Purple Innovation finds soft landing in Georgia

HENRY COUNTY, Ga.—With its first foray into the East Coast, Utah-based Purple Innovation Inc., will invest $21 million in a mattress manufacturing facility in Henry County, creating about 360 jobs.

The 520,000-sq.-ft. facility in which Purple Innovation will make its patented, hyper-elastic mattresses already exists, and Purple Innovation will sub-lease space within the building, according to Purple's Chief Financial Officer Craig Phillips.

The company, which maintains manufacturing facilities in Alpine and Grantsville, Utah, said it is expanding its manufacturing operations to the East Coast to meet consumer demand there.

"We'll be using the investment to build up our manufacturing equipment and capabilities—increasing the number of Mattress Max machines to six, adding smaller injection molding machines and mattress and ancillary product assembly equipment alongside additional warehouse and racking equipment," Phillips said. "We'll also be upgrading our infrastructure to support equipment and technology enhancements that maximize efficiency."

Established in 2015 by Tony and Terry Pearce, brothers who have extensive experience in engineering and materials science, Purple Innovation focuses on comfort products such as mattresses, pillows and wheelchair seat cushions. Purple's patented stretchy gel technology, called the "Purple Grid," was developed by the brothers to provide support without sacrificing comfort through a surface that provides pressure relief.

Phillips said the polymer's configuration—produced by the aforementioned Mattress Max machines and so named for its purple color—is what makes it "incredibly unique."

"The Purple Grid is designed to dynamically flex under pressure, which cradles your hips and shoulders while supporting your back," Phillips said. "With thousands of open-air channels, the Purple Grid neutralizes body heat throughout the night so you sleep cool all night long in contrast to the closed-cell polyurethane foam used in most mattresses that prevents easy airflow."

Phillips said the cushioning offered by the Purple Grid is unlike that which is offered by springs, foam, gel or air, in that it has pressure-relieving characteristics.

"It's longer lasting, doesn't collapse under pressure like memory foam and allows airflow, creating a better sleep experience and true innovation in the mattress category," he said.

Phillips said there were a number of factors that drew Purple Innovation to Georgia and Henry County.

"We were drawn to the location by the skilled labor force, proximity to suppliers and our East Coast customers, proximity to major ports and airports, and the interstate network conversion," Phillips said. "We considered several other Southeastern states and cities with similar characteristics, but ultimately decided Henry County best fit our needs."

Phillips noted that Purple Innovation already serves a large customer base across the U.S., "so the decision was less about opening new markets and more about increasing our capacity and distribution efficiencies."

"Having a facility on the East Coast will allow us to ramp up production and more efficiently serve customers across the country," he said.

Jobs to be created at the Henry County manufacturing plant include floor manufacturing jobs, equipment operators, fulfillment positions, as well as engineering, administration and management posts. Individuals interested in career opportunities with Purple can visit purple.com/careers for more information.

"We spent a lot of time searching for the right location for our third manufacturing facility so that we could significantly expand our production capacity and allow us to better serve customers located on the East Coast. We found a great partner in Henry County and Gov. (Brian) Kemp," said Purple Innovation CEO Joe Megibow. "It was important to find a community of hard working and talented individuals who could help us bring the factory to life, and our interaction with the community of Henry County has proven that this is the right place to make our investment for Purple's future."

Purple Innovation sells its mattresses and accessories through wholesale partners and showrooms across the country, and it maintains an online sales presence as well.

According to Forbes, Purple's revenues were more than $50 million in 2016 in its first full year, and more than $187 million (based on second quarter numbers) in 2017, according to Purple's investor presentation. Forbes estimates the overall mattress industry at about $15 billion, paced by industry leaders Tempur Sealy International and Serta Simmons Bedding.

"We're not providing forecasts at this time, but at full build out, we're expecting production to be similar to our Grantsville (Utah) facility," Phillips said.

The Georgia governor said in a news release that the state has been seeking out businesses from the advanced manufacturing space for quite some time, and especially in Henry County, which sits adjacent to Fulton County where Atlanta is located.

"I look forward to seeing the opportunities that Purple creates for the hardworking Georgians in and around Henry County," Kemp said.

Pierre Clements, chair of the Henry County Development Authority, said advanced manufacturing always has been a part of the regional economy.

"So many great products are made in Henry County, and we're excited that this growing list will now include Purple's innovative comfort technology," Clements said. "Purple will be a great addition to Henry's impressive presence of advanced manufacturing companies."

The Georgia Department of Economic Development was represented in this competitive selection project by the Global Commerce Division, in partnership with Georgia Power, the Henry County Development Authority and the Metro Atlanta Chamber, according to Purple Innovation.

"We are thrilled that Purple Innovation chose Georgia for their expansion to the East Coast and are excited to be part of the company's further growth as it delivers innovative comfort solutions to its customers. This decision shows again that we are a national leader in advanced manufacturing and logistics," said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. "I want to thank our economic development partners and Henry County for bringing this project to Georgia, creating quality jobs and fueling the economic growth in our local communities."