Hellen Sullivan, left, and Michael Crowell have been inducted into the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame.
PETERSBURG, Fla. – Two longtime executives with CertiPur-US have been inducted into the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame.
Michael Crowell, who served as CertiPur’s executive director until the end of last year, and Helen Sullivan, the company’s communications counsel emeritus and part of the original team that established the CertiPur-US program in 2008, were honored at the spring Polyurethane Foam Assn. (PFA) meeting earlier this month. Sullivan is the first woman to be inducted into the hall of fame.
The duo was honored for its work with the CertiPur-US foam certification program.
“Sullivan and Crowell’s leadership of the now highly recognized and respected CertiPur-US program has had a positive and lasting impact on the polyurethane foam industry globally,” said Russ Batson, executive director of the PFA. “The program is a powerful reflection of our industry’s safety, health and environmental stewardship.”
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Crowell has served as the CertiPUR-US program’s executive director for the last decade. His commitment to maintaining the program’s standards as a dynamic document, continuously updated to reflect new safety and environmental regulations, has ensured its ongoing relevance. He was honored with the organization’s Outstanding Leadership Award upon his retirement last year.
Crowell’s career includes more than 40 years of senior management experience in the flexible polyurethane foam industry, spanning technical, manufacturing, sales and marketing positions. Before taking the helm at the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, the nonprofit that administers the CertiPur-US program, he served as vice president of marketing and sales for Flexible Foam Products. He previously was vice president of automotive sales for Foamex International (now known as FXI).
Sullivan’s connection with polyurethanes began in 1983 as an advertising and public relations agency account manager for the International Sleep Products Assn.’s Better Sleep Council. During her decade-long tenure, she played a role in reshaping consumer behavior, shortening the mattress replacement cycle and helping to establish a market for ultra-premium bedding. Her creation of the “May Is Better Sleep Month” campaign helped boost mattress sales and increased the use of polyurethane foam. The program earned Sullivan two of her three Public Relations Society of America Silver Anvil awards.
In 1995, Sullivan headed a PFA-led marketing initiative designed to raise awareness of the benefits of flexible polyurethane foam. She later served as communications counsel for the PFA, where she worked with association leadership on issues like fire prevention, crisis communications and flame-retardant policies.
Sullivan’s most enduring contribution to the polyurethane foam industry came through her work with the CertiPur-US program. As brand manager, communications strategist and continuous improvement officer, she helped grow the program from its inception into a globally recognized standard for foam safety and performance.
Sullivan crafted the CertiPur-US program’s tagline — “foams that feel good and you can feel good about” — and developed its branding and promotional strategies. She also helped design the supply-chain record-keeping systems that underpin the program’s credibility.
More than 100 foam producers worldwide supply certified foam through the program to more than 1,000 companies and brands in the U.S. bedding and upholstered furniture industries.
The Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame recognizes individuals and companies who have significantly contributed to the growth and betterment of the North American flexible polyurethane foam industry. Inductees are nominated by their peers and elected by the PFA awards committee.