From taking on new responsibilities to learning new skills, our team members have shown dedication and commitment to their careers. This month, we’re sharing some of their stories related to professional growth.

Cari Southern started at Leggett & Platt 25 years ago in the accounting department of one of our manufacturing facilities. In her ten years at the branch, she served in various roles, with the last few years being the Division Controller. Cari then transferred to Corporate, working on Sales and Operations (S&OP) deployment and then the Customer and Product Profitability (CPP) initiative.

About eight years ago, Cari had the opportunity to become the Segment Controller for the Specialized Products and Furniture segments. In 2018, Cari transferred to the Automotive Business Unit as the Senior Director of Governance. Recently, her role was expanded to include Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP).

As the Senior Director of S&OP and Governance of Automotive, Cari and her team are responsible for rebuilding the sales and operations planning process and maintaining the integrity of the business processes, systems, and master data.

Cari credits her growth over the last 25 years to welcoming the inevitability of change and using those experiences to propel her career.

“Change can be very scary, but things are constantly changing. People are often hesitant to make a change for various reasons; probably the most frequent reasons are being comfortable or fearing you might not like a new opportunity. A mentor told me many years ago that change doesn’t have to be a one-way door – very few changes are something you can’t come back from, and if you dislike what you are doing, you can make another change. New experiences and increased knowledge opens more doors for the future.”

Cari hopes her story inspires others to take chances within Leggett, embrace change, and lean on the people around you who are invested in your success.

“L&P is a diverse, global company – and you can learn a lot working with and in the various business units. The leaders in the company can provide different perspectives and management styles. I have had great leaders who took a chance on me and gave me additional responsibilities that allowed me to excel in new roles. Take a chance on yourself and your development.”

Cari’s busiest and most important role is as a mom. If she is not at L&P, you can find her in her car, transporting her two boys, Chapman, 13, and Colton, 17, to their sporting events and cheering them from the sidelines.

From taking on new responsibilities to learning new skills, our team members have shown dedication and commitment to their careers. This month, we’re sharing some of their stories related to professional growth.

Leonard Ruggiero began his career at L&P in 1992, first in a temporary role, before becoming a packing machine operator full-time at Hanes Industries in Conover, North Carolina. Throughout the years, Leonard took advantage of every opportunity to change jobs and learn new skills, including running each machine, working in shipping and receiving, and even participating in a supervisor training program.

In 2007, Leonard became a Program Manager at Hanes Geo in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he collaborated with the Idea Center and other partners to develop more efficient machine processes. After ten years, he took on the role of National Integration, overseeing all branch moves from start to finish, including implementing and training on all systems during acquisitions, as well as training new team members.

Today, Leonard is back where his journey began over 30 years ago at Hanes Industries in Conover, serving as the Plant Manager. In this role, Leonard has had the opportunity to reconnect with many of the people he worked with for 17 years on machines, in the warehouse, and management.

“Bringing the skills and tools I have learned over the years to an established team like we have in Conover is a great part of this role. We have always had a great team here, and leading them is a privilege.”

Throughout his career at Leggett, Leonard has had many mentors who helped guide him and craft his growth and belief in himself, including Jerry Greene, Samantha Howell, Bruce Cloninger, Guy Ruff, Brett Graff, and Zach Cox. He credits these mentors for believing in him and wanting him to succeed. They also instilled many lessons in him, but the advice that resonated most was fairness.

“My mentors told me that if you are fair across the board, you will sleep well at night. Making decisions that can impact people or businesses is hard, and if your goal is to be fair, you will find those choices a lot easier.”

Looking back at his career, Leonard offers this advice to those contemplating a move within Leggett:

“Put in the work with care and dedication, trust your knowledge, and listen to your mentors. For me, self-doubt was a barrier I had to break through, and I learned after many years that our team does not give opportunities to people they don’t feel are ready. I also realized that mentoring never stops, and I have been trying to pay it forward to those around me.”

In his personal life, Leonard loves spending time with his wife of 30 years and his 16-year-old daughter. He is a coach and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Instructor, and when he’s not working on cars, he is trying to publish his second book.

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.

Bill Jiang has been with L&P for more than 20 years and was one of the first three employees who helped build the riveting line when our branch in Jiaxing, China, was established in 2002. Throughout his career, Bill has been a champion of continuous improvement and keeping his colleagues safe. His it’s-never-too-late-to-learn attitude helped him take advantage of many training opportunities at L&P.

In 2006, Bill was working as a shift leader and underwent training to optimize the riveting line. After returning from training, the riveting line exceeded the daily capacity limit of 3,000 pieces. A year later, Bill became the supervisor of the riveting line, and under his leadership, riveting efficiency increased by 33%. He received “Excellent Employee” and “Excellent Shift Leader” awards many times.

In 2012, Bill became the production manager of the riveting line. In this role, he took managed more riveting lines, addressed capacity challenges, and supported staff management. His local government in Jiaxing recognized him as one of the “Outstanding Employees of Xiuzhou District.”

In 2018, Bill became the Senior Manager of the Production Department, becoming responsible for all production lines and for environmental health and safety. Two years later, Bill was promoted to Director of the Production Department, which is his current role. During his leadership, he has implemented many safety improvements, such as installing infrared foot pedals at the riveting lines to reduce finger-related work injuries, and was granted the “Advanced Safety Management Award” by his government in 2022.

We’re excited to see where Bill goes from here!