What’s it like to be a woman at the top?
Industry leaders tell their stories –
and share a few surprises 

sk the owner of Cotton Belle what makes the business successful and with a blend of cheerful enthusiasm and resolute conviction you’ll hear a few secrets. Empowering people. Being sensitive to the needs of women as moms. Having fun. Monthly back massages for all employees.

Certainly not what you’d expect in these lean and mean nineties. And not what you’d expect from one of the top futon cover and accessory manufacturers in the country.

But maybe it’s not so much of a surprise when you realize that the owners of this business are women. Mary Lou Rath and her partner Deanna Ridenhour are just a few of a relatively significant percentage of women in ownership or leadership positions in the futon industry. Look around and you see women designing product, women owning manufacturing companies, women running rep firms, and women running successful retail shops and chains. The futon industry is a rare one in that it has been shaped in large part by a sorority of bold, competent women.

What is it about this futon industry that attracts successful women? How did they get here? What are the secrets to their success? Do they enjoy their work?

These are just some of the questions that prompted Futon Life to interview women in different corners of the futon world around North America. We spoke to fifteen women, each one of them generous enough to share their story – and gracious enough to share their wisdom.

Following Their Bliss

One of the first questions we asked was, what drew you to the futon industry? In other words, how did you get to be where you are today? What we found out was, like most people, the women in this industry stumbled into their careers by improvisationally following their interests and talents. Not one of the women we spoke with thought they’d be doing what they’re doing today when they were children.

And the talent and interest most women were following were sewing and fabric. Many spoke of an early love of sewing which expressed itself by making dolls as children and designing clothes as an adult. And, of course, they spoke of having a lifelong affection for good fabric.

Shari Hammer, 36-year old CEO of SIS Futon Covers, is a perfect example. She was in graduate school studying to be an art teacher when her sister persuaded her to start a business together. “We are both artistic and loved to sew, so in the beginning we did all the sewing in the basement of her home.” Today Shari owns the business on her own, employs 110 people, and occupies a 60,000 square foot facility. “If I step back and look at the size and number of people in our company it’s amazing. I’m in awe that this is my life!”

Several women discovered the futon industry by way of the fine arts. Women like Sue Titus, founder and co-owner of MUSE, supported herself through the sale of her oil paintings before starting a successful line of hand painted futon covers, pillows, and decorative accessories. “At first I created my work just for my friend’s store,” she explains. “Then, six months later, I decided to wholesale. My interest is in being an artist, so my partner Nancy and I keep the business small so we can do all the designing and a lot of the hands on work. It’s this passion that makes the product and business work.”

When women like Irma McInnis discovered futons, they found a perfect way to express cherished values. “I always loved textiles and I knew I wanted to be doing something with natural products,” explains McInnis, founder and sole owner of Dream Designs, manufacturer and wholesaler of natural fiber futon furniture and accessories in Vancouver, British Columbia. “When a girlfriend talked about the cotton futon mattresses in Israel, I wanted to find out more. At that time polyester was “in” and you couldn’t even find cotton underwear! I saw this as an opportunity to make natural textiles a part of people’s everyday lives, to make healthy “sleep pods” with no metal springs, no electromagnetic discharge. Futons are a simple, pure design that afford people a rejuvenating sleep.”

Several women were introduced to the business by their husbands. Through them, they learned about the business, started helping out, and eventually came on board as co-owners and equal partners. Catherine Chadbourne was married to her husband Dave for 16 years before she joined him three years ago to manage retail store and wholesale operations of Welcome Home located in Minneapolis, MN. Like most women working with their husbands, she enjoys their relationship as much as the business itself. “If it weren’t for Dave, I would still be working as a nutritionist and running the food wholesale business I had with several other women. But I really like working with him, coming up with better solutions by merging our different talents and working towards a common goal.”

FL