Tempur-Pedic celebrates new headquarters

Government and business leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the new headquarters of Lexington-based mattress maker Tempur-Pedic International.

The company moved in November from its previously leased space on Jaggie Fox Way to a new 128,000-square-foot building in the Coldstream Research Campus off Newtown Pike.

"We want it to be a place where people think it's a nice place to work," CEO Mark Sarvary told the crowd.

To that end, the company included innovative offerings for the 360 employees on-site. Some strategies were geared toward being environmentally friendly, while others encourage healthy living.

Among them:

■ The Tempur Café serves breakfast beginning at 7 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu offers fresh salads and sandwiches made with locally grown ingredients.

"It's all about healthier options," said Tempur-Pedic spokesman Mark Rupe.

Wednesday's special, for example, was spicy beef or chicken fajitas with seasoned black beans and green chili rice for $5.95.

Food prepared at the café is also placed daily in the "Micro-Market" on the building's second floor that serves as a snacking area.

■ The first-floor atrium includes two three-story water features with 12 gallons to 15 gallons of water in each. Besides the aesthetics, the water provides humidification for the building.

■ An on-site fitness center includes a yoga studio along with treadmills, weights and other workout equipment. It's open 24 hours a day for employees and includes showers.

■ The company has already gained accolades for featuring the works of local artists in the building.

Another nod to Kentucky is in the site's boardroom, where the wood is maple that is native to Kentucky but designed in such a way to reference the company's roots in Scandinavia. Scientists in Sweden and Denmark perfected the Tempur material used in the mattresses.

This story was originally published February 13, 2013 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Tempur-Pedic celebrates new headquarters."