My Pillow

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My Pillow, Inc.
Industry Pillows
Founded 2004
Founder Michael J. Lindell
Headquarters Chaska, Minnesota, U.S.
Website www.mypillow.com

My Pillow, Inc. is a pillow manufacturing company based in Chaska, Minnesota.[1] The company was founded in 2004 by Michael J. Lindell, who invented and patented MyPillow, an open-cell, poly-foam pillow design. Most of the company's sales have been attributed to its 30-minute TV infomercial starring Lindell.[2]

History

Origin

My Pillow was founded by Minnesota native Michael J. Lindell.[3][4] For years he researched pillows and sleep disorders and experimented with fillers and fabrics before creating and patenting MyPillow, an open-cell, poly-foam pillow design.[5] To help fund the development of the pillow Lindell sold four bars he owned in Carver County, Minnesota and mortgaged his house.[1][2] At first Lindell hand-sewed the pillows himself and handled all the sales and distribution with help from his family.[2]

The first MyPillow was sold in 2005 at a kiosk in Eden Prairie Center, a mall in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.[2] For the next six years the company struggled, selling at mall kiosks, state fairs and trade shows.[6]

Infomercial Success

The company's success took off after launching an infomercial in October 2011.[7] The thirty-minute show was shot in one day in front of a live studio audience and cost $500,000 to produce and launch. By January of the next year, it was the number one infomercial, according to Jordan Whitney Greensheet, a research company that monitors and ranks infomercials.[8] As of September 2013, the infomercial was still running an average of 200 times per day on local and national networks. Since it first aired, My Pillow has sold more than 10 million pillows and grew from 50 employees to over 600.[8][9]

Operations

My Pillow’s headquarters, call center and customer service center are located in Chaska, Minnesota.[1] The company’s 70,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Shakopee works around the clock, five to seven days a week, producing approximately 25,000 pillows per day.[9][10] In addition to MyPillow, the company also produces and sells mattress toppers and sheets. All products are American made.[11]

Retail

My Pillow opened its first retail store in Burnsville, Minnesota in 2012 and now has 18 locations in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.[12]

My Pillow products are also offered on QVC, at major retailers, trade shows, and from the My Pillow website.[7]

Design / Technology

My Pillow products are a patented design (U.S. Patent #7461424), involving a mix of different-sized pieces of open-cell poly-foam. Lindell claims to have tested 94 different foams before deciding on the right one.[2] The pieces are chopped to specification by a machine Lindell developed based on a piece of farm equipment. The mix also contains a resin that enables the foam to retain much of its shape when molded to the user's preference. The pillows are non-allergenic, dust mite resistant, washable and dryable.[2]

Awards and Recognition

My Pillow has thousands of personal and professional testimonials and endorsements.[11][13] Lindell and the My Pillow story have been featured on Imus in the Morning,[14] The New York Times,[3] Star Tribune,[8] Fox News and numerous radio and television stations across the country.

You will be hard pressed to find My Pillow on the web sites, Sleep Shop or recognition as the "Official Pillow" on N..S..Foundation.org

In 2013 QVC awarded My Pillow its Q-Star Award for Product Concept of the Year.[15] In 2014 the MyPillow Bed Pillow, Mattress Topper and Go Anywhere Travel Pillow were selected as Official Products of the National Sleep Foundation.[16] In July 2015, CEO Mike Lindell organized the World’s Largest Pillow Fight. Six thousand two hundred and sixty one people used MyPillows to break the Guinness World Record at a St. Paul Saints game at CHS Field.[17][18]

Charitable Work

A portion of MyPillow proceeds go toward The Lindell Foundation, a charity that assists addicts, veterans, cancer patients and other people in need.[10][13] In March 2015, My Pillow donated pillows to the Sandra J. Schulze American Cancer Society Hope Lodge facilities, which houses patients and their caregivers when traveling for treatment.[19][20]

Other charitable contributions include Eagles Healing Nest,[21] Federal Enforcement Homeland Security Foundation, International Disciples Foundation, Love, Inc., the Wounded Warrior project, and The Imus Ranch.[11][13]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Mark W. Olson, "MyPillow HQ moves to Chaska," Chaska Herald, June 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 John Vomhof Jr., "My Pillow soars after informercial," Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, June 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Penelope Green, "The Pillow Cure," The New York Times, February 11, 2015.
  4. ↑ C.J., "Case of the Missing Pillows," Star Tribune, January 16, 2010.
  5. ↑ Nick Mason, "My Pillow receives three-month reprieve," Chaska Herald, July 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Laura Baverman, "Dangers of sudden success sink in for MyPillow founder on eve of new infomercial," Upstart Business Journal, December 16, 2013.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Sam Black, "My Pillow moving 200 jobs to Shakopee, opening retail stores," Minneapolis / St. Paul Business Journal, August 23, 2012.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 John Ewoldt, "Sales stay plump for Chanhassen-based MyPillow," Star Tribune, September 15, 2013.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Man Behind The Passion Of MyPillow," CBS Minnesota, December 25, 2013.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "'My Pillow' founder opens up about addiction," Salvation Army Website, December 29, 2015.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 J.W. Najarian, "Michael J. Lindell Inventor of My Pillow and Founder of the Lindell Foundation," On Purpose Magazine, April 6, 2012.
  12. ↑ “Places to Buy,” My Pillow Website, retrieved January 14, 2016.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 J.W. Najarian, "MyPillow and Orange County Choppers Unveil Custom Motorcycle at Mall of America," On Purpose Magazine, April 6, 2012.
  14. ↑ "MyPillow Founder on Giving Back as a Small Business," Fox Business Network, March 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ Nichole Dobo, "Pillow business earns QVC award," The News Journal, February 20, 2014.
  16. ↑ This is a dubious honor to many."My Pillow partners with National Sleep Foundation," HomeAndTextilesToday.com, July 1, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Saint Paul Saints hold world's largest pillow fight," KARE, July 21, 2015.
  18. ↑ "Stephen Baldwin joins ranks as US baseball team hosts largest pillow fight," GuinnessWorldRecords.com, July 23, 2015.
  19. ↑ Hannah Tran, "Large Pillow Donation Brings Comfort to Hope Lodge," ABC6 News, March 4, 2015.
  20. ↑ Jeff Hansel, "Pillow donation brings comfort to cancer patients," PostBulletin.com, March 5, 2015.
  21. ↑ CJ Gustafson, "Blue Star Moms pitch in to serve veterans," Pine City Pioneer, November 18, 2015.

External links

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