Purple Innovation, the Utah-based mattress unicorn, will invest $21 million in a new manufacturing facility in metro Atlanta.
Gov. Brian Kemp's office announced Monday the company plans on building a 520,000-square-foot facility that will create 360 jobs.
“We spent a lot of time searching for the right location for our third manufacturing facility so that we could significantly expand our production capacity and allow us to better serve customers located on the East Coast. We found a great partner in Henry County and Governor Kemp,” CEO of Purple, Joe Megibow, said in a statement. “It was important to find a community of hardworking and talented individuals who could help us bring the factory to life, and our interaction with the community of Henry County has proven that this is the right place to make our investment for Purple’s future.”
Purple Innovation designs "comfort technology," and is best known for creating the Purple Mattress. The company is part of the growing market of mattress-in-a-box products, where users can buy mattresses, cushions and other sleep products online and have them shipped directly to their front door. Other competitors in the market are Casper, Lull, Helix and more. Large furniture retailers IKEA and Wayfair have both launched their own mattress-in-a-box lines to compete in the growing market.
“It’s a pleasure to welcome an all-American success story like Purple to the extensive list of advanced manufacturers using innovative technologies and skills to create in-demand products right here in Georgia,” Kemp said in a statement. “I look forward to seeing the opportunities that Purple creates for the hardworking Georgians in and around Henry County.”
Brothers Tony and Terry Pearce started Purple in 2015 with a Kickstarter campaign that ended with 320 backers and $171,560 in funding. The Pearce brothers had experience in engineering and materials science. They developed the Purple Grid, a patented gel technology that provides support, comfort and pressure relief.
Purple took off after the Pearce brothers partnered with creative agency Harmon Brothers to shoot commercial videos demonstrating the mattress technology that went viral and drove almost overnight success for the startup. In 2017, Purple merged with Global Partner Acquisition Corp. at a $1.1 billion valuation and was renamed Purple Innovation Inc.
The company sells products online, through wholesale partners and has a growing number of showrooms across the country. The Henry County plant marks the third facility the company has opened in the U.S.
“Advanced manufacturing has always been an integral part of Henry County’s economy,” Pierre Clements, chair of the Henry County Development Authority, said in a statement. “So many great products are made in Henry County, and we’re excited that this growing list will now include Purple’s innovative comfort technology.”
