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Tom's Story - Sleepnet
For Tom, Sleep apnea is part of his life...
When he was first diagnosed with sleep apnea Tom took the equipment offered to him. Often waking up with marks across his face he nearly gave up on his therapy because of the discomfort. After many weeks of problems with his therapy he began to look at ways of making the equipment his clinical specialist had prescribed far more comfortable and easier to use and so Sleepnet was born.......
In 1990, Tom and three other entrepreneurs started a new medical company, Innovative Medical Systems. The company was later renamed Sleepnet which it remains today. Tom asked a member of his development team to pioneer a new approach to comfort. "All of our masks have to be Ultra Comfortable"
Many prototypes were created until a new mask was born; a true soft gel mask with a very soft density and skin.
The first mask developed by Sleepnet was the now famous Phantom, which is still made today. This mask is very comfortable, allows a clear field of vision and copes with many different facial profiles (including more pronounced nose shapes). "This is it!",
a mask that is comfortable and fit easily, allowing Tom and several friends, who also have sleep apnea, to wake up after a solid night's sleep without the markings other masks leave on the skin. With this strong beginning, Tom asked his designers to work on new mask designs. The next mask to arrive was the iQ, a new type of nasal mask with a strong emphasis on comfort. Sleepnet began to grow from strength to strength and needed more room to breathe....
Development began on Sleepnet's first full face mask, now known as the Mojo. It was released in 2006 to cope with the increased demand. A new, bigger factory was needed and Tom moved the Sleepnet team to a new building located in Hampton NH; doubling the space in a world class facility specially prepared for U.S. based manufacturing and assembly.
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Tom has always been determined that manufacturing should be kept in the USA. Every mask is hand assembled and finished in the USA by trained craftsmen and women. Tom expanded the research and development team and brought together professionals with appropriate disciplines to make the necessary changes to process and design and ultimately, to achieve new heights.
Pioneer in Pediatric Care
When Tom discovered that Pediatric Clinicians had few alternatives to adult masks for their children patients he was very frustrated. Being a father himself, he asked his designers to set about designing and patenting a true pediatric comfort mask, one that was perfect for children (2-12 years). Now, after considerable testing, the mask named the MiniMe has been approved by the FDA for pediatric use - the only true gel cushion, one of a kind mask for kids!
The final design was created with extensive input from Pediatric Clinicians and most importantly - the children themselves. The mask is unique in having a very clever "soft gel pillow" that rests directly against the child's tender skin and is nearly as soft as the skin itself.
Tom's involvement in Sleepnet is very personal, as he is a sleep apnea sufferer himself. He lives to make improvements that benefit him as well as others. He tests each product change personally and works directly with Sleepnet's engineers to develop features that benefit the patient. He accepts nothing less than the same passion and care from the entire Sleepnet team, who make the company the friendly, caring company it is today.
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