TAMPA, Fla.–Bob Hellyer, who became chief executive officer of Spring Air last year after the company merged with its biggest licensee, has resigned.
A Spring Air statement said Kevin Damewood, executive vice president of sales, and Steve Cumbow, chief operating officer, will take on Hellyer’s responsibilities in a newly formed Office of the Chairman. Damewood oversees sales and marketing, and Cumbow supervises finance, manufacturing, logistics and administration. Both report to Spring Air’s board of directors, which is led by Michael Michienzi, non-executive chairman.
The company said it has begun a search for a new CEO. It is in the process of speaking to candidates from both inside and outside the industry, the statement added.
A veteran mattress-industry executive who once served a president of Simmons, Hellyer became CEO of Spring Air in June 2007, after its merger with Consolidated Bedding. His efforts with Spring Air revolved around making the manufacturer more efficient, reducing the number or brands it offers from 13 to four, closing manufacturing facilities and relocating its headquarters from Elk Grove Village, Ill., to Tampa, Fla.
A former Consolidated Bedding executive, Damewood was named executive vice president of sales and marketing at Spring Air in July of last year. Cumbow, who advised Spring Air on financial matters as an executive with American Capital Strategies, joined the company on June 1, 2008, as chief financial officer, and added the chief operating officer post in August.
A Spring Air spokesman said Hellyer has not announced his future plans.