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From Home Furnishing Business

Ling Moves to Organic Mattresses as CEO

July 23, 2014  by in Bedding, Executive Changes, Industry, Product   

Yuba City, Calif.-based OMI's founder, Walt Bader, will become chairman.

Ling is credited with introducing several new and dramatic changes to the industry during his time at Simmons and as the founder of Pure Latexbliss.

“For many years we have watched Kurt introduce new innovation to the category and seen him build an exciting new brand. We have always had a credible, well-respected product. What we needed was a strong marketer like Kurt to help us grow the business to the next level,” Bader said. “Kurt will extend our brand into an even greater spectrum in the ‘all natural’ and ‘organic’ mattress space. We are committed to providing the consumer the very finest, most natural and organic product that can be crafted at various price points.” 

Ling said OMI is a unique brand with unlimited opportunity.

“I am genuinely excited to join the OMI team and build the OrganicPedic brand," Ling said. "I believe the growth of natural and organic products across many categories over the last decade has been phenomenal. Companies like Whole Foods and Aveda Cosmetics have changed their industries for the good of consumers and retailers alike.

“While our industry has historically positioned organic mattresses narrowly and only to the very chemically sensitive, I see a much greater opportunity if we can partner with retailers and position our products to a  much more mainstream market of consumers who already buy organic in other categories such as food, cosmetics and other home furnishings like flooring and paint. It is the ultimate opportunity for us as a company and retailers in the industry.”

In 2009, Ling co-founded Pure Latexbliss. The company reintroduced all-latex beds back into the United States and expanded into six other countries. He resigned his post in March 2014.

Prior to this position, Ling spent seven years as vice president of Beautyrest and vice president of innovation at Simmons, where he lead the company and subsequently, the industry’s change to non-flip mattress designs. He also was president of Customer Kinetics, an industry consulting agency where he spent four years advising major mattress brands and retailers on innovative new product designs, marketing strategies and selling processes. Before entering the mattress industry, Ling spent 13 years at Maytag Appliances where he worked in sales management and in marketing as brand manager for five years.

Ling was nominated to Fast Company’s Fast 50 List of Dreamers and Doers, was featured in Fortune Magazine and was recognized by University of Virginia’s Darden Business School as a Growth Leader.