HOUSTON, March 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mattress Firm Holding Corp. (NASDAQ: MFRM), the leading retailer of mattresses and bedding accessories in the United States, has awarded former CEO Gary Fazio as the inaugural inductee into the Mattress Firm Hall of Fame. The award was given at Mattress Firm's annual leadership conference, BEDTalks, last week in San Antonio, Texas.

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Mattress Firm CEO Steve Stagner presented Fazio with the honor, lauding him for his commitment, integrity and unwavering morals, as well as achievements that transformed the industry and a natural leadership style that shaped hundreds of industry leaders.

"Gary is a legend in this industry," said Stagner. "He's a true visionary whose accomplishments are unparalleled, and there is no one more deserving to be chosen as the first inductee into our hall of fame."

Fazio was CEO of Mattress Firm from 2001 to 2010, and recently retired as CEO of Serta Simmons Bedding in December. Fazio's 44-year career in the bedding industry also included senior leadership roles at Sealy, Simmons Bedding Company and Serta Simmons Bedding. During his tenure as CEO of Mattress Firm, Fazio's track record included generating more than $800 million in sales, accelerating the company's regional growth strategy and increasing relative market share in more than 44 markets.

"I am deeply grateful to Steve and Mattress Firm for this honor," said Fazio. "My time at Mattress Firm was the most gratifying time of my career. The team had a great sense of positive discontent, which ultimately propelled the organization to become the largest specialty mattress retailer in the country. I was honored to play a role in not only building an incredible company, but working with some of the brightest leaders in the industry."

Mattress Firm Hall of Fame debuted at the company's BEDTalks leadership conference this year, and recognizes the contributions of those who have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and success of the MFRM Family of Brands.

Additional vendor awards given at 2016 BEDTalks included: Best In-Store Service to Progressive Leasing; Best Strategic Partnership, CorpU; Service Excellence, Corsicana Bedding; and Simmons Bedding Company received the Partner of the Year award.

About Mattress Firm

With more than 3,800 company-operated and franchised stores across 48 states, Mattress Firm (NASDAQ: MFRM) has the largest geographic footprint in the United States among multi-brand mattress retailers. With the 2016 acquisition of Sleepy's, Mattress Firm is the nation's first border-to-border, coast-to-coast specialty bedding retailer. Founded in 1986, Houston-based Mattress Firm is the nation's leading bedding retailer with pro forma sales of over $3.5 billion over the last twelve months. The company offers a broad selection of both traditional and specialty mattresses, bedding accessories and other related products from leading manufacturers, including Sealy, Tempur-Pedic, Serta, Simmons, Stearns & Foster, and Hampton & Rhodes. Mattress Firm guarantees price, comfort and service with the ultimate goal of ensuring that customers Save Money. Sleep Happy(TM).

Mattress Firm was named Furniture Today's "Top Bedding Retailer" in 2013 and a "Top Workplace" by the Houston Chronicle in 2011, 2012 and 2013. More information is available at mattressfirm.com, or on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

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SOURCE Mattress Firm