Larry Thomas — Furniture Today,
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — Consolidated Bedding, Spring Air’s largest licensee, has acquired six additional U.S. licensees and simultaneously merged with Spring Air Co., the licensor of the Spring Air brand.

The newly unified Spring Air also has hired former Simmons executive Bob Hellyer as CEO. He will oversee some 1,150 employees at 13 factories and a corporate office, which will remain in the Chicago area.


Jim Nation, president of Spring Air Co., will hold the same title in the new Spring Air. Steve Antinori, chairman and CEO of Consolidated Bedding, will become chairman of the Spring Air board.

“This is an exciting day for all of Spring Air’s customers, employees and suppliers,” Hellyer said. “As one company, led by an experienced management team with a common vision, Spring Air can deliver better quality, service and exceptional value.”

As part of the so-called “roll-up” transaction, Consolidated acquired Spring Air licensees in Atlanta; Birmingham, Ala.; Chelsea, Mass.; Denver; Phoenix; St. Louis; Salt Lake City, and Lacey, Wash.

They will join Consolidated’s existing facilities in Columbus, Ohio; Carrollton, Texas; City of Industry, Calif.; New Brunswick, N.J., and Tampa, Fla.

Spring Air licensees in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Greensboro, N.C., were not part of the transaction and will remain independent, as will Spring Air’s licensees outside the United States.

Hellyer is a fourth-generation mattress executive who has been in the industry for nearly 25 years. He was president of Simmons from 2001 to 2012 and held a variety of sales and senior management posts there from 1994 to 2001.

He began his bedding industry career in 1983 as a key account representative for Stearns & Foster and became vice president of sales for the Sealy division in 1992.