Announced
July 2, 2020 (Alexandria, VA) – The International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) has announced that Scott Tinsley, vice president, sales of Serta Simmons Bedding LLC., has assumed the position of chair of the ISPA Board of Trustees. Tinsley replaces Eric Rhea who resigned from his role as ISPA Chair due to his retirement from Leggett & Platt Inc. later this month. Hank Little, president of Atlanta Attachment Co., has been appointed vice chair. Bryan Smith, president and CEO of Southerland Inc., has agreed to stay on as past chair.
“We greatly appreciate the service and talent that our past chair, Eric Rhea, provided. It is my honor now to represent our great industry and serve as the ISPA Board Chair,” said Tinsley. “ISPA has done great work supporting our industry for years, particularly during these most unusual and unprecedented times. It is important that the manufacturing and supplier communities continue their involvement and participation. Inclusion is so important for our future. I look forward to serving my term as ISPA chair and continue working with this incredible group of industry professionals as we plan for the future of ISPA.”
Rhea has served on the ISPA Board and Executive Committee since 2012 and was instrumental in developing new ISPA Strategic Goals. “Ours is a unique industry. We are able to set aside our competitive and commercial rivalries and form lasting friendships across all sectors of the business. I appreciate the many relationships I have made during my career,” stated Rhea. “Part of what makes this possible is ISPA, from its work solving shared industry regulatory issues, researching consumer behavior and hosting its networking events. From my years involved with ISPA as a trustee and an officer, I want to thank the hundreds of members who generously support their Association. And I want to thank everyone on the Board and at ISPA for their service on behalf of this great industry. I will miss this industry as I begin the next chapter of my career and wish you all the very best.”
In addition, ISPA announced that the following new trustees have been elected to its Board: Nick Bates, president of Spring Air International; Shaun Pennington, president of Diamond Mattress Co. president; and Greg Trzcinski, president of The Original Mattress Factory. The following current trustees were elected to serve another two-year term: Laura Brewick, vice president, brand management with Serta Simmons Bedding LLC; Rion Morgenstern, president and chief executive officer of Pleasant Mattress; David Schwantes, vice president of Sleep Number; Charles (CP) Davis, CEO of Jones Family of Companies; Ben Ducatteeuw CEO of Latexco LLC; and Ryan Trainer, president of ISPA.
The Better Sleep Council (BSC) named Brent Limer, chief sales officer for Latexco LLC, chair of the BSC and Susan Mathes, vice president of brand relations for Therapedic International, as vice chair. Joining the BSC are: John Burn, director customer marketing for Tempur Sealy International Inc.; Lisa Donaldson, polyurethanes marketing, consumer insights for Covestro LLC; Phil Iuliano CEO of Jomel Industries Inc.; Andrew Long, senior director brand marketing for Serta Simmons Bedding LLC; and Kenny Parrish, country manager and business development for Devan North America LLC.
The Sleep Products Safety Councilnamed Norman Enix, director of environmental, health and safety for Elite Comfort Solutions, as chair. Josh Malouf, regulatory compliance manager for Ergomotion, and Henry McRee, account representative for Wm. T. Burnett & Co.,join as SPSC council members.
The ISPA Statistics Committee named Bill Creekmuir, president of Pinnacle Search Partners, as chair. New additions to the committee include Grant Dennis, business development director at Leggett & Platt – Residential & Industrial Products Segments; Maria Sainz Ortiz, senior vice president/insights and decision sciences of Serta Simmons Bedding LLC; and Matt Anderson, vice president of sales/bedding East for Elite Comfort Solutions.
“As the mattress industry navigates these challenging times, I am excited and grateful to announce the newest members of our leadership, board and committees,” Trainer said. “Their collective vision and dedication make it possible for ISPA to address common issues of concern faced by this competitive and dynamic industry. Although we do not know how COVID-19 will affect the bedding industry over the long term, the ISPA Board of Trustees, Better Sleep Council, Statistics Committee and Sleep Products Safety Council are all well prepared to work on behalf of our members and the entire bedding industry because of volunteers like these.”
Established in 1915, the International Sleep Products Association (ISPA) is dedicated to advancing the interest of the sleep products industry by helping the world sleep better. As the industry’s trade organization, ISPA represents members in countries around the world. These include exclusive industry surveys and statistics, government advocacy support, educational offerings, the industry’s ISPA EXPO trade show, safety research through its Sleep Products Safety Council, consumer research and education through its Better Sleep Council, BedTimes and Sleep Savvy publications. To learn more, visit www.sleepproducts.org or contact [email protected].
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