Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Mattress Firm Honors Gary Fazio
March 14,
2016 by in Industry, Special Events 
The award was given at Mattress Firm's annual leadership conference, BEDTalks, last week in San Antonio, Texas.
Steve Stagner, CEO, presented Fazio with the honor, lauding him for his commitment, integrity and unwavering morals, as well as achievements that transformed the industry and a natural leadership style that shaped hundreds of industry leaders.
"Gary is a legend in this industry," Stagner said. "He's a true visionary whose accomplishments are unparalleled, and there is no one more deserving to be chosen as the first inductee into our hall of fame."
Fazio was CEO of Mattress Firm from 2001 to 2010, and retired as CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding in December. Fazio's 44-year career in the bedding industry also included senior leadership roles at Sealy, Simmons Bedding Co. and Serta Simmons Bedding. During his tenure as CEO of Mattress Firm, Fazio's track record included generating more than $800 million in sales, accelerating the company's regional growth strategy and increasing relative market share in more than 44 markets.
"I am deeply grateful to Steve and Mattress Firm for this honor," Fazio said. "My time at Mattress Firm was the most gratifying time of my career. The team had a great sense of positive discontent, which ultimately propelled the organization to become the largest specialty mattress retailer in the country. I was honored to play a role in not only building an incredible company, but working with some of the brightest leaders in the industry."
Mattress Firm Hall of Fame debuted at the company's BEDTalks leadership conference this year, and recognizes the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and success of the MFRM Family of Brands.
Additional vendor awards given at 2016 BEDTalks included: Best In-Store Service to Progressive Leasing; Best Strategic Partnership, CorpU; Service Excellence, Corsicana Bedding; and Simmons Bedding Co. received the Partner of the Year award.