Hall of Fame Induction Year
2023
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Inductee Biography
Leon Ellman is Chairman of the JLE Group, a family office, investment, and management firm based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is also a proprietor in Ellman Family Vineyards, the family vineyard and winery. Leon is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a Chartered Accountant when he entered the family mattress business with his dad in Durban, South Africa. A native of South Africa, Leon purchased his first U.S. mattress company when he moved to Florida in 1974. Leon has always believed in controlling his own destiny in all aspects of his business life. To give his mattress business a competitive edge, he started his own spring manufacturing operation to supply his factories. This eventually led him to build a “pocket coil” machine. In 1997, Leon sold the spring operation, including the pocket coil machines to Leggett and Platt. While most companies did not take the wholesale club business seriously, Leon saw an opportunity. He was responsible for putting the wholesale clubs into the bedding business by starting a pilot program with Hyper Mart, a Wal-Mart subsidiary. This led to bedding being carried in all the Sam’s Clubs throughout the U.S. The wholesale clubs required that bedding be delivered on pallets and shrink wrapped. Leon oversaw the development of a machine that shrink wrapped that bedding onto pallets that could easily be handled in the clubs. Through his exuberance and ability to share his vision of what the business could be, major retailers like IKEA, the largest furniture retailer in the world, were added to the family of customers. Leon saw obstacles as opportunities. Partnerships were developed with retailers that enabled them to get exclusive products under their brand to give them greater margins. At the time, this was a new approach to the business that was well received. Leon Ellman remains the founder and Chairman of the Sherwood Bedding Group, a bedding company he started with his sons, Neil and Lance, a majority of which was acquired by the Tempur Sealy company in 2020, while Leon and his family retained a minority interest and continue to manage the Sherwood division. The family has also over the years been involved with several successful private equity investments. Leon has served on the board of directors of, and has philanthropically supported, many organizations, and local programs and charities in his community.
Digital Collection
Huizenga College of Business and Entrepreneurship Hall of Fame
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Business
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