Sealy Provides Good Night's Sleep as Official Mattress Supplier For The Olympics

    TRINITY, N.C. and SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The world's
 athletes will sleep better due to Sealy, Inc. becoming an Official Supplier of
 the Salt Lake Games and the 2000, 2002 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Teams.
     Sealy, Inc. has signed a four-year agreement with the Olympic Properties
 of the United States (OPUS) -- the joint marketing effort between the Salt
 Lake Organizing Committee (SLOC) and the United States Olympic Committee
 (USOC) -- to provide about 5,000 mattresses for the Olympic and Paralympic
 Village in Salt Lake City, media housing during the 2002 Games, and the U.S.
 Olympic Training Centers in Colorado Springs, Colo., Lake Placid, N.Y., and
 Chula Vista, Calif.
     The announcement was made June 5 in Trinity, N.C., the headquarters for
 Sealy, Inc.  Athletes in attendance included four-time Olympic gold medallist
 Al Oerter (discus), Olympic gold medallist swimmer Brooke Bennett, and Mark
 Ruiz, a three-time national diving champion.  The event also included Sealy
 employees, representatives from the U.S. Olympic Committee and Salt Lake
 Organizing Committee.
     "Sealy is extremely proud to supply beds to United States Olympic
 athletes," said Ron Jones, chairman/CEO of Sealy, Inc.  "We know the
 importance of a good night's sleep and the impact it can have on one's
 performance the next day.  America's best athletes should benefit from the
 support of Sealy's mattresses."
     "There is nothing more important than a comfortable, healthy night's sleep
 for the athletes competing in the 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,"
 said Mark Lewis, OPUS president and CEO.  "Despite their excitement and
 anticipation about the Games, Sealy's products will ensure that a good night's
 sleep will be one less concern.  Sealy's branded products are the most
 recognized in the United States, and we are proud to have them affiliated with
 the 2002 Games and America's Team."
     The 2002 Olympic and Paralympic Village is located on the campus of the
 University of Utah in Salt Lake City.  Olympic Village housing consists of
 about 20 modern, low-rise apartment and suite-style units.  University
 students are currently living in the first phase of new buildings while
 construction on the second phase will be completed by late 2000.  The Olympic
 Village accommodates up to 3,500 athletes and officials from 80 National
 Olympic Committees participating in the Games.
     Sealy, Inc. has also entered into an official licensed merchandise
 agreement with the U.S. Olympic Committee and Salt Lake Organizing Committee
 to introduce a line of mattress products carrying the USOC and SLOC marks.  A
 portion of the proceeds from Olympic-licensed mattress sales will go to the
 USOC for future athlete training and to SLOC for staging the largest Olympic
 Winter Games ever.
     Sealy, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of bedding in North America,
 serving more than 7,000 retail outlets from 25 plants in 18 states.  Sealy,
 Inc. produces and sells a full range of mattresses under the Sealy, Sealy
 Posturepedic, Sealy Posturepedic Crown Jewel, and Stearns & Foster brand
 names.
     Sealy, Inc. becomes the 37th corporate participant -- including 18
 sponsors and 19 suppliers -- for the 2002 Games and the U.S. Olympic Team.
 Since May of 1999, a total of 24 companies have signed OPUS agreements.
     For more information, contact Caroline Shaw or Frank Zang in SLOC
 Communications at (801) 212-2002; Darryl Seibel in USOC Public Affairs at
 (719) 578-4529; or Brooke Smith for Sealy at (336) 774-9228.  A complete
 archive of SLOC news releases is available at www.saltlake2002.com .
 
 

SOURCE  Sealy, Inc.