Pillow Talk With John and Patrick Harris
HARRIS PILLOW SUPPLY
story by WENDY NILSEN POLLITZER photos by PAUL NURNBERG
John and Patrick Harris, the father and son team at Harris Pillow Supply, embrace a forward-thinking posture, always looking to the horizon with poise and integrity for the next challenge or opportunity. The company’s mission is simple: Provide the very best products with prompt service, ensure fair prices, and treat people the way they would like to be treated. And with that creed and other revered principles in commerce, the Harris family have been in business for 62 years.
Founded by John’s father, Bill, Harris Pillow Supply began as a franchise of Fluff ‘n Puff Pillow Service in the Chicago area in 1958. John joined the company in 1979 with marketing and sales management experience and relocated the business to Beaufort one year later with his dad. In 2004, the third generation of the family, Patrick Harris, joined the team and contributed marketing and graphic design experience. All three generations worked together for several years before the late founder retired.
Over the years, the business has evolved to include multiple services: sewing pillow ticking, providing feathers and supplies for refreshing and renovating pillows, manufacturing pillows, and manufacturing and selling the world’s only pillow renovating machine—the Pillow-Vac—designed by the company’s founder, Bill.
Longevity in small business is rare. Continuity in product innovation, distinctive growth strategies, and an understanding of the competitive marketplace are essential components to survival. A successful company must also be able to adapt to market trends to satisfy the continual customer demand. And Harris Pillow Supply has done all of this and more to succeed as a leader in their industry.
In the 1990s, Harris Pillow Supply profited from hotels, cruise lines, and interior designers as their primary customer base. In the last decade, private labeling has dominated the demand. Private labels are products sold by an online retailer with its own packaging, but manufactured by a third party. Will Abbott, the co-founder of the Flood Tide brand, joined the team at Harris Pillow Supply to manage and grow this e-commerce fulfillment niche. And it’s growing exponentially. One of the well-known private labels that Harris Pillow Supply fulfills is Sewing Down South™, a pillow and apparel company owned by Bravo TV’s Southern Charm star, Craig Conover. Harris Pillow Supply is also a distributor of the Sunbrella™ outdoor fabric brand.
In an effort to cut costs and wisely invest in the company’s future, John and Patrick recently made two business decisions that catapulted their sales, both in the private labeling and hospitality sectors. They purchased warehouse space next door to the office they’ve had since 1980 on Highway 2 in Gray’s Hill and tripled their square footage for production. They also acquired the Chickasaw Processing Company, a raw fiber processing plant specializing in padding and upholstery filling, located in Greenwood, SC, along with its 17 employees. The business deal eliminated the middle man and allowed Harris Pillow Supply to diversify. They even began selling to their competitors.
John and Patrick are continually educating themselves on industry trends. They annually attend international trade shows focused on dry cleaning, hotel, interior design, and furniture markets. The family-owned company is a progressive competitor in global pillow manufacturing, but Harris Pillow Supply’s success is rooted in small-town values.
They employ 32 people here in the Lowcountry with duties that include cutting and sewing, shipping and receiving, and managerial and executive experience. One employee, Daisy Smalls, has been with the company for 40 years. She started on the Monday after she graduated high school in Beaufort in 1980; the same day Harris Pillow opened its doors here. Two other employees, Greg Rushing and Aletha Price, have been key employees for over 25 years each as well. What’s the secret? Transparency and the Golden Rule, which are described in their mission.
“My dad always said to make every customer and employee feel important and valued. I go to sleep at night knowing I’ve never taken advantage of anyone in business. I’ve never overcharged anyone, and I would never put out a product less than the best we can do,” smiles John.
And that same integrity that was passed down from his father was inherently accepted by his son with an equal amount of principled enthusiasm.
“The customer is always right. We have no favoritism with clients. We have no favoritism with employees,” explains Patrick.
Both of the Harris men are philanthropically involved in the Beaufort community, and they encourage their staff to do the same. Patrick is on the board of directors at the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce, and John has been an active board member of AMIkids Beaufort for years. They both are committed members of the Kiwanis Club of Beaufort as well.
“You get more benefit out of a community if you put your time and heart in it. This is a small town. I feel better about asking for help when I know I’ve helped my neighbors,” says John.
John remembers needing advice years ago when he was transitioning his father’s business model from selling pillow cleaning machines to manufacturing pillows. He asked a fellow Beaufort businessman and community leader, Richard Gray Sr., to share ideas about growing his business while maintaining loyalty to his valued customers. Gray imparted wisdom on past experiences and became a mentor for John. He is still an esteemed business resource and friend.
“That’s one of the things I love about doing business in a small town. Everyone knows each other and helps each other,” affirms John.
The growth of Harris Pillow Supply since its relocation to its new space is impressive. They now produce as much in monthly sales as they did in annual sales at one time. One reason for that growth is the expertise of Greg Rushing adding cushion production to the product line. Along with that, Patrick has engineered and built equipment that sends bales of synthetic fibers up a conveyor belt and distributes the filling equally in casing. The invention eliminates the need for manual shoveling, but it won’t reduce the demand for employees.
“When we can produce more, we can employ more. We will always need people to package and ship,” explains Patrick.
The invention is not only beneficial for Harris Pillow Supply but will also be profitable for other manufacturing companies to purchase and utilize as well.
Harris Pillow Supply has historically adapted to international economic crises with temporary reinvention and alignment. The COVID-19 pandemic is an example of that needed adjustment. After the first week of lockdown in late March 2020 in South Carolina, the Harris men asked themselves, “What do we do?” Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines are two of the company’s biggest clients, and they were on indefinite lockdowns as well as many other hospitality clients.
Well, Harris Pillow Supply is first and foremost a cut and sew company with modern technology to fulfill orders, regardless of product. Neither the hospitality industry nor private labels were buying pillows. There was no need. But there was definitely a demand for gowns and masks. So, they made them—right here in Beaufort—and recruited a few manufacturing partners in SC to help. In fact, they have had orders for more than 80,000 gowns and 40,000 masks for our frontline health care workers during the first wave of the pandemic. Thank you, Harris Pillow Supply, for that important fulfillment!
John and Patrick Harris are two of Beaufort’s finest men. They are servants of our beloved coastal community, progressive business leaders, and devoted family patriarchs. Patrick has been married to his wife, Emily, for 16 years, and John has been married to his bride, Kay, for 23 years.
The Harris family proves that integrity, dedication, and respect are the most genuine ingredients to a successful business and a happy life. We will all sleep well knowing that you are our neighbors.
