This article is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view. For blatant advertising that would require a fundamental rewrite to become encyclopedic, use {{db-spam}} to mark for speedy deletion. (December 2007)

Select Comfort Corporation

Type	Corporation
Founded	1987
Headquarters	Plymouth, Minnesota, U.S.
Key people	Bill McLaughlin, Pete Bils
Industry	Mattresses
Products	Sleep Number bed air mattresses and Bedding
Website	http://www.selectcomfort.com/

Select Comfort (NASDAQ: SCSS) is a U.S.-based manufacturer that bills itself as "the leading U.S. manufacturer of adjustable firmness air mattresses and the creator of the Sleep Number bed." The company is based in Plymouth, Minnesota.

In 1980, the category of adjustable air supported sleep systems was invented by a private company; Comfortaire Corporation, of South Carolina. An executive from Comfortaire left and formed a new company in 1987 called Select Comfort.

The company's frequent TV commercials feature actress Lindsay Wagner. Other endorsers include conservative radio talk show hosts Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Laura Ingraham and country artists SheDaisy.

Select Comfort was founded in 1987 by Robert "Bob" Walker and his wife JoAnn Walker. As of 2006^[update], Select Comfort holds 32 issued or pending patents for its products, and has over 442 retail stores nationwide. The current CEO is Bill McLaughlin.

Select Comfort also has an exclusive partnership with Radisson Hotels & Resorts, which was announced in May 2004. The Radisson Sleep Number bed can now be found at Radisson properties in locations throughout the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean.[1]

Select Comfort has been the "Official Bed Provider" for Ronald McDonald House Charities since January 2001. The company has donated more than 3,700 Sleep Number beds to the 156 Ronald McDonald Houses in the U.S. to date. In addition to the beds, Select Comfort, along with its employees and vendor partners, has donated more than 5,500 employee volunteer hours and $640,000 in contributions from employee payroll deductions, retail promotions and other fundraising activities. The total value of these goods, services and cash contributions exceeds $3.2 million. [2] In October 2006, Select Comfort sponsored a "Sleep Like a Star" celebrity bed auction on eBay which raised over $35,000.

There have been critics of the bed as well^[1]. Some of the criticisms are regarding an uneven sleeping platform, difficulty in finding the perfect 'sleep number', and poor customer service. In particular, there have been numerous reports ^[2] of mold forming on the air cells inside the mattress.

The most recent quarterly earnings report shows a solid profit for the company,^[3] however the value of Select Comfort stock has declined over the past 2 years.^[4] The drop in stock value seems to be the result of a drop in overall mattress sales for all companies ^[5], though there is speculation^[6] that the reputed mold problems have contributed to this.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Select Comfort website
• Customer Comments on Consumer Affair

Original Air Bed Company Before Sleep Number Bed

v • d • e Major North American mattress manufacturers Dorel - Essentia - King Koil - Restonic - Sealy - Select Comfort - Serta - Simmons - Spring Air - Tempur-Pedic - Therm-a-Rest - Leggett & Platt