COVER STORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Hickory Springs- From The Frying Pan Into The Fire

Members of the Futon Association since October, 1991, Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company will be in attendance at the 16th Annual Futon Expo and Specialty Sleep Show in Orlando in March. At last year’s show, as an enticement to get people to stop and talk, Tracy Hamlin, sales manager of Hickory Springs’ Fiber Division, and Wendi Hartsoe, the company’s futon accounts manager, offered show attendees bottles of Louisiana hot sauce.

Wendi Hartsoe and Tracy Hamlin of Hickory Springs made due with dreams of sun and fun in Florida from their snowy, wintery perch in North Carolina, which got more snow than New England this year.

The bottles bore a label with the company’s logo and the words, “We’ve got hot stuff.” Of course, being astute saleswomen, the ladies pointed out to the recipients that not only was the sauce they were giving away hot, but they had some really hot items in their futon repertoire. In the process of doling out vast quantities of hot sauce, they became widely known as the “Hot Stuff Girls.” The company’s fiber division even received phone calls after the show asking for the “Hot Stuff Girls.” Those of you who plan to attend this year’s event in Orlando will be pleased to know that their fertile young minds are working to come up with a new promotional approach. And . . . there may even be a few bottles of hot sauce still available.

Hickory Springs Fibers, a relatively new but widely recognized name in the nation’s burgeoning futon industry, is a division of Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company. It was in the fibers area of the business that the company’s futon operation was born. The company was approached by a business in Virginia in 1991 and asked if it would consider manufacturing futon mattresses.

During the early formative years, divisional personnel who were involved in launching the futon operation spent untold hours learning all they could about what customers were looking for in futons and about how the company could make them even better. One member of the group stated, “We were really passionate about learning all we could about this unique new product line. I must have attended 25 or 30 trade shows during the first five years we were in the business.”

In addition to enhancing their knowledge and understanding of the product and the technology involved in its manufacture, the company’s management also sought to establish solid relationships with various distribution sources.

One of these initial relationships was with New Energy Bedrooms of Christiansburg, Virginia, a firm which warehouses Hickory Springs futons for weekly delivery to the East Coast. In addition, New Energy also has played a role in helping to develop a number of the company’s new product concepts.

Today, two of the driving forces behind the escalating success of the Hickory Springs futon business are Tracy Hamlin and Wendi Hartsoe. Hamlin brings over 13 years of experience in the furniture seating business to the table, and Hartsoe has been involved in various aspects of the bedding industry for over 20 years. Combining their knowledge of both seating and bedding design has provided some unique and innovative solutions to futon mattress construction. The result has been an impressive range of futons designed for virtually any application or lifestyle.

Tracy Hamlin states, “What we have tried to do is apply our company’s vast knowledge of quality furniture and bedding construction to the futon industry. Our company has extensive technical expertise in the areas of fiber, foam and metal component manufacturing and provides us with a far-reaching network of support. Most certainly our aim has been to create futons which not only offer outstanding comfort and support but which are also aesthetically attractive and extremely functional.”

At present, the company’s basic line of futon mattresses includes a polyurethane foam and synthetic fiber unit, an innerspring, foam and fiber model called the Inner-vator and the patented Foam Coil (futon which features double cone coil springs positioned within pockets in the unit’s central foam core. Wendi Hartsoe stated, “We feel like the Inner-vator is the cornerstone of our basic line. We consider it to be the best innerspring unit in the industry and it’s our largest seller. Like all of our mattresses, it is constructed from springs, foam and fiber that we make in our own plants. This allows us to closely monitor the quality of each unit.”

Tracy Hamlin indicates that during the past year Hickory Springs has noticed a rapidly increasing consumer interest in more upscale, high-end futon mattresses. “To fill that void, we introduced our Passport Collection. This unique line offers such high-end features as fiber down toppers, latex toppers and slick luxury fibers in combination with our popular innerspring unit and high-performance foam. And, we cover all these high-end units with a luxurious insignia fabric of spun viscose. This sophisticated cover enhances the look and feel of our premium units,” Hamlin said.

Wendi Hartsoe stated, “Because of our attention to quality, our product returns are almost zero. While we have mechanized numerous operations within the plant, we still do certain things by hand. That’s because, for example, hand tufting produces a tuft that will not tear or pull through the exterior cloth. We also place the inner workings of each mattress in a non-woven cover before placing it in the tick. This prevents the fiber from shifting or percolating through the tick. Quality is our number one aim.”

In an effort to reach retailers with a branded product, Hickory Springs has stepped up its marketing efforts and media advertising. It also is providing P.O.P. posters, brochures and other on-site advertising materials such as an upscale display case in which cut-away versions of the various futon mattresses can be shown.

As part of their customer support efforts, Tracy and Wendi host a “Hickory Springs World Tour” in which customers are invited to attend an extensive tour of various Hickory Springs metal, foam and fiber production facilities. By visiting various manufacturing sites, the visitors are able to see how these components are made and ultimately brought together to create quality futons. Additionally, Hickory Springs offers in-store sales presentations for retailers on a variety of features and benefits.

During the past two years, Hickory Springs has ventured into an entirely new arena in the futon industry. In 1998, the company introduced a new frame concept, the Comfort Lounger. This unique folding mechanism, which features a metal frame and sinuous wire springs, provides for greatly enhanced comfort and resiliency. Rather than placing the futon mattress on hard wooden slats or panels, it can be situated on a buoyant spring foundation which provides a more restful sleeping and seating surface. The company’s many years of experience in the design and manufacture of sleeper sofa mechanisms, incliners, recliners and spring systems provided the needed technological background to craft a folding, spring-actuated mechanism that provides for both comfort and ease of operation.

A major supplier to the nation’s furniture and bedding industries, Hickory Springs was founded in 1944, and has grown from a single plant manufacturing two or three basic types of springs to some 60 locations in 15 states offering a diverse range of products. The product mix includes furniture and bedding springs of all types, sofa sleeper mechanisms, motion mechanisms, polyurethane foam, plastic furniture components, furniture supplies and an extensive line of polyester and natural fibers.

Be on the lookout for the Hickory Springs booth at the show—You never know what you might find! FL

		Top (l to r) Armando hand tufts a cushion on the line; Hickory Springs' Comfort Loungerª mechanism offers comfort and ease of operation in a simple bolt on unit; two workers run a cushion through the stuffer at the HS plant; Tracy Hamiln packs up the last of the Hot Sauce from last year's Expo in Las Vegas; Hickory Springs is now marketing a full line of solid hardwood futon frames.