Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day, a day to encourage doing simple deeds for others and instilling a habit of generosity in our lives.
A recent study found that being kind to ourselves, to anyone else, or actively observing kindness around us boosts happiness. Kindness can be as simple as a smile, holding the door for someone, sending a note of thanks, or even observing kindness in others. Kindness makes the world a better place.
From taking on new responsibilities to learning new skills, our colleagues have shown dedication and commitment to their careers. This month, we’re sharing some of their stories related to professional growth.
Titus
Meet Titus Hefner, Machine Intelligence Data Analyst!
Titus joined L&P in early 2023 as an engineering intern. While interning, he performed inventory analysis, machine reliability analysis, and preventative maintenance support for our Bedding business. He also assisted engineering teams responsible for new cutting-edge measurement machines and worked on designing and implementing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for production. With support from these teams, he became an expert on the machines and served as a resource for training, documentation, troubleshooting, and development.
After a year and a half, he accepted a full-time position as a machine intelligence data analyst. In this role, Titus assists with the creation, implementation, and support of our machine intelligence initiative, which introduces real-time monitoring of manufacturing performance, product quality, and product traceability.
“The most exciting part of my role is being on a team that introduces and stands up a state-of-the-art group of technologies,” says Titus. “I am fortunate to be on a team whose primary interest is the success of its members. Everybody I work with is dedicated to lifting each other up, including those who are just starting their career. Steve Wright, Ryan Middleton, and Randall Wood were all instrumental in helping me find my groove here and giving me the room to grow.“
In addition to having supportive teams, Titus credits his ability to learn quickly for his career growth:
“Rather than trying to amass a large pool of technical knowledge, I focus on my ability to learn quickly. Knowledge comes with time, but learning how to learn is far more important and far more unique of a trait.“
For interns looking to transition to a full-time role like he did, he offers some advice:
“No matter your scope of work, try to be on as many teams as possible. Because I collaborated with more teams than required, I learned new skills and found the role I am in.I never knew I wanted to pursue a career in AI until my manager gave me an opportunity to learn.“
Outside work, Titus enjoys playing the guitar, shooting guns and bows, hunting, camping, and spending time with his blue heeler, Remington. He’s finishing his last semester of undergraduate and preparing for graduate school.
We’re grateful to have Titus on our team and we wish him the best this year!
2025 is your year to conquer your career, and L&P’s very own Christalena Peña, Learning & Development Specialist, is sharing her free resource to help you!
Check OutConquer Your Career
Christalena is the author of Conquer Your Career – a free weekly LinkedIn newsletter that you can use as a go-to guide for taking control of your professional journey.
“This newsletter is my way of making career growth accessible, actionable, and inspiring, so you can tackle your goals with confidence,” says Christalena. “Empowering others to succeed isn’t just a passion—it’s my purpose, and I’m excited to share this journey with you!”
Through personal stories, actionable tips, and practical strategies, Conquer Your Career helps you discover how to step up, stand out, and achieve your goals. No fluff—just real, tactical advice to help you navigate challenges and seize opportunities with confidence. Join a community of driven professionals, and don’t forget to follow, subscribe, and share with friends ready to conquer their careers too!
Christalena Shares Why She Started Conquer Your Career
Christalena Peña
Christalena was once told that she transcends barriers in everything that she does. Since then, she’s worked to leverage every experience to build on the next, shift paradigms, and promote accessibility. Her work experience spans revenue, operations, employee resource groups, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), learning & development, instructional design, social media, individual contributors, emerging leaders, people leaders, and more.
“I started Conquer Your Career because I believe in the power of sharing knowledge to uplift others. My creative energy comes alive when I can take what I’ve learned—through challenges, wins, and everything in between—and turn it into something that helps others break barriers and unlock their potential,” says Christalena.
“Overall, it’s been such a fun and insightful experience for both the subscribers and me. With each article, I am further refining my voice as a writer and thought leader. We have started to form such an uplifting and curious community on LinkedIn, which I appreciate.“
We’re proud of Christalena’s leadership, and we’re grateful she’s helping make career growth accessible to everyone!
This month is dedicated to ensuring the stories, achievements, and voices of Black Americans do not fade into the background. In honor of Black History Month, we’d like to share a few resources and events you can attend to learn more about Black history and achievements.
Every year, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) assigns an annual theme to Black History Month. This year’s theme is African Americans and Labor. ASALH will host a virtual festival for Black History Month, which you can learn more about here: Black History Month Virtual Festival.
To learn more about Black history and culture, check out the following five resources:
The Lunar New Year is a time of new beginnings and joyous celebrations. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and look forward to the future with hope and optimism.
To welcome the Year of the Wood Snake and thank our dedicated colleagues in China, Sonia Smith, President of L&P Automotive, shared an inspiring Lunar New Year message on behalf of the Automotive Leadership Team. We’d like to share some of it with you:
“As we step into the Year of the Wood Snake, this is a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we’ve been on together and look with optimism for what lies ahead in 2025. The past year has been another chapter in our industry’s story that demanded resilience, innovation, and teamwork. And as always, you rose to the challenge!
The Snake in Chinese culture symbolizes wisdom, intuition, and transformation – qualities that resonate deeply with our work in the ever-evolving automotive industry. This year, we are also guided by the Wood element, which represents growth, adaptability, and strength. These traits remind us of our ability to learn from the past, adapt to challenges, and grow stronger through change.
As we celebrate the Year of the Snake, we wish you and your families health, happiness, and prosperity. May this be a year of personal and professional growth, transformation, and success for all of us. Here’s to a remarkable 2025 – a year where we turn challenges into opportunities and dreams into achievements!”
Our Automotive team in India recently celebrated Pongal – a Hindu harvest festival that marks the beginning of the month called Thai and is celebrated by people with ties to Tamil Nadu, India.
Lasting for four days, Pongal involves new beginnings, giving thanks, and strengthening communal ties. People often gather together for festive meals, which includes boiling pots of pongal – a traditional mix of rice and milk.
To celebrate, our colleagues played a traditional pot-breaking game called Uriyadi. In this game, participants are blindfolded and spun around several times before trying to break a suspended clay pot with a stick while observers cheer and music plays. Mr. Gnanaprakasam, Manufacturing Coach, and Ms. Abinaya, Production Associate, successfully broke the pot!
Uriyadi
The team also made pongal and created rangoli – beautiful floor patterns created from rice flour.
pongal
rangoli
A couple of our colleagues shared their thoughts on the celebration:
Susi
Monika
Susi: “As an employee, I appreciate this time to recharge and reconnect with loved ones, strengthening the sense of community. It is a time to celebrate progress while cherishing the roots of our culture. I look forward to positively contributing to the year ahead.”
Monika: “We often juggle multiple roles, both at work and at home. During Pongal, we honor our role in contributing to both the economy and our families. The festival reminds me of the resilience of women who continue to balance their careers, responsibilities, and traditions.”
At L&P, we strive to protect personal data every day. Whether it’s the personal information of our employees, customers, or suppliers, we consider privacy and data security in every step of our processes at L&P.
We want to thank our employees for their commitment and dedication to protecting the privacy and security of personal data. We couldn’t do it without you!
To kick off 2025, we’re introducing you to some of our newest colleagues. We’d like you to meet Ginna Gonzalez, College Programs! Ginna joined L&P in September of 2024.
Ginna
What brought you to L&P?
For me, it’s the opportunity to serve as a brand ambassador to one of the largest global manufacturers, while helping others begin a career that can provide vast opportunities with a worldwide platform.
What are you enjoying about your role so far?
I’m enjoying meeting people at L&P and learning all the intricacies of our businesses and the impact we make worldwide.
What’s something unique about you?
I’m naturally high-energy and can function on what most people would call just a nap from day to day! The funny part – regular coffee puts me to sleep!
Have you set any personal or professional goals for yourself?
Absolutely, and I look forward to partnering with my colleagues to achieve them by the end of 2025!
Our four company values are Put People First, Do the Right Thing, Do Great Work Together, and Take Ownership and Raise the Bar. What does it mean to you toDo the Right Thing?
To me, doing the right thing means living by a moral code rooted in service to others. It means acting, responding, and leading in a way that is fair, honest, and genuinely good. It’s about having the courage to stand for what is ethical – even when it’s not the easiest or most popular choice – and doing so with integrity whether or not anyone is watching.
To kick off 2025, we’re introducing you to several of our newest colleagues. We’d like you to meet Wesley Yao!
Wesley is the General Manager of Leggett & Platt Hydraulics, Pacoma Fenghua, China.
What brought you to L&P?
I came to Leggett & Platt for a new opportunity. I also came because Pacoma has good products with great quality and reputation.
What are you enjoying about your role so far?
Many quick changes and improvements are happening that I am excited about.
What’s something unique about you?
I am a very persistent person.
Have you set any personal or professional goals for yourself?
My main goal is to make Pacoma China even more successful in the coming years.
Our four company values are Put People First,Do the Right Thing, Do Great Work Together, and Take Ownership and Raise the Bar. What does it mean to you to Do Great Work Together?
We have to work as a team to do great work. We have a great goal ahead for Pacoma China, but it’s the existing aspect of doing the work to achieve our goals.
To kick off 2025, we’re introducing you to some of our newest colleagues. We’d like you to meet Lauren Dowling, Staff Tax Accountant!
Lauren (Photo taken by Arteaga Imagery)
Lauren joined L&P as an intern before becoming fulltime in September of 2024.
You got a full-time position after participating in our Doors program. How did that experience prepare for your current role?
In my experience, the Doors program provides exactly what it claims. I was given challenges to overcome, along with activities and meetings to make connections outside of my department. The program allowed me to work on projects that tested my skills and knowledge, and it also gave me a glimpse into what a career in this field would look like.
What are you enjoying about your role so far?
There are many aspects of my role that I could list. It’s exciting that I get to interact with employees from our international branches. Also, I enjoy learning new functions that expand my skillset and feeling like a valuable member to my amazing team.
What’s something unique about you?
My two younger sisters are twins and were born on my second birthday. We were often mistaken for triplets as kids, and having the same birthday was always fun to explain. Our birthdays are also right after Christmas. Sorry, Mom!
Have you set any personal or professional goals for yourself?
I am currently enrolled at Missouri State University to obtain a Master of Accountancy. During my master’s program, I will also work on passing CPA (Certified Public Accountant) exams.
Our four company values are Put People First,Do the Right Thing, Do Great Work Together, and Take Ownership and Raise the Bar. What does it mean to you to Take Ownership and Raise the Bar?
It means taking accountability for your mistakes and learning how to avoid them in the future.
Entering a new position or company can be intimidating and the pressure can make you feel like you must know everything immediately. I learned that admitting mistakes and asking for help makes you a valuable employee. It shows that you’re open to feedback and willing to learn. It can be hard to take ownership, but it creates trust. That’s how you raise the bar – by working to better yourself and improve your methods.
