Corsicana Appoints of Two New Execs to Product Innovation Team

Furniture World News Desk on 6/18/2019

Bedding producer Corsicana Mattress announced that it is taking strategic steps to deliver more style, innovation and upscale design to the value segment of the mattress category. To lead the push, the company is expanding its product innovation team by hiring a pair of product managers with more than a decade of design, merchandising and product development experience in the home furnishings industry. The new positions are designed to facilitate the company’s strategy of bringing product to the marketplace swiftly, and add to Corsicana’s innovative design approach to the promotional and mid-tier segments.

“We’re staunch believers that many of the same style components found in luxury mattresses can be applied to the value segment of the market to give more consumers access to a better sleep experience,” said Michael Thompson, chief executive officer of Corsicana Mattress. “We are committed delivering great product at hyper-competitive prices, and we’re doing it through great innovation and design.”
   
Veteran Art Van Furniture buyer and merchandiser David Cartlidge has been named senior product manager, while Christi Fitch, most recently the product development and design manager at furniture and mattress importer Southern Enterprises, has been named product manager. Both are based at the company’s Dallas headquarters and report to Mike Loomis, vice president of product development and innovation.

Cartlidge is responsible for developing customer-specific products, as well as new product lines. He also will oversee a large portion of Corsicana’s existing product portfolio and assess productivity of various SKUs.

He was with Art Van for 10 years, most recently as the Top 100 Retailer’s mattress buyer. He developed the product line for the company’s PureSleep specialty stores and bedding departments, and also launched a bed-in-a-box program as part of PureSleep’s e-commerce merchandising strategy.

Fitch will help develop a variety of new mattress and bedding programs and will assist with the design and merchandising of Corsicana’s Las Vegas Market showroom.

She had been the product development and design manager at Southern Enterprises for nearly eight years, where she designed and developed new products, set trend positions for the company, as well as the merchandising for the company’s myCloud mattress program.

Fitch holds a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in merchandising and marketing from the University of North Texas.

About Corsicana: Founded in 1971 in Corsicana, Texas, Corsicana Mattress now operates 10 factories across the country and has become one of the mattress industry’s largest manufacturers. The company offers a full range of promotional and step-up products that feature the latest in sleep technology, including innerspring, memory foam and hybrid models. The company also has a mattress-in-a-box line that simplifies delivery. Corsicana leverages its national manufacturing presence to provide industry-leading quality, value, delivery and customer service. Its mission is to provide hard-working Americans with innovative and affordable sleep products that improve their quality of life.