Spring Air Adds Sales Division Vice Presidents

Furniture World Magazine

The Spring Air Company said that it had appointed three bedding and retail industry veterans to lead three newly created sales divisions for the organization. Charles Dietiker, most recently of Sleep Country and Simmons, will head the western division from the company’s production facility in Lacey, Washington (Seattle). Chad Megard joins from Comfort Solutions and will head the central division based in Elk Grove Village, IL (Chicago). Eric Jent, most recently from Ashley, joins as the eastern division leader and will be based at the company’s production facility in New Brunswick, NJ. All three men join as division vice presidents and will report to Executive Vice President of Sales Kevin Damewood. “These industry veterans bring to Spring Air nearly 45 years of seasoned sales experience that will help our retailers build their bedding businesses,” said Damewood. “They will play a critical role in assisting our local sales teams better serve our customers. At a time when many of the other S brands are reducing sales forces or limiting access to representatives we are doing the opposite. We are adding people at all levels of the sales organization to improve the level of quality, service and value we are bringing to our retailers.” Dietiker was most recently vice president of sales and operations for Sleep Country USA. He joined the retailer from Simmons in 2005 after a nine-year stint where he rose from sales representative to regional vice president of sales for the northeast region serviced by its Hazelton, PA facility. He began his career in the mattress industry in 1992 as a sales associate for Sleep Train in Sacramento, CA. Megard’s 15 years experience in mattress industry sales management spans three major brands: Comfort Solutions, Sealy and Serta. He most recently was senior vice president of sales for Comfort Solutions heading their team in the central region. In 2001 he joined Serta as corporate vice president of sales. During his five years in that role, he ran a $160 million sales division encompassing 10 manufacturing facilities. In 1992 he began a nine-year career with Sealy in the Midwest, rising from sales representative to a senior key account manager. He began his career at Slumberland Furniture as a sales associate. Jent was most recently president of Rockledge Furniture Company, a division of Ashley Furniture Homestores, where he was responsible for a nine-store, $90 million sales organization in Chicago and Milwaukee. Prior to Ashley, he was with Simmons a total of 11 years, as both a sales representative and then for eight years in a series of sales leadership positions, ending his career there as vice president of the northeastern division. Founded in 1926, The Spring Air Company is one of the world’s largest mattress manufacturing companies with more than 1,150 employees in 14 locations. It’s well-known consumer brand’s include: Sleep Rite; Back Supporter; Nature’s Rest; Four Seasons; and Chattam & Wells.