Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Soft-Tex Announces Top Executive Changes
January 23,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Sleep product manufacturer Soft-Tex International, Inc. has announced that Jeff Chilton is stepping down as CEO. Effective immediately, the board of directors has appointed CFO, Tom Gibbs, to serve as interim chief executive officer.
"On behalf of the board and the employees of Soft-Tex, I want to thank Jeff for the tremendous leadership he provided Soft-Tex over the course of his 8-year tenure. I am excited about Soft-Tex's future under Tom's guidance and the upcoming launch of Soft-Tex's new innovations like REACTEX™ and many other new technologies," said Bruce Roberston, member of the Soft-Tex board of directors and partner at Hudson Ferry Capital which maintains an investment in Soft-Tex.
"Soft-Tex is well-positioned to continue serving its industry-wide base of customers and we are confident in our team's ability to maintain our growth trajectory. We remain unwaveringly committed to our strategic focus areas of new innovation, channel expansion and digital growth," said Gibbs.
Remarking on Soft-Tex's focus, new board member and Reactex inventor, Mark Smiderle, added, "The Soft-Tex product development and engineering teams work tirelessly to drive game changing innovation to come up with new ways to surprise and delight consumers which is critical in differentiating a product assortment from today's crowded marketplace of home comfort products. From Reactex personal climate control, to proprietary foam formulations, new wellness lines, and much more, the Soft-Tex team provides true innovation, rapid product development, and the merchandising & marketing needed to commercialize product for a frictionless omnichannel retail experience."
The Soft-Tex senior management team in a separate letter to employees also reiterated its commitment to a seamless leadership transition and providing continued superior service to its current and future customers.
Gibbs joined Soft-Tex in 2012 as vontroller and was promoted to the position of CFO in 2013 and has been a valuable member of the Soft-Tex senior management team since that time. Prior to Soft-Tex, Gibbs served in a diverse array of senior financial executive roles, having served as CFO of Cookson Plastic Molding Corporation in Albany, N.Y. and CFO of Loudon Plastics in Latham, N.Y.
Gibbs is an accredited as a certified public accountant and associate real estate broker in the state of New York and is an alumnus of the accounting school at Manhattan College.