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Ralph Beam has plenty of opportunity to lie down on the job. But he doesn‘t. . In fact, his success is measured by people who lie down as a result of his being on the job. And they number in the thousands. ~ Ralph is busy as a thirdâ€"generation member of his family carrying on in a job begun by his grandâ€" father, soon after the turn of the century. He customâ€"manufactures, by hand, mattresses and box springs of all sizes. The G. Beam Mattress Company had its beginnings around 1930, when Gideon Beam, a seasoned mattress maker with the Waterloo Bedding Company, decided to branch out on his own. * â€" He formed a partnership, the Niergarthâ€"Beam Matâ€" tress Company, for years located in a building at Erb and Dunbar Sts. Gideon died in 1944, and the business was taken over by his son Oscar. The old Erb St. building burned down in 1953, and what was by this time known as the G. Beam Mattress Company was movâ€" ed into new quarters on Dearborn St., which today is University Ave. And for the past five years, Waterloo‘s most enâ€" during bedding manufacturer has been located in its present quarters, in a converted truck garage in the alley behind King St., just off Herbert"" Ralph, 31, took over the company when his father Oscar, now 75, retired three years ago. "I wasn‘t sure if I wanted to take it over," says Ralph, an easyâ€"going fellow, who had grown up in the family business. _ S _ 80 He recalls the urgings of his father to have him and older brother, Paul, get their driver‘s licence, as soon as they were old enough to handle the famiâ€" ly‘s light delivery truck. Paul is now a teacher at University of Waterloo, and for a time, Ralph worked in Kitchener for Naâ€" tional Cash Register before coming back to the famâ€" ily business. ‘"‘I don‘t know how to do anything else," he says with a joke. _ _ â€" S But Ralph finds there is today, just as in Gideon‘s time, a need for oddâ€"size and custom made matâ€" The big manufacturers can‘t be bothered with small custom orders, but at Beam‘s, no order is too small. And some of Béeam‘s customers, as well as their children and grandchildren, have been buying matâ€" tresses since Gideon‘s days. ‘"They trusted us and passed the word on to their children and grandâ€" children,"‘ Ralph says. When it comes to odd sizes, it‘s not so much in widths â€" standards being 39, 54, and 60â€"inches, but in mattress lengths. s â€" The standard rmmattress is 74 inches long, or sixâ€" feet twoâ€"inches, "but most people think they‘re just six feet long, period. That‘s a misconception," Ralph says. Some old beds are a mere six feet in length, but not anymore. However, it‘s orders for the smaller, older models, and some longer than usual beds, and crib matâ€" tresses that Ralph specializes in. â€" ‘‘There‘s no assembly line here. It‘s not a big thing to de an odd size,‘‘ he says. Beam Mattress, a oneâ€"andâ€"aâ€"half man operation, as Ralph calls it â€" everything is done by him and Ralph Beam: carfying on the family traditions By Paul Marck No lying down on the job Raliph Beam measures up a set of bed springs. He is the third generation carrying on the family business, G. Beam Mattress Company. Society of Artists to hold annual exhibition at Kitchener Gallery The Ontarie Society of Artists 105th Annual Open exhibition will be presented from January 5â€"29 at the Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Art Gallery at 43 Benton St., Kitchener. The 83 works that make up the exhibition, the gallery‘s major showing for January, were selected from some from Toronto, Ralph assembles and connects the , springs himself. s Beam also manufactures polyâ€"urethane mattresses that are lighter, and nonâ€"allergic, for specialty orâ€" ders. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears into buildâ€" ing each mattress, but it‘s worth it, Ralph says. Each comes with a five year guarantee, but the three units a day, a unit being a complete box spring and mattress: Each is made separately, beginning with the bed springs, which means the difference between a restâ€" ful sleep, or a night of tossing and turning. * student who comes in after school â€" turns out about the insulator and a finer grade of felt and cotton than the big manufacturers. * And most of the materials used are bought localâ€" ly. The felt comes from New Hamburg, cotton and covering in Kâ€"W, and while the coil springs come Next comes an optional insulator, then felt coverâ€" ing, cotton stuffing, and cover. | From the outside, a Beam mattress looks indisâ€" tinguishable. It‘s covered with the standard, thin and wide navy stripe ticking. There are, however, some innovations that set Beam mattresses apart from others. Standard matâ€" tresses contain as few as 180 coil springs, but Beam mattresses contain from 282 to 312. _ _ For added support and longevity, Beam uses coiled connecting wires between the springs, along with 550 entries and represent 75 artists with a wide range of expression and discipline. Also, in the Cycle Gallery from January 5â€"13, an exhiâ€" bition of photographs by Ken Straiton will be on view folâ€" lowed by an exhibition of conceptual _ sculpture â€" by Guelph artist Richard Warâ€" dell from January 15â€"29. __ Show a litle style. on i # ~ Give us your news =~ . Weterloo Chronicle, Wednesday, January 4. 1978 â€" Page 16 The gallery welcomes group visits to view the wide variety of art. Group visits can be accommodated during off hours. Exhibitions change monthâ€" ly and the gallery provides one of the best free educaâ€" tion _ and _ entertainment packages in the community. If interested in touring the bestâ€"built Beam mattresses will easily last 20 years, He has orders to fill regularly from school boards, institutions and nursing homes, as well as single customer orders. Most of the orders are local, from southern Ontario. But Ralph has shipped one unit as far away as China â€" a student formerly at the Waterloo Luâ€" theran seminary was posted in the Orient, but couldn‘t do without his Beam mattress. And what special talents are needed to handâ€" make mattresses and box springs: "I‘d like to think that after three generations it‘s inherent," Ralph says with a grin. Though unmarried, he‘s sure "that if I have a son, he‘ll know how to do it, without any teaching."‘ The best thing about the business, Ralph says, ‘"is the 360 degrees of it‘ â€" being a small, indeâ€" And as for looking into the distant future: ‘"Who knows? Fifty years from now we may be sleeping on a cushion of air." every aspect of the operation. ‘"One day I get my hands dirty, the next day I‘m motoring off to Toronto, then I‘m dealing with my helper, or with customers, or talking to you people about advertising.‘"‘ For the time being, and in the foreseeable future, business is looking steady for custom mattress manuâ€" facturing. .l‘;:""’ . i"’ gallery this month or any other time, of the year, conâ€" tact . Brad Blain, curator, extension department, 745â€" 6671. The regular gallery hours are â€" Tuesdayâ€"Saturday 10 am. to 5 p.m.; Sunday 15 p.m.; and Tuesday, Wedâ€" nesday and Thursday eveâ€" nings from 7â€"9 p.m.