ISPA Industry Conference 2025 had something for everyone.
Sunny days and green palm trees against clear blue skies — there’s nothing like spring in Florida to bring a sense of relaxation and fun to the bedding industry at the biennial International Sleep Products Association’s Industry Conference.
With equal parts inspiration and connection, this year’s conference brought top-notch speakers, as well as plenty of opportunities to network and enjoy camaraderie at the Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg, Florida.
The March 19-20 event swung into action with a golf tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Colleagues enjoyed hours in the sun, while others attended an interactive session hosted by the ISPA Women’s Network and WithIt, a women’s leadership development network. Led by Kristen McAlister, president of Cerius Executives and author of “Finding Leadership: Building Teams That Build Your Business” and “How I Fired My Boss & Made More Money,” she started the session, “Empower Your Leadership Skills and Personal Brand,” with an anecdote. She recalled competing in the St. George Ironman and crossing the finish line because she had prepared for that particular race. Other competitors who had trained generally for an Ironman but not that particular course tapped out before completing the race.
The implications for business leadership are clear. “Being intentional about how you get to your finish line makes it easy to get clarity on where it is and how you’re going to get there,” she said. “It makes it easy to remove those roadblocks that just tend to throw themselves at us on a daily basis, and it lets us know who we need to surround ourselves with and collaborate with in pursuit of that finish line.”
The ISPA Women’s Network Reception, sponsored by Variowell, followed. Attendees enjoyed wine or pale pink cosmos before heading to the larger Welcome Reception, sponsored by Leggett & Platt Inc. and Elite Comfort Solutions.
Present Trends and Future Outlook from ISPA Speakers
The next morning, the heart of the conference kicked off with a State of the Industry address from ISPA and Mattress Recycling Council President Alison Keane (see article on page 50), followed by the opening keynote “The Future of Work” with Seth Mattison, founder and chief movement officer for FutureSight Labs.
Mattison emphasized being ready for the future by having the right mindset. “The future isn’t happening to us,” he said. “A future is being created through us. With every decision we make, every action we take, the choices and decisions that we claim, we’re not victims. We’re not bystanders.”
He recommended using artificial intelligence tools to create capacity for employees and allow them to do more with less burnout. “It’s not about more work, it’s about better work,” he said.
When employees have more margin, they can engage in regenerative work — the kind where you lose yourself in what you’re doing.
Successful companies focus on being extremely fast (think McDonald’s, Amazon, Shein) or extremely human (Hermes, Four Seasons, Rapha), he said. “And I think, unless you’re really trying to make a true technology play, I think the strategy that wins the future is to take a shot at winning with the human experience.”
Global Economic Outlook: Trends, Tariffs, and Recovery
Mattison was followed by Christopher Kuehl, managing partner and co-founder of Armada Corporate Intelligence, who provided insight into “Understanding the Global Economic Landscape.”
“We’re gonna talk about the economy as if we had a clue, but it has been changing so rapidly,” he quipped at the start of his talk. “I love this quote from Ben Bernanke who says, ‘Economics is a very difficult subject. I’ve compared it to trying to learn how to repair a car when the engine is running.’ It’s kind of like, here’s what’s going on, but it’ll change in five minutes.”
Kuehl noted that tariffs are a concern for businesses but other concerns are just as pressing, such as labor shortages, the cost of regulation compliance, whether the country is facing inflation, recession and taxation. He noted that America is in a K-shaped recovery, where different segments of the economy recover at different rates. Economic growth has been coming from the upper third of household income. The majority of the lower third (85%) is living paycheck to paycheck.
“If your industry is pointed at the upper third, you’re doing great,” he said. “If your industry is pointed at the lower third, you’re suffering.”
Economists are focused on the middle third, those who earn $50,000 to $100,000 because they will continue to spend if they feel confident about their employment.
“What’s probably most important for this industry or anything aimed at consumers is disposable income and it’s still high,” Kuehl said.
He notes there are good signals as far as manufacturing is concerned. The United States is showing growth in that area.
Part of that is related to inventory. When the supply chain issues hit during the pandemic, manufacturers bought more than they needed to keep production moving.
“That’s now easing off,” he said. “We’ve been able to sell a lot of that inventory. Now it’s more of a balance.”
Kuehl said retail sales have been stable and construction, both residential and nonresidential, is trending up, a positive sign.
“We’re just not seeing the kind of data that would suggest an imminent recession, or even one in the medium to late future,” he said.
Kuehl was followed by Mike O’Donnell, chief operating officer of MRC, who reflected on the accomplishments, current opportunities and future plans of MRC, which is celebrating 10 years of mattress recycling this year. For a complete look at MRC’s accomplishments, read April’s cover story at BedTimesMagazine.com/2025/04/Industry-Recycling-Milestone-10-Years-MRC-Success or browse the digital edition at BedTimesMagazine.com/Digital-Editions.
Sustainable Sleep Products: Overcoming Challenges and Leveraging Opportunities
Continuing with the sustainability theme, Scot Case discussed “Bridging the Sustainability Gap: Challenges and Opportunities for the Sleep Products Industry.” Case is vice president of corporate social responsibility and sustainability for the National Retail Federation.
He started by noting that manufacturers and suppliers have more opportunities than others. “You have more knowledge or insights about what sustainability means in your space than the retail merchants do,” he said. “You know more than the consumers do. The opportunity is to unleash that.” Part of the issue for retailers is everyone is defining sustainability differently. It’s a bit like the old story of blindfolded people put in a room with an elephant and trying to define what an elephant is like by the different parts each is feeling — an ear, the trunk, the tail, the stomach.
Sustainability requires everyone to think systemically. It involves everything, starting with supply chains and moving through retail operations, merchandising and marketing, then consumers and customer impacts.
When it comes to selling sustainable products, function and price are key drivers. “Sustainability is nice, but if it’s not embedded and understood as a function and part of the price equation, you’re going to miss out,” Case said. “Focus on the consumers and what they understand, not what you want them to understand about you.”
Business Growth Strategies: 7 Focus Lessons from Performance Coach Alan Stein Jr.
Alan Stein Jr. concluded the conference sessions with seven lessons to help businesses “Raise Your Game.” Stein is a former basketball performance coach who has worked with some of the best athletes in the world, including Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant.
Lesson No. 1: You’re never too good for the basics. He shared that he had an opportunity to sit in on Kobe Bryant’s early morning workout. Stein got there early, but Bryant was already there doing basic drills. When Bryant finished, Stein asked why he was doing something so elementary. Bryant answered: “Why do you think I’m the best player in the world? I never get bored with the basics.”
Never being too good for the basics applies to everyone from athletes to business owners. “Just because something is basic doesn’t mean it’s easy,” Stein said. “We live in a world that tells us it’s OK to skip steps. But the basics work. They always have and always will.”
Other lessons include: adopting a winner’s mindset (“be the best you can, with what you have, wherever you are”), focusing on the next play, controlling what you can, not confusing function with purpose, defining your core values and shifting your focus.
“When you focus on the process, the scoreboard will take care of itself,” he said. Additionally, when selling, make another shift. “When you learn to shift your focus off of what you want from people to what you want for people, you become the most magnetic person in the room immediately.”
ISPA Awards Dinner: Honoring Industry Leaders and Celebrating Achievements
The conference concluded with a reception and the ISPA Awards Dinner. Sponsored by CertiPUR-US, the dinner honored three industry leaders.
Covestro received the MRC Distinguished Service Award. Richard Diamonstein, managing director of Paramount Sleep Co., who received the award two years ago, introduced Covestro in a video.
“Their expertise, commitment, and collaboration with MRC have pushed our industry forward, making mattress recycling more effective and innovative than ever before,” he said. “Their efforts to develop new markets for post-consumer materials and improve supply chain efficiencies are setting new standards as well. It’s inspiring to see a company so dedicated to action.”
a view of the marina.
Richard Skorpenske, vice president of public affairs North America, accepted the award on behalf of the company. “This was a great match between MRC and Covestro, given our mutual goals for the circularity for the mattresses and diverting mattresses from landfills and other undesirable locations at the end of life,” he said. “Even though we’ve come a long way, it doesn’t stop here. There’s a lot of work to be done. This is a journey.”
Hank Little, retired president of Atlanta Attachment Co. and former president of the ISPA Board of Trustees, received the ISPA Vanguard Award, given to individuals who lead the way with pioneering ideas that shape the future of the sleep products industry.
Laurie Tokarz, president and CEO of Restonic Mattress Corp. and current chair of the board, introduced Little.
“As a collaborator and as the chair of ISPA right now, I can say that it’s people like Hank Little that make this industry as wonderful as it is,” she said. “He has driven innovation by pushing boundaries and really changing the direction of what we can do with machinery to make our whole industry more efficient. But beyond that innovation, one thing that I have personally experienced is his kindness and his friendship.”
After receiving the award, Little thanked the employees of his former company, the industry and his family.
“As I leave today, I want everybody to understand this industry together thrives on commitment, care, professionalism, and that is part of each and every one of us here tonight,” he said. “I’m proud to stand by you, to be part of ISPA, to share this success with all of you and the great things to come.”
And, finally, Ryan Trainer, retired ISPA and MRC president, received the Exceptional Service Award.
Gerry Borreggine, president and CEO of Therapedic International, reflected on what a difference Trainer made to ISPA. When he started as president, the association was floundering, Borreggine said.
“When Ryan came … we became member-driven again and the members came back,” he said. “The association became strong again.”
He also reflected on how Trainer guided the industry through flammability regulations and then led the creation of MRC. “Here’s the deal. Ryan deserves this Exceptional Service Award more than anyone else that has ever received it,” Borreggine said.
Trainer received a standing ovation.
When accepting the award, Trainer said his years at ISPA had been a “fun ride.” “Your passion and sense of humor make work fun and so rewarding,” he said. “Thank you all for your support, collaboration and friendship. … I’ve thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with each of you — the individuals, past and present, who build this incredible industry.”
He also praised the board members and officers he worked with, along with the staff.
“One of my most satisfying experiences has been watching our ISPA and MRC teams evolve over the years,” Trainer said. “Their dedication to our members and our stakeholders has strengthened our organization’s leadership in advocacy, research and sustainability. I’m incredibly proud of what our staff has accomplished. … I look forward to continuing to support this industry. ISPA’s future is bright, and I have confidence that this association will continue to thrive.”
Read more on the 2025 ISPA Industry Conference: The State of the Sleep Products Industry.
