laurie tokarz feature

Laurie Tokarz

Restonic Mattress names Tokarz president

Tokarz succeeds Ron Passaglia in role

Sheila Long O’Mara //Executive Editor, Furniture Today//January 25, 2021

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­BUFFALO, N.Y. – Restonic Mattress Corp. has tapped Laurie Tokarz as its new president, succeeding Ron Passaglia.

Tokarz brings more than 25 years of experience in the home furnishings and bedding industry to her new position. Most recently, she was the chief sales officer for Visionary Sleep, Restonic’s largest licensee.

Tokarz began her bedding career at Sibley’s department store as a buyer and was later named divisional merchandise manager for the home furnishings division. From there, she joined Bauhaus Upholstery, and in 1996 joined Serta as a sales representative.

In 2000, Tokarz joined Alliance Sleep Products, a Restonic licensee, and worked alongside the late Tom Comer, eventually serving as president. In 2017, Bob Sherman acquired Alliance Sleep, and Tokarz was named chief sales officer for the newly formed Visionary Sleep. Tokarz also currently serves on the International Sleep Products Assn. board of trustees.

Tokarz succeeds Passaglia, former president and CEO, who retired and transitioned into a consulting position Jan. 1.

“Laurie has a unique understanding of the dynamic changes happening within our industry from the consumer, retailer and the licensee viewpoints,” Passaglia said. “Her experience and successful history of applying these assets for today’s dynamic marketplace will be well-received by our retailers and all of our domestic and international licenses. Her loyal brand stewardship to Restonic has positioned her as the ideal candidate for this position.”

In her role as president, Tokarz will work with domestic and international licensees as well as retailers. She’ll oversee brand strategy and alignment for Restonic’s family of brands, which includes Biltmore and Scott Living. Tokarz will work with Julia Rosien, Restonic’s vice president of brand and digital marketing, to support an adoption of digital transformation in marketing and communication.

“I am delighted to take on this role, which allows me to continue my 20-plus year goal of driving the Restonic brand,” Tokarz said. “With the retail environment evolving at warp speed, Restonic is poised to help retailers garner consumers’ attention with turnkey digital marketing programs and the strength of our licensed brands, Scott Living and Biltmore.”