Dale R. Carlsen founded

The Sleep Train Mattress Firm Inc. is an American mattress store chain founded on July 4, 1986. The headquarters of the company is located in Houston, Texas. Business Before its bankruptcy in 2018, the company operated over 3,600 locations in 48 U.S. states. M ...

Mattress Center in 1985,Jon Ortiz, ''Mattresses beneath his wings'', ''

Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

'', October 10, 2005, Page D1. and has guided the company to become the largest retailer of

mattress A mattress is a large, usually rectangular pad for supporting a lying person. It is designed to be used as a bed, or on a bed frame as part of a bed. Mattresses may consist of a quilted or similarly fastened case, usually of heavy cloth, conta ...

es on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, and one of the top three in the United States.Nancy Butler,
Sleep Train—Calculated risks, focus on people catapults California entrepreneur to the top
'', ''Sleep Savvy'' January/February 2007. In 2002, Dale purchased 54 of Mattress Discounters' stores in California during that company's bankruptcy—more than doubling Sleep Train's size.Kelly Johnson,

', ''Sacramento Business Journal'', October 23, 2002. In August 2006, Dale purchased Sleep Country USA from Simmons Bedding in a move to re-enter the northwestern market. He is a 1984 graduate of

Sacramento State University California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

in the College of Business Administration and a member of

Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly known as Lambda Chi, is a college fraternity in North America which was founded at Boston University in 1909. It is one of the largest social fraternities in North America, with more than 300,000 lifetime members a ...

fraternity. In 2013, Carlsen was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from

"for his work and contributions on behalf of foster children"

Awards

* "2013 Award for Economic Leadership" - Valley Vision * "Sacramentan of the Year" - Sacramento Metro Chamber, 2012. *

Ernst & Young Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewaterh ...

Entrepreneur Of The Year 2012 Award * "Distinguished Alumni Award" - Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity, 2007Awards
. Sleep Train website. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
Sacramento Metro Chamber
Businessman of the Year, 2005
Chancellor earns Sacramentan of the Year award
Dateline UC Davis, December 3, 2004 * "Business Hall of Fame Honoree" - Junior Achievement of Sacramento, 2005 * "Father of the Year" - Father's Day Council benefiting American Diabetes Association of Sacramento, 2005 * "Alumnus of the Year" - California State University, Sacramento's College of Business Administration, 2001 * "Volunteer of the Year" - Junior Achievement, 2000

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carlsen, Dale Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American businesspeople in retailing California State University, Sacramento alumni