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SSA Sets New Vision, Mission

July 5, 2013  by Home Furnishing Business in Business Strategy, Industry   

The move came following a two-day planning and working retreat in Boulder, Colo., of the SSA board of directors and officers, facilitated and led by consultant Vicki Worden of Worden Associates, where the 18-year-old trade association systematically reviewed ideas and options for its future.

Specialty mattress/bedding manufacturers, suppliers and retailers participated in detailed discussions and settled upon a new vision, "To be a trusted authority for consumers on product transparency and education for specialty sleep products”; and a new mission, “To serve sleep innovators, both manufacturing and retail, by promoting members, product transparency, and education.”
 
“Our motto ‘The Future of Sleep’ remains the same, but the vision of that future is changing,” said SSA President Dale Read . “Over the next few months and years we want to transition from a group that merely markets and promotes innovative technologies labeled as specialty sleep to become a trusted authority for consumers to turn to when they want to know about the contents, the health, the wellness aspects and the safety features of specialty sleep products.

"We want to assist in educating mattress/bedding consumers about what is going on with the materials, components, construction and finished products of sleep products. To do this we have to help both our manufacturers and the retailers carrying their products. We have to offer a mattress label/contents or consumer disclosure label that is not 'Green' oriented, but covers all materials in the sleep products category. We need to work closely with our members to help them connect with consumers who are looking for 'truth in marketing claims' concerning materials, processes, components, and chemicals. Consumers are demanding more product transparency. We want to help our members feel comfortable about educating the consumer and how to successfully market a mattress/bedding product transparency program."
 
Two specific activities are already underway. First, the SSA has revised and re-launched BEDFAX.org.

“Several of our members will be showing or marketing models under the new BEDFAX program,” said Read. "This is not a 'green' program. This is a simple contents label program, like a food label, telling the consumer what is in this or that bed or pillow or comforter … being open and transparent. More and more health conscious and caring homemakers want to know what is in a product. This is a credible and impartial way of telling them.”