Savvy Rest Staff

Michael Penny

Launching an organic mattress company is nothing I set out to do, yet Savvy Rest has been the natural and happy result of choices I made along the way.

I am a yoga teacher at heart. I lived and taught in a yoga community for 20 years. I loved helping people to relax and experience their own inner world.

Later I worked for a futon company and gradually learned the mattress business; how they are made, and how they are marketed and sold. As I learned what toxic chemicals and allergens wind up in mattresses these days, it became my life's work to create a healthy, comfortable alternative.

I am passionate about health and how sleep contributes to well being, and I enjoy giving talks to groups about sleep and holistic health.

My staff and I go out of our way to establish and maintain excellent communication among ourselves, and with our dealers and customers. We treat one another and everyone in our circles with dignity and respect. Positive relationships foster good business, and our success is primarily due to this commitment. We say what we mean, and we do what we say.

That's who we are. Our mission is to offer you mattresses and pillows that create the healthiest sleeping environment possible.

Seanan Maranzano

I graduated from the University of Virginia in 2004 in anthropology, and then worked on a yacht out of Fort Lauderdale. That was exciting, but I wasn’t destined to be a deckhand.

Sleep has fascinated me since high school. The rigor of trying to balance academics, sports, work and other activities wore me down. I felt like an android, stiff and disconnected. Just when my mind needed to be at its sharpest, I was spending more time on assignments and getting less done. I also became increasingly irritable. It got to the point where I would fall asleep sitting up in class. I knew I shouldn’t be so tired all the time.

I studied sleep for a research paper and learned that although people spend nearly a third of their lives sleeping, they typically understand little about the sleep cycle and how it affects their everyday lives. I reprioritized my sleep time and began paying closer attention to my sleep habits, and soon noticed an improvement in my health and well being. Sleep studies also resurfaced in my college psychology courses. Still, I would never have guessed that a few years later I would be helping other people find sleep solutions. I love what I do.

I feel an ethical responsibility to leave the smallest possible ecological footprint behind. I know after my Savvy Rest mattress has served its purpose it will decompose without seeping toxins into the land and water. I want future generations to enjoy the same hobbies and beautiful scenery I have. And in the present, I work hard, play hard and can get up and do it again because I sleep like a hibernating bear on my Savvy Rest.

Dominick Palamenti

I joined the Savvy Rest team in November of 2006 after weathering the sale of a company I had been part of for 14 years. I had seen a darker side of business during that process, so it is a pleasure now to be part of a company in which transparency is highly valued and honest interaction is the norm.

But business was not my first love. I spent many years training as an actor and performing in theater productions in Switzerland, Italy, New York and now in Virginia. These days, however, I am focusing more on my passion for the outdoors. Specifically, kayaking. My wife (the best adventure partner a man could ask for) and I have gone on kayak-camping expeditions in Assateague, along the Outer Banks, on the Roanoke River and, most challenging, in the Everglades. 

When not battling wind and tide we enjoy spending time in our Virginia home cooking great food and listening to the sound of the spring peepers.

I have always loved to sleep. All my other interests aside, it is my favorite pastime. My wife loves the irony of my job.

It is very satisfying to apply my business skills and contribute to the growth of a company that has such an important mission: helping people to find the healthiest possible sleep.

Laura Wallace

I’ve worked in the creative side of marketing and publishing for 20 years, including stints as an editor for Prevention Magazine Health Books and in senior editorial positions at a few intrepid dot-coms. I earned my M.A. from The Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars, and returned to Baltimore years later to head up the editorial division of a publishing firm. I’ve always felt there should be blue mountains at the end of every street, though, so I’m glad I came home to Charlottesville.

One night, awake with back pain, I thought, I need a new mattress. I hopped on the computer and found Savvy Rest. Michael responded to my query, and I soon realized that to him, courtesy and integrity are simply the way to do business.

It’s both gratifying and fun to spread the word about Savvy Rest, and I am happy to be part of this team of smart, caring and conscientious people. To me, Savvy Rest means not only a wonderful organic mattress, but right livelihood, too.

Gopal Penny

Starting at a young age, I was educated about the harmful effects of chemicals in our everyday products. Growing up with my family, we slept on futons and shopped at local health food stores. So I feel completely at home marketing and discussing the benefits of a mattress containing only natural materials.

I started at Savvy Rest in early 2009, where I've been handling our online marketing. In particular, I've been been working with the website to make it more user-friendly. But when I'm not buried in my computer screen, I also enjoy helping people choose the mattress that best fits their needs.

I graduated from Virginia Tech in 2007, where I studied electrical engineering and participated in various service activities and study abroad trips. After completing my studies, I worked in the solar energy industry before coming to Savvy Rest.

In my free, time I enjoy playing sports, dancing, and cooking fresh, gourmet dinners with my friends.

Vey Martini

I was raised on the theory, “If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” One of the things that did not matter in my life was sleep. I slept four hours a night, determined not to miss anything life had to offer.

As a licensed journeyman rider (jockey), I rode the “A” thoroughbred racetracks on both coasts. Sleep was something I endured until I could get to the track every morning. Youth has its privileges: I made good use of mine and survived on very little sleep because I loved my job.

Later, I returned to school to complete my degree in Design/Graphic Art, and worked for Insight Magazine in Washington, DC. I continued to ride thoroughbreds at the Laurel Racecourse every morning. However, the body is not designed to accommodate sleepless nights forever. My schedule brought me to a radical notion: sleep was important!

As a former professional athlete, I was left with wear and tear injuries that became more apparent with time.  When I joined Savvy Rest, I learned more about the benefits of a productive night’s sleep and especially, how the right mattress makes that possible. I was also introduced to living as “green” a life as I can.

Todd Milton

My fiancée and I moved from Washington D.C. to Charlottesville in January of 2010. We adore the city and the surrounding mountain ranges. Previously, I studied English and Philosophy at the University of Vermont, and then spent 4 years bartending at the Broadway Theaters in Times Square. After that I spent 5 years in Washington D.C., working as the print coordinator for a government contractor, and then doing editorial work for a research journal.

I have been playing music since I was 18, and my newly-formed band, The Fire Tapes, recently played our first show in Charlottesville.

I am thrilled to join the team at Savvy Rest and be part of an organization in which integrity, transparency, and fair trade are as important as anything else. It is quite satisfying to spend my time helping people to improve their sleep environment and overall lifestyle.