“Mattress Mack” talks at Chamber Luncheon

JIM McINGVALE

GREENSPOINT– At the monthly luncheon of the North Houston Greenspoint Chamber, Jim McIngvale of Gallery Furniture gave a rousing talk about How to be Successful in Business, based on his experiences in the furniture business in Houston.
Mack said that he built success on hard work, dedication, and most of all attention to customers. This latter element is necessary for any successful business enterprise. “At the end of the day, its all about people (customers),” he said.

Mack started his talk, as he often does, by recounting his early start. In 1980, working in a Dallas convenience store first, which he dubbed “Stop and Rob.” Next he worked in a small furniture store, and as he became more ambitious, followed the advice of the owner to move to Houston, a “good place to do business.”
He convinced his girlfriend to come, but only after she convinced him to marry her.
His catchword philosophy, “persistence,” worked both ways.
Starting with only $5000 in cash, he found a way to advertise on television, but remembers that for 10 years in a row he has been voted “worst tv commercial in local broadcasting” by the University of Houston marketing students.
Today, his business has grown from these principles and techniques to an uprecedented $170 million dollar business, known nationally as the highest grossing furniture business in any one store location.
His talk expanded this time to include three stories about his family and their difficult experiences.
First he recounted a nephew, 32 years old, and in the army in Baghdad. This boy told the story of an Iraqi girl who wanted saved by U.S. soldiers from conscription into a forced marriage. His moral: “I won the lottery. I live in the United States.”
Then he told the story of his brother George, and his fight for survival with a bad heart condition and a misdiagnosis. Through the dedication and selflessness of Dr. Mann, head of cardiology at St. Luke’s Hospital, the correct diagnosis was finally made in time to save his brother through heart surgery.
Finally, Mack related the story of his daughter, now 19, who lives with OCD, or Obsessive Cumpulsive Disorder. This mental illness is not always acknowledged in the medical profession as treatable, and he thanked those in the profession that had been sympathetic to helping her.
His simple reason for success can be repeated this way: “I am in the business of delighting customers.”
This spirited and deeply personal narrative about success in business and life was well received by the members of the Chamber. Afterward, president Reggie Gray presented McIngvale with a recognition plaque for his contribution as a Chamber STAR, and his renewal as a member of the chamber.