Sleep Number

History

In 1980, the category of adjustable air-supported sleep systems was invented by a private company, Comfortaire Corporation of South Carolina. Robert Walker left Comfortaire and he and his wife, JoAnne Walker, formed a new company in 1987 called Select Comfort.

Select Comfort acquired the Comfortaire Corporation in January 2013. In March 2017, Select Comfort closed its Comfortaire third-party retail business. In November 2017, Select Comfort Corporation changed their corporate name to Sleep Number Corporation.

The company's TV commercials used to feature actress Lindsay Wagner. Other endorsers include conservative radio talk show hosts Glenn Beck, Paul Harvey and Laura Ingraham. Rush Limbaugh also previously advertised the product, but the company pulled its advertising in the wake of the Rush Limbaugh–Sandra Fluke controversy. Sleep Number is the official sleep and wellness partner of the NFL. Its commercials also feature star athletes like the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott.

Robert Walker left Select Comfort in 2001 and formed an alternative energy company, Bixby Energy Systems. In 2014, he was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison for fraud, tax evasion, witness tampering and conspiracy for repeatedly misleading investors about Bixby Energy.

, Sleep Number holds 23 issued or pending U.S. patents and 40 issued or pending foreign patents for its products.

In January 2020, Sleep Number announced a collaboration with Mayo Clinic to further sleep science research and cardiovascular medicine, valued at $10M over five years. In February 2022, Sleep Number entered into a long-term partnership with the American Cancer Society to embark upon foundational sleep research to identify the impact of quality sleep on cancer prevention and recovery.

In March 2025, Sleep Number Corporation’s Board of Directors appointed Linda Findley as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective April 7, 2025. She succeeded Shelly Ibach, who had announced her retirement in October 2024 and continued to serve as Board Chair until the expiration of her term at the 2025 annual meeting.

Sleep Number Bed

The company manufactures the Sleep Number bed, an adjustable air mattress. The "Sleep Number" is a setting that adjusts the firmness or softness of the mattress on each side of the bed using air pressure. Higher numbers (up to 100) denote higher pressure and more firmness, and lower numbers denoting less pressure and more softness.

Legal issues and controversy

In 2005, Sleepy's, which is now Mattress Firm, sued Select Comfort, currently known as Sleep Number, for disparaging the quality and comfort of Personal Preference beds made by Sleepy's, and said Sleepy’s offered inferior warranties. The case revolved around whether or not Select Comfort violated a 2005 contract that let Sleepy’s sell a Select Comfort product, while Select Comfort sold an arguably superior product in its own stores. The case was originally dismissed in 2015 by U.S. District Judge Joanna Seybert in Central Islip, New York but later revived by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018 after finding out that the lower court misinterpreted part of the New York law. The appeals court also threw out a $2.63 million legal fee award for Sleep Number.{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/28/us-court-revives-the-mattress-firm-defamation-case-against-sleep-number.html|work=cncb.com|title=US court revives the Mattress Firm defamation case against Sleep Number |access-date=2020-01-14|language=en-US}}

In 2015, a class action lawsuit was filed against Sleep Number and Leggett & Platt accusing the companies of failing to uphold the warranty and fix a bed they sold to customers, David and Katina Spade. The suit claims there were several other customers who experienced similar issues.

On November 9, 2019 Dires LLC, the legal entity that sells the Personal Comfort Bed, filed a lawsuit in Minnesota state court accusing Sleep Number of monopolization, tortious interference, deceptive trade and unjust enrichment. This stems out of a previous court ruling stating that Sleep Number has no trademark rights to the phrase “number bed.” The new lawsuit claims that Sleep Number falsely told Google that it owns the trademark rights for "number bed," causing Google to deny Dires the use of the phrase to attain more clicks to its website. Dires also accused Sleep Number of targeting it with false, misleading and defamatory reviews and comments about its products. They provided evidence of Sleep Number employees posting false and negative comments about its products on Facebook and YouTube.

References

References

1. (2018). "Sleep Number Corporation Form 10-K". Securities and Exchange Commission.
2. "SNBR Financials".
3. "Select Comfort moving headquarters to downtown Minneapolis". Star Tribune.
4. "Comfortaire History".
5. (24 January 2013). "Select Comfort buys Comfortaire in $15.5 million deal – Furniture Today". furnituretoday.com.
6. [http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/541608-select-comfort-closes-comfortaire-third-party-retail/ Select Comfort to close Comfortaire, Third Party Retail Business.]
7. "Select Comfort Changes Name to Sleep Number".
8. (28 March 2011). "Select Comfort – Simple Solution". YouTube.
9. (March 2, 2012). "Rush Limbaugh in hot water with sponsors after 'slut' remark". MSNBC.
10. (August 28, 2013). "No Sleep Number in Slammer: Select Comfort Founder Jailed: Minnesota's Former Mattress Maker Fighting Felony Charges".
11. "Judge sentences ex-CEO to 25 years in Bixby fraud". Star Tribune.
12. (2011). "Select Comfort Corporation Form 10-K". Securities and Exchange Commission.
13. (8 January 2020). "Sleep Number Announces Collaboration With Mayo Clinic to Advance Sleep Science and Cardiovascular Medicine".
14. (2 February 2022). "American Cancer Society and Sleep Number Partner to Study Impact of Quality Sleep on Cancer Prevention and Survivorship". American Cancer Society.
15. "Sleep Number Board Names Linda Findley as President and Chief Executive Officer".
16. Niepow, Dan. (2025-03-06). "Former Blue Apron CEO Takes Top Job at Sleep Number".
17. "Class action filed over Sleep Number Beds' warranties". washingtonexaminer.com.
18. "KC-area bed manufacturer accuses Sleep Number of dirty pool". www.bizjournals.com/.