Category Archives: Company Spotlight

Kendallville: “Safe by Choice, Not by Chance”

The Home Furniture team in Kendallville, Indiana, operates with safety as the focus of everything they do, leading with the motto, “safe by choice, not by chance.”

Jess Morris, Human Resources Manager, shared about the team’s safety culture and what they are doing to put people first.

How do you promote safety at the facility?

Jess Morris, HR Manager at Kendallville

Every partner has a hand in our safety culture. Our partners look out for one another, and if they see something, they say something. It is an integral part of our daily routine to make sure all safeguards are in place, partners are using personal protective equipment (PPE), and our work areas are clean of debris and slip/trip/fall hazards.

We also have a suggestion program where we ask our partners what we can do to ensure they are protected. Our mindfulness of safety through this program has produced many safety measures that can prevent injuries and property damage. For example, one partner suggested we add a locking mechanism to our conveyors to prevent a rack from sliding back down into an operator’s area and potentially causing a safety incident.

Have you celebrated any safety milestones recently?

We celebrated an entire quarter, January through March, incident free! This achievement is simply due to our safety-minded and diligent partners. They put each other first by prioritizing safety – it’s not just a poster on the wall or a Monday morning meeting. Our safety team consists of many people from all aspects of our business – from office and shipping to production and maintenance – who work together to ensure we are undoubtedly safe in all operations.

Congratulations to the Kendallville team for their commitment to safety and living out our Leggett Values!

Prioritizing Safety at Spring Hill

Our Adjustable Bed team in Spring Hill, Florida, is prioritizing safety and living out our value of putting people first.

When recognizing that the pneumatic stapler, a tool critical to the manufacturing process, posed a safety risk, the management team met with maintenance. Together they brainstormed, tested, and implemented a safety guard made out of scrap metal from a bed base.

Since using the safety guard, there have been zero accidents with the pneumatic stapler!

“Spring Hill is committed to a safety-first mentality,” says Jeff Nickell, General Manager. “Our motto is safety, quality, and production – in that order. We want to ensure every employee goes home safe each day.”

The team is continuing to innovate safety. They are working to improve the current safety guard design while testing safety prototypes for other tools.

Thanks to the Spring Hill team for prioritizing the safety of our employees and doing great work together!

Safety Starts with Our Leaders

While June is National Safety Month, at L&P, our top priority each day is ensuring the care and safety of our team members. We value putting people first, and that starts with our leaders listening to our teams and working together to create a better, safer Leggett.

Recently, leaders visited several branches to conduct safety focus groups and listen to our teams on how we can improve safety processes in our facilities.

Leaders meet with the Ennis Spring team in Ennis, TX, to discuss safety.

“Our branch and employees were honored and impressed to see the support and appreciation from the executive team,” said Mary Estrada, EHS Manager at Ennis Spring. “They showed gratitude to our partners by being present and listening to their concerns. They had very constructive conversations and showed that they truly care about our people and their safety.”

A Visit to Sterling Steel

Recently, Christina Ptasinski, Chief Human Resources Officer, Laura Manley, HR Director-North Region, and Rita Pruscino, VP-HR Bedding, met up to tour and meet the teams at our Sterling Steel location in Illinois. It was perfect timing, too, as Sterling Steel was celebrating their HR Manager’s, Cary Robbins, birthday!

Check out some of the photos from their visit below!

Left to Right: Ashley Nelson, HR Coordinator, and Cary Robbins, HR Manager, at Sterling Steel
Left to Right: Laura Manley, Christina Ptasinski, and Rita Pruscino
The steel billets undergo a cooling process before being heated up again in the rod mill to produce wire rod.
Cary, Rita, and Laura feel the heat emanating from the billets.
Just in time for some cake and ice cream to celebrate Cary’s birthday.

Hanes Team Supports Local Habitat for Humanity

Team members from Hanes Industries in Conover, North Carolina, spent their Earth Day giving back to the local community by volunteering for Catawba Valley Habitat for Humanity.

The mission of Habitat Catawba Valley is to help homebuyers build a safe and affordable place to call home. The need for Habitat for Humanity in local communities is greater than ever. The current real estate market makes homeownership difficult for many, especially those whose income falls below the area’s median.

Team Members from Hanes Industries – Conover, Catawba Habitat for Humanity, and the future homeowners.

“Our goal is to put hardworking families into a home, breaking the cycle of renting and unlocking a new type of generational wealth through homeownership,” says Phillip Stepp, Digital Marketing Manager for Catawba Valley Habitat for Humanity. “We achieve this with help from the local community through monetary donations, donations of items to ReStore (a retail store that sells gently used furniture and home accessories), and the hard work from our volunteers and homebuyers.”

The Hanes volunteers visited a neighborhood that is getting a much-needed makeover and assisted in the construction of two different home projects. The team even had the opportunity to work alongside the future homeowners and share their personal stories.

“I volunteered because I understand how it feels to need a helping hand,” says Brandon Phothichack, a team member from Hanes. “I’ve struggled, and I’ve known people who have struggled, and I’ve worked with people who were in the program at Habitat and have succeeded in achieving their dreams of owning.”

Thank you to our Hanes team for giving back to their community and living out our values of putting people first and doing great work together!

ECS Team Honored for Supporting Military Service Employees

Please join us in congratulating our Elite Comfort Solutions (ECS) Corporate Chemicals Supply Chain team for receiving the Above and Beyond Award at the 2023 Mississippi Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (MSESGR) Employer Awards Banquet!

The MSESGR is an office within the U.S. Department of Defense that works to foster support for the U.S. National Guard and Reserve among employers and recognizes outstanding employer support through awards like the Above and Beyond Award. According to the ESGR, this award is given to employers “who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act by providing their Guard and Reserve employees additional, non-mandated benefits. . .” and “who have had at least one of their supervisors/managers recognized with a Patriot Award, and who have signed or agree to sign an ESGR Statement of Support.”

Danny Caldwell, Supply Chain Supervisor/Chemicals, and Brandon Caldwell, Logistics Analyst, accepted the award on behalf of ECS.

From left to right: Major General Janson Boyles (Adjutant General of Mississippi), Brandon Caldwell, Danny Caldwell, and Margaret Burns (MSESGR Chairperson)

Brandon, who serves as a Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army, nominated ECS for the award because he was inspired by the leadership and patriotism of Mia Rush, Supply Chain Manager, and Danny Caldwell, who’s also his dad. In 2022, Brandon nominated both Danny and Mia for ESGR’s Patriot Award, which they both received individually. Now, ECS is in the running to receive national recognition for their dedication to and support of the U.S. Guard and Reserve.

Three generations of Caldwells pictured from left to right: Cal (Brandon’s son), Danny, and Brandon

“Both Danny and Mia represent ECS with pride, patriotism, and duty to country as non-servicemembers,” says Brandon. “Their personnel and leadership skills place them as champions in my book. I think that the national ESGR may agree.”

Brandon has been serving in the U.S. Army for almost 20 years and holds four military occupational specialties: Aviation Operations Specialist, Logistics Manager, Helicopter Crew Chief, and his current specialty as a Cavalry Scout. Within the next month or two, he will be deployed to the Middle East, and he doesn’t expect to return to ECS until next spring. Mia and Danny want Brandon to know that he has their full support:

Mia Rush

“As leaders, Danny and I work very hard to support our team whenever they have personal events,” says Mia. “With Brandon’s upcoming deployment, we’ve created a plan that includes our whole team and keeps us running so that he can focus on his upcoming and bigger job. We want him to know that we will continue to support him and pray for his safe return.”

We’re full of gratitude to Brandon for his service and to Danny and Mia for putting people first!

L&P Sustainability: Forestry

At L&P, we are committed to the responsible use of raw materials, which includes the wood we use in our various bedding products.

In 2022, our U.S. Spring business’s spend with Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®)-certified sources increased by approximately 4% to 76%, compared to 2021. We are also increasing the use of FSC®-certified wood products in our Work Furniture business to help our customers achieve their sustainability goals. 

Read more about our sustainability efforts here: Leggett & Platt 2023 Sustainability Report

L&P Sustainability: Flooring Products

At L&P, our businesses are building sustainability into product development processes and designing products for improved durability, recovery, and recycling at end of life. 

Our Flooring Products business manufactures carpet underlay products that make a direct contribution towards LEED green building certification for our customers. All products can be 100% recycled at the end of their useful life and exceed the CRI Green Label Plus test program. Green Label Plus is an independent testing program that identifies carpet, adhesive, and cushion products with very low volatile organic compounds emissions to help improve indoor air quality and helps our customers achieve LEED green building certification. 

Read more about our sustainability efforts here: Leggett & Platt 2023 Sustainability Report

2023 Sustainability Report

At L&P, our mission is to build businesses and a culture that are sustainable for generations to come.

We recently published our 2023 Sustainability Report, which provides information about our approach to and performance on the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) matters that are most important to our business. As we move through 2023, our key ESG initiatives include:

  • Developing and communicating ESG goals, including climate-related targets.
  • Establishing a roadmap of actions that will support us in meeting our ESG goals and targets.
  • Obtaining third-party limited assurance of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions data and publicly reporting our data.
  • Advancing our ID&E efforts as outlined in more detail in our report.
  • Building upon our management systems to improve data collection and contribute to broader companywide sustainability advancements.
  • Continuing to enhance our supplier assessment process, including a heightened emphasis on labor and social standards and cybersecurity controls.
  • Maintaining our commitment to transparency and continuing to share our corporate sustainability approach and performance.

Thank you for your support as we continue to build and report on our sustainable practices. Read our full Sustainability Report here: 2023 Sustainability Report

L&P Supports Mission of Lafayette House at Annual Fundraiser

Recently, a group of L&P employees attended Ooh-la Lafayette, the annual fundraiser for the Lafayette House of Joplin, Missouri. The Lafayette House is a center that provides safety and healing to those suffering from domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance abuse disorders. Annually, the Lafayette House serves more than 1,000 residents of Southwest Missouri, over half of which are seeking refuge from domestic violence.

Highlights of the evening included a purse auction, Versace raffle items, a fashion show spotlighting local boutiques, and an impactful video featuring survivor stories from those who have benefited from the shelter’s services.

“There were some tears shed as we heard from a woman who had to go to court 78 times to seek protection from her husband,” said Tammy Trent, Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer. Tammy also serves on the Board of the Lafayette House. “This woman used her struggle to educate lawmakers in Missouri on the importance of Lifetime Protection Orders.”

“It was an honor to represent L&P at this event and to be a small part of helping the Lafayette House empower their clients,” Tammy concluded.

Thank you to all of our L&P employees who attended Ooh-la Lafayette and support the mission of the Lafayette House!