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- Posted Thursday November 3, 2011
CEO leads Magowitz Foundation golf tournament benefiting TGen pancreatic cancer research
Mattress Firm's Steve Stagner is named Honorary Tournament
Chairman
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Nov. 3, 2011 - Steve Stagner, President and CEO of
Mattress Firm, a leading national bedding specialty retailer, will
be the Honorary Tournament Chairman for the 9th annual Seena
Magowitz Celebrity Golf Classic.
The Dec. 3, 2011, tournament at the landmark Arizona Biltmore
resort in Phoenix will benefit cutting-edge pancreatic cancer
research at the non-profit Translational Genomics Research
Institute (TGen).
As many as 288 golfers will help support TGen, which is leading
more than 40 institutes worldwide dedicated to finding a cure for
pancreatic cancer, the nation's fourth leading cause of cancer
death.
"Mattress Firm, and many other leaders in our nation's mattress
industry, are dedicated to working with the Seena Magowitz
Foundation to support TGen's efforts to find a cure for this
devastating disease," Stagner said.
Stagner, whose Houston-based firm has more than 720 retail stores
nationwide, said he believes Mattress Firm's support of TGen
provides his employees opportunities to change lives and raise
awareness of pancreatic cancer with every customer
interaction.
"This is a cause that has affected several of our employees and
that passion to make a difference really shines in our culture,"
Stagner said.
In March, Mattress Firm announced that it named TGen its
"charitable partner of choice," specifically funding TGen's
pancreatic cancer research. In May, Mattress Firm kicked off
their fundraising efforts for TGen's pancreatic cancer clinical
trials with a special presentation by TGen Physician-In-Chief Dr.
Daniel Von Hoff and by Jai Pausch, wife of pancreatic cancer victim
and New York Times bestselling author, Randy Pausch. The funding of
clinical trials allows TGen to provide patients with the latest
therapies.
Dr. Von Hoff, one of the world's foremost authorities on pancreatic
cancer, will be the keynote speaker at the tournament
luncheon.
Sports executive Jerry Colangelo, Director of USA Basketball and a
former owner of the Phoenix Suns and the Arizona Diamondbacks, will
be a guest speaker.
Roger Magowitz, Founder and Chairman of the Seena Magowitz
Foundation, said he was happy to announce Stagner as Honorary
Chairman of the tournament, which is named for his mother, Seena,
who passed away in 2001 from pancreatic cancer.
"Steve Stagner and Mattress Firm are at the forefront of efforts to
bring attention to the plight of more than 37,000 Americans who die
of pancreatic cancer each year," Magowitz said. "Imagine if - each
year - we could save those thousands from this devastating
disease."
At present, only 2 percent of the National Cancer Institute's
cancer research funding goes toward pancreatic cancer
research.
Other industry leaders - including Serta, Sealy, Simmons,
Tempur-Pedic, Protect-A-Bed, Leggett & Platt, International
Bedding, Anatomic Global, Sherwood Bedding and Glideaway - have
adopted pancreatic cancer research as a major cause. Many industry
executives have lost colleagues or family members to the
disease.
To date, he Seena Magowitz Foundation has raised more than $3
million for TGen research, with the annual golf tournament
contributing a significant portion of those funds.
Special rates for tournament participants are available at the
Arizona Biltmore. The tournament will be played on two premier
18-hole courses. For more information about the Seena Magowitz
Foundation, make a reservation for the Golf Classic, contribute a
donation or request a sponsorship, please visit:
www.seenamagowitzfoundation.org, or contact Roger Magowitz at
602-524-7636 or [email protected], or contact Liz
McBeth at [email protected].
# # #
About the Seena Magowitz Foundation
The Seena Magowitz Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization committed to advancing the awareness and eventual
prevention and cure of pancreatic cancer. The Foundation is
dedicated to funding top medical institutions on the leading edge
of translational pancreatic cancer research committed to diagnosis,
the advancement of life-extending treatment options and the
ultimate goal of eradicating this deadly killer. For more
information, visit: www.seenamagowitzfoundation.org.
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About Mattress Firm
Houston-based Mattress Firm (http://www.mattressfirm.com) is one of
the nation's premier specialty bedding retailers, offering a broad
selection of both traditional and specialty mattresses from leading
manufacturers, including Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Simmons, and Stearns
& Foster. Founded in 1986, Mattress Firm's purpose is to
improve lives one night at a time. With more than 700 stores across
24 states, Mattress Firm offers consumers the benefit of highly
trained, knowledgeable sales professionals, a broad product
offering, and competitive prices in an attractive and comfortable
store environment.
