Bobby Trussell
Bobby Trussell is the founder of Tempur-Pedic, the mattress company he launched in 1992 after a career shift from horse racing. A native of Milwaukee, he discovered memory foam on a trip to Sweden and built Tempur-Pedic into a global brand.
Bobby Trussell's Bio
Robert "Bobby" Trussell Jr. is the founder of Tempur-Pedic, the memory foam company he built into a global brand after his horse racing career collapsed.
Trussell grew up in Milwaukee and moved to Lexington, Kentucky, to work in the thoroughbred horse industry. When the early 1990s recession hit, his horse business went broke. He was more than a million dollars in debt with a family to support and no clear way out.
A Swedish connection from the horse world introduced him to memory foam—a NASA-developed material used in Swedish hospital beds. Trussell negotiated the rights to bring it to America and founded Tempur-Pedic in 1992. He had no background in foams or mattresses. That turned out to be an advantage. He sold the first mattresses out of his car, cold-called Brookstone into a retail deal, and mailed free pillow samples to 500 chiropractors, converting 125 into distributors.
Tempur-Pedic went public on the NYSE in 2003. The company acquired Sealy for $228.6 million in 2012, becoming Tempur Sealy International with over 7,000 employees across 58 facilities in 35 countries. Trussell stepped down as CEO in 2006 and remained vice chairman until 2022. Kentucky inducted him into the Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2016. His book The Logic That God Exists was published by Sophia Institute Press in 2024.
Career Timeline
1952 — Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Native of Milwaukee; later moved to Lexington, Kentucky to work in the horse industry.
1972 — Moved to Lexington, Kentucky for horse industry career
Left Milwaukee for Lexington, Kentucky to work in thoroughbred horse breeding and racing.
1985 — Managed Walmac Farm
Worked in horse breeding and racing operations at Walmac Farm in Lexington, Kentucky.
1992 — Founded Tempur-Pedic
Discovered memory foam through a Swedish connection in the horse world; founded Tempur-Pedic in Lexington, Kentucky. Sold first mattresses from his car.
1994 — Secured Brookstone retail partnership
Cold-called Brookstone and secured a major retail account. Built a nationwide network of 125 chiropractor distributors.
2003 — Tempur-Pedic IPO on New York Stock Exchange
Led Tempur-Pedic to its initial public offering on the NYSE.
2006 — Stepped down as CEO of Tempur-Pedic
Transitioned from CEO to vice chairman of the board; remained active in company leadership.
2012 — Acquired Sealy Corporation for $228.6 million at Tempur Sealy International
Led the acquisition of rival Sealy Corporation; company rebranded as Tempur Sealy International.
2016 — Inducted into Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame
Recognized by the State of Kentucky for entrepreneurial achievements.
2022 — Stepped down as vice chairman of Tempur Sealy at Tempur Sealy International
Left the board after 30 years with the company.
