Women of Achievment honoree #2: Kim Knopf

Meet Kim Knopf, the second of this year’s 2009 YWCA Women of Achievement honorees and the second in our 4-week series of blog posts leading up to this inspirational event on February 19.

KIM KNOPF personifies the recipe for business success that says “take an idea and run with it.” Her drive and initiative shone through even in her high school years, where she was elected President of Student Council her senior year. After high school, she pursued a BA in International Studies at the University of Kentucky and involved herself in many social organizations including the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

Kim’s innate entrepreneurship bloomed right out of college, when at the age of 23, she began to consider starting her own business. She answered an ad looking for people to sell mattresses and started investigating the bedding market. Spotting an untapped market in West Virginia, she moved to Charleston in August 1983 and opened her very first store in October of that year.

Knopf knew most businesses fail because they are undercapitalized, and she wanted to be sure she had sufficient capital. Her first investors were the parents of her then-boyfriend, whom she later married. She began with one small store, and had no full-time employees for the first full year. It was the first specialty sleep shop in the state – offering brand names, on-hand inventory, good service and the guaranteed lowest prices. Soon a buzz began to build about this unique store, and the rest was history.

For more than two decades, Kim has combined her innovative ideas and strong marketing presence with her dedication to customer service and community involvement. Today her company, Innovative Mattress Solutions, is a regional powerhouse – operating more than 75 stores in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. Kim has always believed in serving her community – holding leadership roles for several organizations including the Putnam County Rotary, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, the Putnam Chamber of Commerce, and served in the Young President’s Organization for over twelve years.

Growing her business from the ground up has presented challenges, but Kim views challenges as opportunities to grow and learn. Her success has landed her profiles in several business publications, including Nation’s Business. Recently, she was chosen as a recipient of the 2008 Who’s Who in West Virginia Business and is a finalist in the 2008 Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce Women in Business Entrepreneur of the Year.