Courtney Panther, Sleep Quantity materials restoration supervisor, embraces an excellent problem.

Most individuals need to keep away from issues. Courtney Panther just isn’t most individuals. 

As the fabric restoration supervisor for Minneapolis-based producer and retailer Sleep Quantity Corp., creating options is a central a part of her function — and considered one of her largest passions. Over the previous a number of weeks, she’s been visiting Sleep Quantity’s seven meeting and distribution facilities throughout america to coach groups on a brand new, extra environment friendly returns processing system she devised. 

That’s only one instance of Panther’s far-reaching place. So, how did she land what she calls “the right alternative?” Properly, it discovered her. 

After incomes a bachelor’s diploma in chemical engineering from Purdue College, Panther labored as a steady enchancment engineer and manufacturing staff lead for Ecolab, a hygiene options firm based mostly in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

“That’s the place I noticed that on the intersection of problem-solving and other people — when these two come collectively — that’s my jam,” Panther says. 

Enter Sleep Quantity. When the corporate was strengthening its inside provide chain, it contacted Panther to guide a brand new facility in Irving, Texas. In March 2023, after three years as a senior manufacturing supervisor, Panther superior to the place of fabric restoration supervisor. Though 2023 was not the beginning of Sleep Quantity’s sustainability journey, Panther clarifies that was when the corporate “took the pivot to make it a devoted useful resource.” 

Certainly one of her favourite issues in regards to the job is the variability. “It’s plenty of having conversations to drive change and progress. And partnering throughout all these completely different departments, studying what they do, what their function seems like and the way materials restoration matches into every area,” Panther says. Her holistic method entails collaborating with groups from customer support to gross sales to dwelling supply. 

One other key, in accordance with Panther, is taking a proactive fairly than a reactive method to sustainability. By partnering with the product improvement staff, she helps establish methods to enhance materials circularity via design, resembling extending a product’s life or choosing parts that aren’t destined for a landfill.

Panther acknowledges that sustainability and income can typically be at odds, “as a result of typically essentially the most sustainable resolution just isn’t essentially the most cost-effective.” Placing the precise steadiness might be tough, but when Panther has made one factor clear, it’s that she doesn’t shrink back from a problem. 

“I believe my favourite piece is having an thought or an idea, being in a artistic area of ‘How might we do that?’ Then operationalizing it and listening to our staff’s optimistic suggestions.” 

Being open to suggestions has additionally served her properly. “I believe plenty of the success I’ve had in my profession just isn’t being afraid to form of swing for the fences however being humble sufficient to simply accept suggestions at any level.” 

Though long-term options are the norm for Panther, proper now, she has one short-term purpose — going dwelling to her mattress after weeks of labor journey. “As corny as it’s to say, I’m very grateful for an excellent evening’s sleep. Particularly once I’ve been touring. I miss my Sleep Quantity smartbed,” she provides. However whether or not she’s asleep at dwelling or in a resort, the identical factor will get her away from bed each morning. “I really like being tied to objective,” she says. “The thought of bettering individuals’s lives via sleep is one thing I believe is price working onerous for.”

Examine extra mattress business rising stars, Trade Rising Stars: Highlight on Tanner Van De Hey of C³ Corp.