Dreamline: The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

“It's definitely an opportunity for entrepreneurs to get out there and chase their dreams,” says Kevin Tipton when speaking of capitalism. That’s not an idle observation. Tipton is President of Dreamline, and his stewardship marks the third generation of Tiptons in the family owned and operated bedding company.

Started by his grandfather, Dreamline has been making mattresses in Cabot, Arkansas, since 1963. His father, Steve, is CEO, and his aunt, Sandy Tipton Findlay, is vice president of sales. “Dad was just an entrepreneur, and he wanted his own business,” recalls Findlay. “He wanted that American dream.”

Tipton has been chasing his own version of the dream “all my life,” he says. He has been working in the family business since receiving his marketing and management degree. The life-long interest in the business has been passed on to his son, Owen. As a young child he accompanied his father to work daily, showing a flair for product design if not for economics.

Owen once priced his idea for bunk beds with a slide for $72,000. “So, as he's designing his mattress and realizing that we need to price them on a lower scale, I'm thrilled with that,” says Kevin. “As a dad… I just want him soaking all of that in.”

For Kevin, it was his grandfather who helped him learn all aspects of the business. “My dad was my boss, but my grandfather, he was my buddy,” recalls Kevin. “He is who I would go to and talk to…about employees, we would talk about customers. We would talk about everything business.”

Nevertheless, Kevin is pragmatic about the special dynamics of family businesses.

“You hope that you're working together to achieve the same goals. It doesn't always happen in a perfect manner,” he admits. “With family…there's a lot more invested. There's a lot more pride that goes into wanting to see it be successful.”

He sees both obligation and opportunity in keeping the family legacy going, for his grandfather, his own father, and for his children. Says Kevin, “If they want to be involved, we're here and we're ready for 'em.“