Phil and Denise Sherman

PHIL and DENISE SHERMAN

Customatic Technologies
A Commitment To Giving Back

Phil Sherman and Roger Magowitz, Two Legends in the Mattress Industry Have Known Each Other for 30 Years.

So it was a natural extension of their friendship for Roger to agree to serve as executive vice president for the company that Phil and his business partner Phil McCarty established eight years ago. Called Customatic Adjustable Bedz in 2010, the “Phils” changed the company name to Customatic Technologies in 2018, to reflect an expanding product line.

Roger “is part of my dream team,” said Phil Sherman, the company’s president. “He’s going to help us continue our rapid growth.” Customatic Technologies currently manufactures approximately 45,000 adjustable beds a month, Sherman said. The company’s headquarters are in Natick, Massachusetts and its showroom is in the World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas.

Sherman has known Roger long enough that he even had the privilege of meeting Roger’s mother, Seena. Seena Magowitz passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2001. “She was a lovely person,” Phil said, “so of course I immediately wanted to support the Foundation when Roger established it in his mother’s memory. I want to support his admiration for his mother and his devotion to finding a cure for one of the deadliest diseases out there.”

A Storied History

Phil Sherman’s professional background spans 34 years. His career began as a partner in a dry-cleaning chain. He spent three years there until 1987, when the company was sold. Then, he was named marketing director for Sleepy’s, one of the largest and most successful mattress retailers in the country. During that time, he met Roger at a bedding symposium in High Point, North Carolina. A few years after that, when Sherman was working for Somma, Roger, then the president of Metropolitan Mattress, agreed to sell Somma mattresses in his stores.

In between Sherman’s stint at Sleepy’s as vice president of merchandising and becoming East Coast sales manager for Somma, he was executive vice president of Hillside Bedding. He also spent 11 years as the East Coast sales manager for Boyd Bedding and another year as an independent rep, before joining with McCarty to create Customatic.

An Industry Known for Camaraderie

“Even though ours is a big industry,” Sherman said,” it seems more like a small club to those of us who work in it. Manufacturers, sales reps and retailers all have a very special relationship and we have nurtured many friendships over the years. We get to know our competitors in professional and personal settings, and we appreciate the opportunity to keep in touch with each other because we respect each other’s businesses. And with that respect comes a strong bond that lets us pull together when we need to, to support a cause or help each other through difficult times.” Sherman said he wishes the mattress industry were a role model for Congress. “By taking our lead and doing away with the infighting, they might get a lot more accomplished,” he said.

The Commitment to Giving Back

“Over the years, our company has grown,” Sherman said. “It’s gratifying to be able to contribute significantly today to the Seena Magowitz Foundation and to make an impact on the Foundation’s Annual Golf Classic,” he said, which is composed of several fun-filled events over three days, including a golf tournament. “I support that event in any way I can. Our ‘small club’ is willing to work together to make a difference on this planet. The Seena Magowitz Foundation is a wonderful organization to work with, and I look forward every year to the Foundation’s Annual Golf Classic.”

He said “the millions and millions of dollars that Roger and the Seena Magowitz Foundation have raised to help fund finding a cure for pancreatic cancer is truly inspiring and shows how one man’s vision and dedication can help humanity. It’s pretty commendable and impressive and I’m thrilled to be part of this legacy.”