COMPANY HISTORY

History of Case Littell Furniture and Sound Sleep Products

Case Littell Furniture was a retailer of furniture dating back to 1934.  William B. Cloes bought the company in the early 1950's.  Mr. Cloes operated it as a full line furniture retail operation through the 1960's, running major advertising promotions.
 
In 1980 Mr. Cloes hired Gary Thompson to manage the store for him.  Gary encouraged Mr. Cloes to begin making mattresses and box springs.  In 1981 they purchased a Singer 108 closing machine.
 
John Larsen joined the company part time in 1984.  That year the company did approximately $110,000 in sales volume.  When Gary left the company in early 1985 John Larsen took over as manager.  He moved the company more in the direction of a wholesaler manufacturer.
 
John Larsen signed a buy and sell agreement with Mr. Cloes in 1989 which was to have gone into effect August of 1994.  Due to ill health, Mr. Cloes chose to sell the business and Greenwood property to John Larsen in September of 1993.
 
The company had experienced steady growth through the decade.  In 1992 most of the manufacturing operation was moved into a larger warehouse facility.  Enough equipment was purchased to allow the company to serve the wholesale market.  The company currently services retail accounts through the state of Washington, into western Idaho, and down the I5 corridor into southern Oregon. Sound Sleep also has a few key customers in Alaska and Hawaii.  The company is service oriented, which has substantially contributed to the growth it has experienced. 
 
In 1994 Sound Sleep Products joined the national group BEMCO , a group that stresses the importance of bedding products to a healthy life style.  With that national label the company moved to capture a higher percentage of the premium bedding sales.
 
In 1994 the company moved into a 21,000 square foot facility in Tukwila.  In addition a Gribetz computerized quilter was purchased and other equipment added to allow the company to compete with more advanced products.
 
Peter Horton joined the organization in 2004, bringing thirty years of industry experience in product development, management and marketing. The move consolidated manufacturing facilities and positioned Sound Sleep for continued growth. In 2005 Sound Sleep signed a licensing agreement with Lady Americana an established and growing national brand.
 
In 2006 Sound Sleep moved into its current facility in Sumner Washington. The facility included the most up to date automated equipment and was designed to facilitate lean manufacturing techniques. With the added capacity, Sound Sleep has been able to grow sales. Sound Sleep seeks to lead the industry in product development, produced with the finest quality controls , and delivered as promised one hundred percent of the time.
 
In 2007 Sound continued to upgrade the manufacturing processes, with both systems and equipment. The upgraded systems created cost savings, while the upgraded equipment created superior product design, allowing Sound to continue to increase its market share. The Lady America Brand continued to grow in name recognition, gaining market share and dominating some markets, where alliances with key retailers are particularly strong.
 
In 2009 Sound acquired the manufacturing operations of a major supplier , adding 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space. This allowed Sound to build their own wood products, fabricate foam , and develop an innerspring hub for the manufacture and distribution of their own innerspring units ; essentially making them one of the most vertical manufacturers in their market area.
 
Sound has attracted the top sales and production talent in the industry. It has become a leading regional producer of nationally branded products. With a reputation for quality and value coupled with customer support the future looks to increase market share for the factory and the dealer network.