Cindy L. Gregory was inspired to her career field by her grandparents, who ran a successful furniture business. Growing up in that environment, it only felt natural for her to choose that career path for herself as well. After completing the relevant coursework, she joined The RoomStore in 1994, where she excelled as a manager until 2009. During this time, she was fortunate enough to work with a boss who was willing to share his expertise in the industry, which greatly benefited her professional growth. In 2010, Ms. Gregory took a leap of faith and started her own store, Mattress Experts & More, where she continues to excel as a partner.
With Mattress Experts & More, Ms. Gregory is responsible for a variety of different duties, including merchandising, ordering, advertising, and managing accounts receivable and payable. She considers owning and operating her own store to be her greatest achievement, particularly since Mattress Experts was established in the wake of the Great Recession. Their most recent expansion of the store involved the addition of a La-Z-Boy gallery, which has proved to be an excellent addition to the business, since La-Z-Boy is a well-known and popular brand.
A particular moment that stands out from the early days of Mattress Experts was an issue with one of their suppliers, which saw a number of mattress orders not arrive until weeks after they were supposed to. Despite their being a newly opened store, Ms. Gregory decided to resolve the situation by giving the customers their mattresses for free, something that, while a difficult choice for a new business, has paid off in the long run as it helped them to develop a reputation as a business that cared for its customers. On that note, she cites her absolute favorite part of her career to be her customers. Spending time with the customers and getting to know them truly makes her feel like they have the best customers in the world.
Having accomplished much over the course of her career, Ms. Gregory attributes much of her success to her consistent dedication to working hard in everything she does. She has made a name for herself as someone who focuses on the wants and needs of the client, placing emphasis on matching the client with the product most suited to their needs. Noticing that many salespeople tend to push products that would make them the biggest sale or be best for the retail environment, Ms. Gregory felt it was far more important to listen to the clients and solve their problems rather than focusing on making a sale.
In order to remain up to date with developments in her field, Ms. Gregory holds membership with the Rim Country Regional Chamber of Commerce, which is the local chamber of commerce in Payson, Arizona, where Mattress Experts is located. Furthermore, she stands out in her field for the service she provides, and, to that end, she has been named Business Person of the Year and presented with the James Young Award by the Rim Country Business Awards. She is also a two-time recipient of the Best of Rims Award, which she received first in 2016 and again in 2021. Above everything, Ms. Gregory loves what she does, and she finds continued motivation in her work simply because she finds her job to be incredibly fun.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Gregory intends to continue on in her work for as long as she is able, though she has begun to think about what retirement might look like. She hopes to leave a legacy as someone who does everything in her power to ensure that her customers have the best possible experience in her store. Ms. Gregory would advise young and aspiring professionals to learn as much as they can and surround themselves with successful people, and also notes the importance of being familiar with the products you have and making sure that you are having fun.
