Published: 2009-08-17 23:38:52
Author: Long Island Business News | July 16, 2009
People go to chiropractors for adjustments, massages and other therapies. If the folks at Sleep Analytics Inc. get their wish, chiropractic patients will also walk away with a BioPosture mattress.
BioPosture, which is marketed by the Long Beach-based company, is the only nationally distributed mattress brand available exclusively through chiropractors. The mattress features natural plant-based BioMemoryFoam, which adapts to the body’s contours, and a patented 7-Zone Neutral Posture Support System, designed to provide anatomic spine support for improved circulation.
BioPosture was launched in December 2008 by Thomas Williams and Irwin Pearl, entrepreneurs who began working together four years ago. Pearl is a veteran of the mattress and bedding industry, while Williams’ 35-year career spans several industries.
The partners were looking to enter the mattress industry but knew that competing at the retail level would be very expensive.
They discovered Anatomic Global Inc., a Corona, Calif., company that made all-natural mattresses to order, with roll-compression technology. The technology allows mattresses to be folded up into a fraction of their size so they can be packaged duffel-bag style for inexpensive shipping. “Because the mattresses were made to order, we would not have to pay to keep inventory, which fit in with our lean business model,” Williams said.
The partners decided to market the mattresses through health care providers. “We interviewed a number of chiropractors, and they told us one of the most frequently asked questions they get is, ‘What should I be sleeping on?’” Williams said.
The company assembled a professional advisory board of top chiropractors and chiropractic sports practitioners, including those that work for the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres, to help further develop the therapeutic mattresses.
“It’s exciting for chiropractors to have a brand that they feel comfortable recommending and to which they have exclusive access,” Williams said, noting that the professionals are compensated up to 25 percent for each referral. According to Williams, many chiropractors asked to demo the mattresses personally before recommending them, and the company provided them at a steep discount. “There’s no better salesperson than a chiropractor who is sleeping on your mattress,” Williams said.
The manufacturer’s use of all-natural materials helped Sleep Analytics in its mission to appeal to chiropractors. “The green aspect is important to many chiropractors and their customers,” Williams said.
The mattresses are only available to individuals who have a referral from a chiropractor. “If someone sees our Web site and calls to request a mattress, our first question is ‘Who is your chiropractor?’” Williams said. “If they don’t have one, we assign one in their area, or if there isn’t one, we use it as a tool to recruit another chiropractor.”