WASHINGTON, D.C. – Abram’s Bed LLC, doing business as The Safety Sleeper™, has been named Small Business Exporter of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Pittsburgh-based company will be officially recognized during National Small Business Week, an annual event honoring the accomplishments and contributions of the best small businesses in the nation.
The award will be presented by SBA Administrator Linda McMahon on May 1, during a luncheon held at the U.S. Institute of Peace, in Washington, D.C. Rose Morris, Abram’s Bed LLC’s president and inventor of The Safety Sleeper™, will receive the award on behalf of her company.
A mother of three, Morris struggled with finding solutions to protect her middle son Abram, who is on the autism spectrum, as he faced nights of fitful and erratic sleep. Her determination to help her then toddler-aged son lead a healthy life was the inspiration to invent The Safety Sleeper™, a lightweight tent-like structure that is placed on top of the bed, and includes padding and an air mattress.
Morris established Abram’s Bed LLC in 2009. The business grew, thanks to counseling from the local SCORE and the Small Business Development Center at Duquesne University. The Safety Sleeper™ underwent design modifications done by engineering students at the University of Pittsburgh, and now offers additional features such as an extra safety zipper system, an enclosed mattress to protect against entrapment, fire retardant material, stabilizing straps to prevent tipping, and frame pads.
By 2016, the company had reached the $1 million sales mark. The Safety Sleeper™ is now exported to 12 countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
U.S. exports are important to the nation’s economy, and 98 percent of all exporters are small businesses. The SBA’s export loan programs help American small businesses reach customers in the global market and compete on an equal footing in countries around the world. During fiscal year 2016, the SBA had another record year guaranteeing more than 1,800 loans to small business exporters, resulting in more than $1.5 billion in financing and over $3 billion in U.S. exports.
Each year since 1963, the president has issued a proclamation calling for the celebration of National Small Business Week. This year National Small Business Week will be recognized April 30 – May 6, with events planned in Washington, D.C., New York City, Indianapolis, Dallas and Fresno, California. For more information on the national events, visit www.sba.gov/nsbw.