The country was suffering through the depths of the Great Depression when two brothers, Harry and Morris Comess, decided to help their younger brother, Max, buy the assets of a recently-defunct mattress company. It was hoped that, through hard work and honest treatment of people, Max could succeed where others had failed. Perhaps it was only fitting, then, that the very first address of this fledgling firm was the basement of the Comess Furniture Store in downtown Norfolk. Surely, for Max Comess and young Paramount, there was no place to go but up.

By 1936, Max had been joined in the business by another family member, Albert Diamonstein. Albert was Morris’ brother-in-law and a seasoned salesman with the Norfolk Mattress Co. He was also, by his own proclamation, a bedding person. It was Albert’s belief that “If you want your business to grow, you’ve got to grow with it.” That meant always staying out front of your competition, and continually innovating better solutions. In Albert’s words, “the world doesn’t stand still, and people want to buy what’s new.”

Together, Albert and Max forged a formidable partnership, and quickly built up a roster of satisfied clientele won over by their commitment to integrity, innovation and craftsmanship.

Just as the company was enjoying some early success, the outbreak of World War II threatened to bring it to an abrupt end. Surviving this period meant learning to adapt and coming up with novel ways to cope with disruptions in supply, labor, and transportation. But survive the company did. And, by 1945, when peace finally came, Paramount found itself swept up in the post-war boom. The company responded by expanding into a new, larger factory in Virginia Beach.

As business steadily grew over the ensuring years, so, too, did the Diamonstein family’s involvement. By 1953, Arthur Diamonstein, who had just returned from service in Korea, joined the company as a shipping manager and occasional truck driver. Later, in the mid-eighties, Arthur was joined by his sons, Jamie and Richard, both of whom had grown up working at the company over school breaks.

Today, Paramount is truly a company of “bedding people.” One dedicated to carrying on the family legacy of integrity, innovation and craftsmanship. We humbly invite you to join us on the following pages as we celebrate the latest advances in this continuing journey.

America has a sleeping disorder. One hundred million Americans –your customers among them– are chronically sleep deprived.

Poor sleep has been directly tied to major health issues such as diabetes, early onset of multiple sclerosis, obesity and depression. It has been estimated that sleep deprivation costs the U.S. nearly $100 billion annually.

Conversely, the benefits of quality sleep are well-documented and often cited, including improved productivity at work and school, improved mood and behavior, as well as improved ability to cope with stress.

Americans are living more stressful, less active lives. They’re working longer hours, getting less exercise, eating poorly, growing more obese. In fact, for the first time in U.S. history, the current generation of children has a shorter life expectancy than their parents. And while many of these factors are increasingly being acknowledged and addressed, the one crucial factor that remains most often in the dark is sleep.

It’s a sad fact. For most of us, the problem of sleep deprivation is brought on by ourselves, and by our attitudes. We view sleep as a luxury rather than a necessity; as something we do with time left over rather than as something we must do to maintain good health.

And, frankly, our industry hasn’t exactly helped matters, either. By relentlessly pushing product features, instead of providing solutions for better sleep, we have created an environment of confusion and, all too often, frustration for the consumer.