Family-owned businesses are common in the mattress industry, but it’s rare to see five generations of a family working together to sustain a company. This is the story for Heritage Sleep Concepts, a company with a history spanning over 103 years.
Today, operating out of Rome, Georgia, Heritage Sleep Concepts is producing a variety of handmade mattresses and now is prepared to take on much more.
J.H. Sanford started making and selling mattresses in Rome in the early 1900s. His son, Claude Sanford, opened his own mattress company, Sanford Mattress, in the 1930s. In 1973, Terry Spears, Claude’s son-in-law, started Spears Mattress, which grew rapidly and became one of the largest independent mattress manufacturers in the country.
By the early 2000s, Spears Mattress had a 350,000-square-foot facility, over 50 retail stores, and produced 1,400 to 1,800 mattresses per day, servicing 13 states.
Spears sold the company in 2006 and retired in 2011. However, after watching the company struggle, he returned to the business in 2015 with his grandson, Jordan Beck. They named their new company Heritage Sleep Concepts, honoring their long family history in the mattress industry.
Today, Heritage Sleep Concepts is run by the fourth and fifth generations of the Sanford/Spears family, Kristi Spears Beck, Frankie Beck and their son Jordan Beck. The company operates a 120,000-square-foot facility with nearly 100 employees.
Andrew Burt, the new vice president of sales, says the company has big plans for 2025, including a full brand remodel and a complete company rebirth.
“We are positioned for explosive growth due to a significant population shift,” Burt says. “More than 10% of the population has moved more than 100 miles or more in the past year and a half. Our country has never seen something like this, and being based in Rome, Georgia, Heritage Sleep is centrally located and poised to service a large part of that shift. Heritage Sleep Concepts currently services the majority of the Eastern U.S. quickly, with typical lead times of four to five days.”
The company is simplifying its product offerings, reducing the number of SKUs from over 160 to just five lines encompassing 48 models. This aims to streamline the buying process for retailers and offer meaningful profitability to their partners without having to over-assort their floor just to have a few winning models.
“We are happy to offer collections for everyone; we have gone over each model, feel and offering with a fine-tooth comb,” Burt says. “Our goal is to build a lineup that is based on feel, not multiple models in three choices. Retailers know their floor best, so they now can come directly to us and buy only the models they know they will sell. We have spent careful attention to our line of under $899, created by the 29-year-old COO, Jordan Beck, with our Essentials line, specifically catering to our next generation of buyers and understanding their needs.”
In addition to the Essentials line, Heritage Sleep Concepts offers their new Blueprint line, which focuses on a “second-to-none” cooling technology, using graphite infused into their foams for heat dissipation, and includes affordable latex options.
“We’re excited about Blueprint; it’s very different from what the industry has been overproducing for years and offers better prices, amazing feels and features that will intrigue the over-shopped customer,” Burt says.
The Autograph collection, which Jordan Beck has worked tirelessly on, offers exceptional value for retailers in terms of margins and profitability. It features cooling graphite memory foam and latex, and a three-zone pocketed coil providing 25% more support in the inner third of the mattress. The collection includes a seven-bed program ranging from extra firm to ultra plush, all while boasting up to a 15-year warranty.
At the top of the line stands their Silhouette collection. This is Heritage’s invitation-only collection, which features three beds made with natural materials like latex, New Zealand wool, natural cottons and through tufting featuring a striking high-end look.
“We’re expanding each and every day; in 2025 HSC will be marching west and looking for retailers that fit our mold, and we fit theirs,” Burt adds. “We want to be our retailer’s best partner. Period. It’s a great time to have a brand like ours — putting quality mattresses back in retailers’ hands.”
