Kingdown To Merge International & Domestic Operations. Lee Hinshaw Will Leave Company

Furniture World News Desk on 12/23/2012

Top 10 bedding manufacturer Kingsdown, Inc., said that it will merge the sales and operations units of its international division with its domestic structure in order to better service and grow its foreign business. Lee Hinshaw, who is president of international sales, has resigned his position and will depart the company at the end of the month.

As part of the leadership change, Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing Kevin Damewood will now have responsibility for all global sales. Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Joe Schmoeller will oversee manufacturing and distribution worldwide.

“Today, we are fortunate to have a significantly more experienced international and domestic management team who all have the capability of growing our business both domestically and abroad. Implementing a more unified approach to sales and operations will increase our effectiveness and accelerate our ability to grow our international operations. Consolidating all international and domestic functions play to our strengths in innovation and operational excellence. As we continue to grow as a company it becomes increasing more important that we operate with one consistent vision, as one company.,” said Kingsdown President and CEO Frank Hood. “We have experienced tremendous growth and success internationally and have many new exciting opportunities to grow the Kingsdown international family of brands.”

Hinshaw has worked in international sales and brand development for much if his 16 years with Kingsdown.

“We are extremely grateful to Lee for the contributions he has made to Kingsdown over these many years and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” said Hood.

“I am pleased to have played a role in building the Kingsdown brand into one of the leading global players in the industry. Through the hard work of our people, licensees and partners, we have developed many successful relationships around the world,” said Hinshaw.”At this juncture in my life, I am looking forward to pursuing new professional opportunities.

Kingsdown, Inc. founded in 1904 and headquartered in Mebane, North Carolina, USA is a manufacturer of premium mattress systems serving leading retailers across the United States and in more than 20 countries. Each product is manufactured using handcrafted techniques combined with state‐of‐the‐art research, materials and equipment. Research and development, training and distribution facilities, as well as two manufacturing facilities, are also headquartered in Mebane. International offices are located in Bangkok, Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. Additional manufacturing and distribution centers are located in Winchester, VA; Muskogee, OK; Lakeland, FL; Stockton, CA; Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, Canada;; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Istanbul, Turkey; and Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, Australia. For more information, visit www.kingsdown.com.