Hi there and welcome to my Bloggin' Bio

Many folks ask me WHY I do what I do, what are my guiding principles, and where my experience and knowledge was acquired. Basically, they want my bio. I thought I'd write a little blogging-style bio, so you can get to know me better. If you have some time, and you really want to read about the person behind the company, then here we go....

I started working with textiles at a USA manufacturing company over 25 years ago. After getting married and enjoying a one year cross-country road trip with my eco-warrior husband, I found myself involved with the textile industry once again. This time it was organics... something never heard of in the 80's. I've always loved and preferred natural fibers, so this was something I really felt passionate about because it took natural fibers to the next level. To think there was a material that was actually good for our environment, healthier for the farmers and crops, a better choice for people with allergies, and also felt wonderful against the skin!

Remember that little guy "da plane, da plane". That was us, but we were saying "da cotton, da cotton". We started to promote the great benefits of organic cotton in our mail order catalog. Back then, folks thought we were just a bit bonkers. Keep in mind it was the early 1990's, and the green revolution was in it's infancy, and people were just learning about water saving showerheads and compact flourescent lightbulbs. But organic fiber? That would draw blank faces with glazed eyes. However, over time and with lots of education, we had many ordinary people also fall in love with the beauty of organic fibers.

Ordinary people led us to an extraordinary conclusion: We found that most of our customers preferred the comfy basics. Apparel fashioned as loungewear or sportswear that tends to stay in style season after season. Comfortable fabrics were a must with easy style fit and casual appeal. With our customers feedback, we focused on designing and manufacturing items to suit their needs. Which meant we had to get into their bedrooms.

Just as we research, develop and manufacture basic apparel, we do the same with our natural mattresses and natural bedding. We use certified organic cotton fabrics, organically-managed wool, and natural latex rubber. The comfort we get wearing natural fibers is even more important in the bedroom. Since natural fibers have the ability to breathe and transfer moisture, having them surround you during sleep is essential for a more comfortable, and healthier bedroom environment. Of course being involved with natural bedding, we knew this. But we had to figure out how to spread the news.

Similar to our struggle to educate our customers on organic apparel, we did the same with our mattresses and bedding. It was somewhat difficult to explain the worthwhile benefits of our bedding using pictures and descriptions in our paper catalog. Again, keep in mind this was well over ten years ago, and the organic mattress concept was unheard of back then. Anyway, we realized our organic mattresses and bedding were more expensive than conventional foam mattresses, and of course people wanted to see and feel this stuff up close before making such a major decision. But we didn't let that sway our determination to offer what I believed to be the most beneficial change in the bedroom. In fact, we were the first company to offer a full selection of organic mattresses and bedding nationwide in our catalog. This idea was very uncommon, and for many years we were the only source to get an organic mattress and organic bedding. Today, of course, it's much more acceptable to purchase a mattress sight-unseen, and also more available because of the internet. The managers here say our claim-to-fame is "we did it first", which is why I made sure to mention that earlier - LOL. And while being the "first" is really great and all-that, I'd personally much rather say "we do it best".

I don't care if it's an expensive top-of-the-line natural mattress, or a pair of organic cotton underwear... I want our final product to be of quality construction, comfortable, eco-friendly manufacturing, eco-smart materials, and no sweatshop labor. Yeah, I know that's a pretty tall order. But these are issues I take very seriously. As a manufacturer, we sometimes run into problems along the way that threaten to challenge one of those issues, and often it takes time to resolve. Stopping the development or production of a product is a crappy inconvenience to us, as well as our customers... after all, it delays the availablity. But we'd rather do it right, and do it the best we can, upholding our ethical guidelines versus closing a blind eye.

I grew up in a metropolitan city. As a kid, we'd walk the neighborhood and on the 4-corners of most city blocks you'd find a local business (like a candy store), a church, a bar, and a factory producing goods. I'm not too sure about what stands in those corners today, but I do know most of the factories are now museums. I worked for one of the largest sportwear manufacturers in the city (and probably the country). They occupied two entire city blocks with a street-bridge that connected the two enormous buildings. I remember when I heard they opened a factory in China. I was young, and not too privy on the obvious financial reasons of them getting cheaper labor. With my naivetee, I just could not understand why they were going overseas when they had full capabilities on-site. The operation was HUGE. They did everything... development, patterns, cutting, sewing, steaming, packaging, shipping. The factory supported most of the blue-collared workers and their families, who lived in the neighborhood. I often wonder how they support their families now. They probably work at Walmart.

Lowest price guaranteed. Buy it cheap. Get it for less. I worry about when the discount department stores get into organics. Overall, it's a great concept that more American's can purchase organics easily and more affordably. I mean heck, who doesn't like a bargain? What I get crazy about is the whole economic thing, and the ethical slave-labor situation. Just like the manufacturer I worked for in Philadelphia, many of the new organic products available today are coming from overseas. Labor is dirt-cheap, so of course the product is the lowest price. American's are losing jobs everyday, as we move our productions across the ocean. Meanwhile, the overseas laborers are also being taken advantage of working under sweatshop conditions, horrendous hours and getting pennies an hour. But as Americans, we reap the benefits of this injustice. We get the lowest price... or do we? I worry that someday, all of us will work for discount department stores, just because we demand and support the cheapest price. We'll shop there, we'll work there. We'll have no choice. They'll be the only one's standing. Except of course, for the workers. Hope the shoes made in China hold up!

So yeah, it's a personal thing I have an issue with, but there are a lot of other Americans who feel the same way. They go crazy when they find out our stuff is actually made in the USA. Some folks love our environmental stance of using only fibers from natural resources, others could care less about the eco-benefits because they dig it's American-made. Then you have folks, like me, who love that we do BOTH. Talk about overhead. Oh well. I'll probably never have the wealth of a Walmart CEO, but that's OK. Not sure what I would do with over a million dollar salary per year... probably give a lot away. Personally, I only need enough to support my family comfortably. And knowing our company and our production chain supports many other Americans and their families is something that really does make me happy. Yeah I know that sounds kind of dorky, but hey, everyone needs to feel good about something, and that's my something! Now... give me that smiley-face.

Well, there are other things I feel good about, like my family. Ask any mother and she'll tell you her finest accomplishment is her children. There is nothing on this earth that one can create which exceeds this phenomenal miracle. Choosing to have children changes your awareness of everything, which is why my husband and I started "Tomorrow's World" with eco-smart choices. We knew that water and air pollution, wasting our natural resources, consuming huge amounts of energy, using toxic chemicals, would have a negative impact on our natural environment and our kids' lifestyle. We like to be adventurous and enjoy the great outdoors, so we had a personal mission to preserve this magnificiant planet for our own enjoyment. Selfish? Sure, I guess. But in a very good way. I wish more people were selfish about it.

Speaking of enjoying the great outdoors and using less energy... My husband Richard, loves to sail. We spend a lot of time on the sailboat. In fact, that picture of me with the kids was taken while sailing, with hubby at the helm. It really is awesome to be out on the water using the wind as your motor. It's so quiet the dolphins swim alongside without being disturbed. And the feeling of independence is a great high. Of course when there's no wind, it sucks. Then again, we usually don't go sailing on those days. On the other hand, when it gets really windy, we tip hard, and they call me "white-knuckles" because I freak-out. The drama is so good, even I laugh at myself.

You have to laugh. If you don't, you'll die. I have a wacky sense of humor that can also be dry. My kids think I'm the funniest thing in the world. When we have photo shoots, I like to get everyone in the picture smiling. I love natural shots of real people and authentic laughter. It plays a vital part of our image to "chill out naturally". Sometimes, to get everyone in a silly mood, I have to say things like "fart" and "poop". It usually works to get them relaxed. Gets them to chill out... naturally.

Naturally, that last sentence brings me to the "name change". Some customers ask why we are changing our name from Tomorrow's World to the Organic Comfort Zone, the place to chill out naturally. The simpliest answer is: we've changed. Back in 1991 Tomorrow's World truly was all-things-eco to all-people-everywhere. We carried a huge assortment of eco-friendly goods that would benefit tomorrow's world, reaching people across the country with our mail order catalog. In the late 90's, the internet boom introduced hundreds of start-up companies, so anyone could offer mail order, and the popularity of green goods was on the rise. For instance, today you can find CF lightbulbs and water-saving showerheads at any hardware store. We featured both these types of items in our catalog for years, with the hopes they would become commonplace in our world. Well, folks, "tomorrow's world" is here today. Mission accomplished.

Having experience in the textile industry, as well as a true fondness for organic materials, I knew we had another mission to complete: To offer folks our special brand of organic comfort. With our ethical guidelines and quality stamped on every item we made, this was something we could specialize in offering. And with our vast expertise, I knew we could do it better than anyone else in the business.

Tomorrow's World will continue to operate as an online retailer for the Organic Comfort Zone, because folks feel safe with the established history of the Tomorrow's World name. The Organic Comfort Zone will move forward with our ideals in place, to provide outrageous natural comfort using eco-smart practices, while supporting American workers. Since I'm at the helm of the business, our company needs to have a positive impact, so I can feel good about my life and what I'm doing. Because just like you, I want to live happily ever after.

To your own self be true,
-cheryl