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Paul went on to become a teacher at the University of Waterloo and Ralph left the company to work for National Cash Re- gister In Kitchener before coming back to ) Waterloo and the family mattress com- pany By Stewart Sutherland Chronicle staff writer What do you do when you finally find that perfect antique cannonball or old brass bed at the local auction and you dis- cover that you just can't buy a mattress that fits? Most people call Ralph Beam. Ralph is carrying on a family tradition that dates back three generations. His grandfather, Gideon Beam, had been making mattresses for the Waterloo Bed- ding Company up until the early 1930's himself Gideon formed a partnership, the Nier- garth-Beam Mattress Comrhy. and operated out of a building at Erb and Dun- bar Sts. in Waterloo. When Gideon died in 1944, his son Oscar took over the business and worked out of the same building until 1953 when a fire levelled the facility. The business, now known as the G. Beam Mattress Company, was moved to new quarters on Dearborn St, (since changed to University Ave.) in Waterloo. Six years ago the company relocated to a converted truck garage in an alley behind King St ' just off Herbert St Ralph, 32. took over the business when his father retired at the age of 72 and moved Waterloo's most enduring mat- tress manufacturer to its present quarters at 48 William St, West in July. 1978. The building was previously owned by two local woodworkers. Alec Schnarr and his son. Joe, who went on to become a suc- cessful contractor "I wasn't sure if I wanted to take It over." said Ralph who had grown up In the local family business His father was always after Ralph and his older brother Paul to get their driver's licence as soon as they were old enough to look after the chore of driving the fami- ly's light delivery truck . "i don't know how to do anything else." he said But tus self-depreciation isn't all that true While attending university on a part- time basis, he and two of his friends filmed and edited a motion picture Beam presently sits on the Oktoberfest. Wa- terloo 10 km Run and the Hort Cross- Country anpel committees Ralbh hd.k found that like his grand- father's time there us always a demand for odd-Size and custom made mattresses He makes mattresses for everything from recreational vehicles. boats and sleeper trucks to motels, hospitals and nursing homes The company also mano- Ralph Beam, I third generation member of a local mattress manufac- turing family, inserts cotton tuning instead of the stands"! button pat- tern used by most ot the big manufacturers. The buttons tend to, pro- he decided-to go into business for factura foam safety bumpers and floor safety pads for geriatric or special care homes. If you are looking for turtlbl'gn-g People have found that the big manu- facturers can't be bothered with small orders. But for Ralph, no order is too small. And people have trusted the Beams in the past to produce exactly what they want and Ralph has learned that they and their children still have that trust. Some of Beam's customers, as well as their children and grandchildren, have been buying Beam mattresses since Gideon's days. mats, wedg'e head or foot §upports, Ralph is the man to see. '11'hey trusted us and passed the word on to their children and grandchildren," Ralph said. - _ When Ralph talks about “odd sizes" he's not referring to the width-standards being 39. M and (SO-inches - but more the mattress length. The standard mattress length is 74 inches (six feet, two inches), "but most people think they're just six feet long. period. That's a misconception." Ralph said, Some of the older beds are just six feet long, but not these days, Raipit' specializes in orders for the older. smaller models, some longer than usual beds and crib mattresses. 'mtere's no assembly line here, It's not a big thing to do an odd size." ht said. Ralph is the only full-time employee but has two students come in to take up the slack after school when orders pile up, His father, at 77, still comes around oc- casionally "to keep his fingers in the bu- siness." Ralph manages to tum out three units per day A unit consists of a complete box spring and mattress. - Each is manufactured separately Each bed spring is assembled with a wire flexi- lator pad to protect the spring and ensure many years of continued comfort. accord- mg to Ralph Next comes the optional insulator. felt covering. cotton stuffing and cover. Each cover is hand stitched. Ralph manufac- tures and stocks all standard sizes and bases. and they're available in spring/cot- ton or various grades of polyurethane foam, Beam mattresses vary from the ones you would normally buy in most stores. Standard mattresses contain as few as 180 coil springs, but the ones Ralph manuiac- tures contain anywhere from 282 to 312. depending on the size of the mattress Beam uses coiled connecting wires be- tween the springs for added support and longevity and he uses a finer grade of felt and cotton than the big manufacturers The only major similarity to his competi- tors' product Is the standard thin and wide navy striped ticking cover Beam's mattress company draws on local manufacturers for his materials trude phat several years of use. Ralph favors the mm which he says provides his customers with - of continued comfort. The felt comes from New Hamburg, the cotton and covering from the K-W area and the coil springs, which he assembles and connects himself, come from Toron- Most of Ralph's orders are placed either locally or elsewhere in southern Ontario, but one of his mattresses has found its way to China. A former student at the Waterloo Lutheran seminary was posted in the Far East and just couldn't do without his Beam mattress "i'd like to think that after three gen- erations it's inherent," Ralph said when contemplating the talents necessary to his trade. Although he's single, he's sure "that if I have a son, he'll know how to do it without any teaching." T _ an.“ fr £12 t'ser, - 'iii"," tTEtG"d, JF,lt6iiit tAti. w?” I" '.t?ei, e i; .0 st:"i's)i"'u"?r'id-ric" 'ibcs Ci.t, “75.4.... "T-, Ag',,"'.',)'-,)",, ’ I k ' Beam mattresses contain anywhere from 282 to 312 coil springs. de pending on the size of the mattress. The coil springs, which Ralph as- sembles and connects himself with coiled connecting wires, are "tanu- factured in Toronto. Waterloo Chronicle, Wednesday, Det:xmtber 12. 1919 - Page tt Ralph enjoys being a small independent businessman and being involved in every aspect of the operation. He also enjoys the community work he finds himself doing from time to time. He believes his invol- vement in this area is just one more aspect of being a businessman in the com- munity. Ralph says this is nothing unu- sual. The local people come to him for their needs and he just wants to put some- thing back into society. For the time being, and in the foreseea- ble future, business is looking steady for custom mattress manufacturing. He can l see any expansion to the building. If any- thing it will be in the number of his em- ployees. i iy ',i'i?iil! limp 3, . Lttt «’4 , "r"crr'siits't h _