Manufacturer Symbol Mattress, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, has appointed Nicole Slinger to the newly created position of vice president of specialty products.
In her new post, Slinger is responsible for managing Symbol’s climate-controlled SleepFresh specialty brand and assists in the development of an innovative sleep system the producer plans to launch next year.
She reports to company President Mike McQuiston.
“Nicole’s skill set and knowledge of specialty products and retail is something you don’t find every day,” McQuiston said. “Her appointment is extremely timely for us because we’ve been gaining a lot of traction in the specialty sleep arena and needed someone to manage that segment’s growth. We’re very excited to have her on our team.”
Slinger is a sales professional with diverse experience in the bedding and furniture industries. Previously, she served as vice president of business development and field training for London Luxury LLC, a global textiles firm providing high-quality bedding and bath products to major U.S. retailers such as Bed, Bath & Beyond; Macy’s; and Mattress Firm. Prior to that, Slinger was private brands product manager for Mattress Firm, overseeing home furnishings and bedding products under its private brands, including Hampton & Rhodes Select, Lux Living and YuMe.
Earlier in her career, from 2006 to 2011, she served as national sales account trainer for Kingsdown’s Sleep to Live program. She also was a West Coast key account manager from 2003 to 2006 for Spring Air’s Nature’s Rest brand.