Joseph Springer, MyPillow chief administrative officer, general counsel
Joseph Springer, MyPillow's chief administrative officer, said a chance meeting with founder Mike Lindell at a Nevada blackjack table ultimately led him to end his 25-year legal practice to join the specialty pillow maker.
MyPillow hired Springer as general counsel earlier this year, a role he had served for four years while he was an attorney at Fredrikson and Byron.
MyPillow had become a client after Springer's chance encounter with Lindell in Laughlin, Nev. When Lindell began looking for a general counsel, he pulled Springer's business card from his wallet.
Springer had no intention of leaving private practice until Lindell introduced a surprise resolution to hire Springer full time during a board meeting.
"It was a very difficult decision," Springer said. "I really miss working with a lot of my other clients and colleagues but in the end I have no regrets because I'm having a lot more fun now."
Springer, also a MyPillow board member, added chief administrative officer duties over the summer as the company continues to enjoy rapid growth, fueled in part by Lindell's frequently running infomercials and radio spots.
The company recently began test marketing a MyPillow Bed at some of its Twin Cities stores, Springer said. Lindell also is working with comedian Joe Piscopo to develop a liquid vitamin supplement, writing a book about his colorful life and establishing a foundation.
MyPillow, which has 750 employees, recently completed a 125,000-square-foot addition to its 70,000-square-foot factory, Springer said.
Q: To what would you attribute MyPillow's growth?
A: You can do all the marketing that you want, all the infomercials that you want but unless you've got a good product it's not going to sell. The No. 1 reason is it is quite simply the best pillow on the market.
Q: What differentiates the MyPillow Bed from others?
A: All of our pillows are made in Minnesota and the bed is made in Minnesota. We have combined a lot of the best elements that you can put into a bed and packaged it at an attractive price. It's the quality of the construction and the materials that we are using in it.
Q: Why did you to make the move to MyPillow?
A: My initial reaction was, "How can I politely say no?" But I started thinking about all the different opportunities, knowing the company from the inside and all the exciting things that are coming out in the next few months and that persuaded me to do something completely different. And I'm frankly pretty happy that I did.
Todd Nelson
