Profile: Sealy Mattress Company

Sealy History

In the small town of Sealy, Texas just outside of Houston, a cotton gin builder and operator by the name of Daniel Haynes responded to a request from a neighbor and built a cotton-filled mattress in 1881. The product was so favorably received that Daniel Haynes began receiving more and more requests from neighbors and relatives. Encouraged by the response, Haynes invented a machine that compressed cotton for use in mattresses and received a patent for his invention in 1889.

The acceptance for the product grew beyond the local area in Texas and began to be referred to by customers in other regions of the country as the "mattress from Sealy."

In 1906, Haynes sold all of his patents and know-how to a Texas Company that took the name of Sealy. It was in this timeframe that a young advertising executive named Earl Edwards launched Sealy on the road to national prominence. Edwards placed Sealy advertising in The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal. Edwards ensured that Sealy registered its name, developed a trademark and gave Sealy the slogan "sleeping on a Sealy is like sleeping on a cloud".

The next major strategic move was a pivotal step in Sealy's evolution. The management of Sealy made the decision that to be successful the Company would need production facilities throughout the country. The Company had a limited amount of capital, so the Company followed the model of Coca-Cola and was the first bedding Company to seek licensees from different geographical areas. By 1920, Sealy had 28 licensed plants.

Business flourished until the Great Depression hit with full force and mattress sales declined drastically. Sealy might have become history except for the support of the eight strongest Sealy licensees, including The Ohio Mattress Company, who pooled their financial resources, paid off the debt of the licensing Company and created what was to become known as Sealy, Inc. The 1930's were tough, but these eight determined licensees survived and, in fact, introduced a new product – the Button Free Innerspring.

In 1950, the Company introduced its first Sealy Posturepedic brand mattress. In 1956, Sealy became the first Company to display and advertise king sized bedding.

The 1960's saw Sealy commission the first major research study to define the profile of the Sealy Posturepedic consumer. In 1967, Sealy Posturepedic TV commercials ran during prime time on national television; another first for the industry.

The 1970's brought major product developments and refinements. Sealy Posturepedic became high tech with a new coil in the innerspring that was specifically designed with programmed response for increased support. During the same decade, Sealy box