Phi Chi Theta is bringing Jim “Mattress Mac” McIngvale to speak today in the Smith-Hutson Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. He will give his autobiography and tell how his business, Gallery Furniture, became the success it is.
Phi Chi Theta is a nationally recognized professional co-ed business fraternity began in 1924. It consists of business majors and minors and currently has 46 active members in the SHSU chapter.
“We are trying to have one professional speaker a month,” said Andrea Romeo, vice president of prospective membership.
McIngvale will be the second speaker this semester hosted by Phi Chi Theta. In January, Lisa Kubezca, SHSU Phi Chi Theta alumna was the professional guest speaker.
“We bring these speakers to help students make a connection to the business world,” said Andrea Martin, vice president of alumni for Phi Chi Theta.
In addition to hosting guest speakers, Phi Chi Theta takes corporate tours and is involved in other community services ventures such as highway cleanup.
McIngvale is a well-known name in the Houston area and, in addition to being a business owner, he is a motivational speaker and author of “Always Think Big: How Mattress Mac’s Uncompromising Attitude Built the Biggest Single Retail Store in America.” He has spoken to numerous business groups and has been a key motivational speaker at many Houston area schools.
McIngvale started Gallery Furniture in 1981 with $5,000. His dream has grown into one of the most successful businesses in Houston and the single most successful furniture store in the United States.
The success of Gallery Furniture is attributed to his strong commitment to hard work, customer service and grassroots marketing. A combination of his community service, daily speaking engagements and his television commercials for Gallery Furniture has made him a respected man in the business world.
In addition to his schedule at Gallery Furniture, McIngvale donates a substantial amount of his time and money to the Houston community.
Gallery Furniture has the highest sales revenue per square foot of showplace in the world. One way McIngvale has done this is by taking salesmen off commission and placing them on salary. This encourages the seasoned staff to take time and train the new recruits to get overall sales up.
The more money the company makes, the more everyone makes. Since there is no commission, when sales are slow, salesmen get in delivery trucks to speed up delivery service. This creates a better buying experience and is more convenient for customers and encourages them to visit Gallery Furniture again.
This is an example of how McIngvale’s business philosophy has made his business flourish. He will give more insight to his business techniques and success in his speech that will last for about an hour. Following the speech, Phi Chi Theta and McIngvale invites everyone to join them at Casa Tomas for a meet and greet.