International Bedding BeefsUp Sales Staff
Continuing to broaden its organization with seasoned sales executives, International Bedding (IB) appointed three sales professionals to newly created posts across the country, announced Jeff Maillet, company CEO.
Pat O’Brien, Ann Stephenson and Steve Baumberger will work out of IB’s Florida, Texas and Arizona regions, respectively, and will report to Dennis Straily, IB vice president of sales.
“Each of these executives brings a wealth of sales, management, marketing and business development expertise to our company from both inside and outside the mattress industry,” Straily said. “Based on their years of experience and their proven track records, we’re extremely excited about their appointments to the IB team.”
O’Brien, who has 12 years’ prior experience in the mattress industry, has been named a key account manager for Mattress Giant and will be responsible for other strategic sales initiatives. Before joining IB, O’Brien had been with Spring Air from 2003 to 2007 where he held various sales positions, including vice president of sales for the company’s e-commerce and contract divisions. He also managed national and key accounts for Serta from 1999 to 2003, and served Simmons Company from 1995 to 1999 in various marketing and territory management posts. Most recently, O’Brien headed up management and operations of The Osprey Group, Inc., serving as vice president of the Delray Beach-based landscape installation and maintenance firm.
Stephenson, who has been named a territory manager for IB, will be responsible for retail accounts in the company’s Texas region that carry the exclusive Dr. Breus Bed™ line.
A former Texas-based territory sales executive for Sealy from 2005 to 2008, Stephenson also spent nearly 22 years in both wholesale and retail sales, which included sales management positions with global designer brands. Prior to joining IB, she was a retail sales coordinator for Perry Ellis International, serving the Macy’s and Dillard’s department store chains from 2009 to the present. She also was an account executive and merchandise coordinator for Tommy Hilfiger USA (1994 to 2004), and worked for Abercrombie & Fitch from 1985 to 1994, opening and managing stores in Dallas, Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City.
Baumberger also has been appointed an IB territory manager, responsible for spearheading sales growth in southern California for all of IB’s brands, including The Dr. Breus Bed, Airsprung®, Europa®, Origins™ and AmericanPedic®.
The former owner and president of Baumberger’s Furniture, based in Evansville, IN, Baumberger first joined the family business in 1992 as a sales representative and assistant manager. He left the company in 2007 to become vice president of multi-family investments at The Foundation Group, Inc., an established, Seattle-based commercial real estate brokerage.
During his career Baumberger also worked as an operations manager for Midwest Wireless, Inc., based in Indianapolis, and as a sales rep and assistant manager for Dania Furniture in Seattle.
International Bedding is one of the largest, independently-owned mattress producers in the U.S. IB markets the popular The Dr. Breus Bed™, an exclusive collection of U.K.-based Airsprung® mattresses designed for the American market, plus its luxury Europa® and eco-conscious Origins™ lines, among several other quality brands.
The company owns and operates manufacturing facilities in Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Texas. For more information visit www.internationalbedding.com.
