Although Eric Delaby now lives in Greenville, South Carolina—where he and his family enjoy hiking the many trails within the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains—he is originally from France. The senior sales director at the Jones Family of Companies still enjoys visiting the country, seeing family, and spending quality time at his family’s summer vacation home in scenic southern Brittany, France. He wrote his responses to our questions from another vacation—“Cape Cod,” he says, “and I’m sleeping very well!”
BedTimes: What is your favorite thing about working in the sleep industry?
Eric Delaby: THE PEOPLE! Such a tight-knit organization. Suppliers, competitors, customers, and, of course, International Sleep Products Association members—everyone is super friendly.
BT: What’s one thing you absolutely need for a good night’s sleep?
ED: I’m a simple guy and can sleep almost anywhere and, I would say, almost anytime.But I would prefer sleeping in a cool—not cold—room.
BT: What’s your ideal bedtime (even if you don’t always hit it)?
ED: Usually around 10:30 p.m. on weekdays and midnight on weekends. That hasn’t always been the same, but that was many years ago!
BT: Pets in the bed—yea or nay?
ED: Sorry, but nay. My wife, Sylvie, and I love Milou, our four-legged friend. He’s 13 years old and is a cute and smart rescue dog, half husky and half white shepherd. He is a big dog, with lots of fur, so he has his own bed, and we have ours.
BT: Barefoot or socks at bedtime?
ED: Barefoot.
BT: What’s on your nightstand right now?
ED: A picture of my better half. We’ve been married for 33 years. She has a nice little spot on my nightstand but a huge place in my heart.
BT: What’s the best sleep product you own—and why?
ED: My mattress. I made it myself, using some good latex made in Georgia, and I recently added a softer, 2-inch layer of gel memory foam. My wife and I love it and are always glad to be back home in our own bed.
BT: What’s one thing you always pack to help you sleep away from home?
ED: A good book and my iPad to watch a movie of my choice.
BT: What’s the strangest or best place you’ve ever fallen asleep?
ED: There are many great as well as strange places I’ve slept, but the one that still stands out for me after all these years would be sleeping outside in the southern Sahara, between Algeria and Niger, having a blanket of stars over me like I’ve never seen before and mixed with wonder and the excitement of sleeping in a one-of-a-kind bedroom.
BT: Do you break any traditional sleep “rules”?
ED: Being a road warrior, I’m often on the road, so no rules for me. I’ve learned to sleep anywhere and on anything! I’m a lucky guy … not falling asleep is not usually something that happens to me.
BT: Sleep mask or sound machine?
ED: Neither.
BT: Cozy or cool?
ED: Cool.
BT: Physical book or Kindle?
ED: Physical book … love the smell of a book and turning the pages.
BT: Before bed: read a book, watch a show, or listen to a podcast?
ED: Old school … reading a book. Right now, it’s Before the Fall by Noah Hawley. It’s also a good book to read while relaxing on the beach!
BT: Anything else you’d like to add?
ED: I came to the mattress/bedding industry by pure random chance. Looking for a new job before possibly moving back to France, I came across Deslee, who was starting a new plant in South Carolina. They hired me as their vice president of sales. Since then, there have been no regrets and plenty of fun and great memories. Now I’ve been in the bedding industry for 23-plus years and have made many good friends along the way. I’m looking forward to many more years with old friends and hopefully making new ones.
