| Mattress company- Comfort Sleep has done itself proud as the lone Guyanese owned company to be awarded for its excellence at this year’s International Star Award for Quality (ISAQ) Convention in Switzerland.The award was handed to the Managing Director of Comfort Sleep, Dennis Charran, a week ago and came as a surprise to the company even as it works to recover from hundreds of millions of dollars in losses following two fires at its Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) bond.The company was singled out for its commitment to ensuring the best quality product that directly impacts lives for the better through its well trained and highly experienced employees.Charran in explaining how his company was selected for the award said “We did not submit any proposal and we did not even think of doing what we do for any award, but we just got a mail telling us that after research we have been selected because we create the best sleep through our comfort sleep brand.”The Managing Director expressing elation said he owes the award to his customers and the hard working and committed employees. His employees, he noted, are dedicated to ensuring people sleep in comfort.It is through these people that the company has been internationally recognized.The International Star for Quality Convention, which is in its 16th year, is part of the annual programme of BID (Business Initiative Directions) awards, designed to recognize the prestige of the outstanding companies, organizations and businessmen in the business world.Dennis Charran receiving the ISAQ award in SwitzerlandThis year, the International Star for Quality Convention took place in Geneva, from September 19th to 20th and the ISAQ awards were handed out at a ceremony in the Inter Continental Genève Convention Center.The event was attended by prestigious companies from 74 countries, together with leaders from different business fields, professionals from the worlds of economics, the arts and corporate image, quality experts, as well as academic personalities and representatives from the diplomatic corps.Charran was the only Guyanese to walk away with the award for this year.Comfort Sleep was commissioned more than 20 years ago as a little mattress company at the back of Eccles Industrial Site but today it controls more than 75 percent of the local market, according to Charran.Aside from tapping into the Suriname market its owner is also eyeing even bigger international ventures. At present the company provides employment for 30 people and has been making inroads in the spring mattress market that is traditionally in the hands of importers.Explaining his journey, Charran said that he has been involved in the mattress business for over 20 years, originally importing from Trinidad and Tobago.The company that he was doing business with at the time, Slumber Sleep,Deportivas Asics Mujer Baratas, decided to bring their business to Guyana and with Charran, established a factory at the Ruimveldt Industrial site.However, that company pulled out of Guyana at which point Charran decided to throw his energies behind launching a new company – Comfort Sleep.It was a tough venture initially. Not only was he paying rent on the Ruimveldt industrial site, but forced to lease equipment, reflected the businessman.But with his strategic marketing tactics which included refusing to take ‘no’ for an answer, Charran slowly made inroads and his hard work paid dividends.The businessman was able to buy out the equipment and when the then Government announced that it was opening the industrial site at Eccles, he moved in and threw his weight behind a calculated risk.Offered an acre of land, he converted it into a factory and his office. There was little cash to spare; Charran said workers had to put in extra hours to make the company a success. Today, in addition to the normal affordable economy foam mattresses, there is the memory foam and spring mattress.Initially, Comfort Sleep faced stiff competition from established manufacturers. That situation changed slowly over the years in Charran’s favour.Kaieteur News was told that all the raw materials used to create the foam are imported. However, equipment sourced locally are used to make the large blocks of foam which are then cut to particular sizes.These are then placed in protective covers and stitched with special sewing machines. The manufacturing processes are all in keeping with international health standards, the businessman explained.Receiving an award from an international body is a great accomplishment for him. According to Charran, he will be working harder to ensure that his brand is known globally. |
