Leggett volunteers and community members from local businesses and schools recently participated in the Carthage Annual Day of Caring, supported by the Carthage Area United Way. The Carthage Annual Day of Caring assists ten local non-profit agencies with various projects, including painting, cleaning and upkeep, landscaping, and minor repairs.
Our Leggett team assisted Jasper County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri. At CASA, our L&P team cleaned the outside patio and playground equipment, provided general housekeeping, and sanitized all toys and equipment.
In addition, L&P recently held a donation drive for hygiene products. Through those donations, the team donated 200 hygiene kits containing soap, shampoo, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and other essential items to those in need at CASA.
“Our diverse group of employee volunteers learned a lot about what CASA does and who they serve, and even raised their hands for future events with CASA to show continued support,” said Sarah Peterson, Fraud/Due Diligence Supervisor at L&P. “It was really great to see everyone get their hands dirty and break a sweat for the good of others.”
At Leggett & Platt, we are committed to being good stewards of the environment. One of the ways we are working toward that goal is by reducing our carbon footprint and energy use. In 2018, we partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Plants program. The program is a national initiative to improve energy efficiency across U.S. industries, including manufacturing.
Since joining the program, three of our facilities have identified energy-saving projects through on-site trainings. We talked with Tamara Cook, Sustainability Director, about our partnership goals with the DOE Better Plants Program and the energy-saving projects across L&P.
Team Members participating in the energy Treasure Hunt at Carthage Spring.
What is our goal in partnering with the DOE Better Plants Program?
We voluntarily committed to this program in 2018 and set a goal to reduce our energy usage in our U.S. facilities by 25% in 10 years. As part of the program, the DOE provides free technical assistance to analyze energy usage in our U.S. facilities. Among other trainings, they offer Energy Treasure Hunts to help train a manufacturing facility to identify and quantify energy-saving opportunities.
What kind of energy savings did you find at the Carthage Spring Treasure Hunt?
In May, we conducted an Energy Treasure Hunt at Branch One (Carthage Spring) in Carthage, Missouri. Carthage Spring has an annual energy cost of about $1.2 million for electricity and natural gas. Through the training, four teams of employees from Branch One and other U.S. Spring locations identified multiple energy-saving projects, resulting in savings of approximately 10% of the overall energy bill—over $100,000! All projects would have a payback period of less than a year and could be implemented by employees at Carthage Spring.
In addition, Branch One is considering installing solar panels on one of its buildings. Solar panels would result in additional electricity cost savings and generate zero-emissions on-site electricity, reducing the Branch’s energy use and carbon footprint if implemented.
What are the next steps for Carthage Spring?
The next steps will include taking action and implementing the identified project opportunities. The Branch may need to modify policies, update preventative maintenance plans, and install or optimize equipment to sustain the projects and eventually see year-over-year savings at the branch.
Additional energy-saving projects and equipment optimization opportunities may still be identified through additional information gathered from data loggers installed on equipment. The DOE will provide a final report that summarizes all potential options for Carthage Spring in the coming weeks.
Are there plans to have Energy Treasure Hunts at other L&P locations?
Teams from several U.S. Spring branches participated in the Branch One Treasure Hunt. By participating, they learned how to conduct an energy treasure hunt. These teams can now return to their locations and share their knowledge and best practices to implement trainings and find their own energy-saving projects.
The DOE has regular application processes for the free Energy Treasure Hunts. Branches can also conduct a hunt independently, and the DOE’s website provides instructions on hosting an Energy Treasure Hunt. If your U.S. or international branch is interested in learning how to conduct a Treasure Hunt, please contact the Sustainability team, and we can provide you with these online resources and assist in coordinating an event.
Congratulations to the Carthage Spring Team and Branch Manager, Kile Lesmeister, for doing their part to be good stewards of the environment and working together to better our culture of sustainability!
We are proud to announce that, for the fourth year in a row, our Leggett & Platt Brazil location has received the Great Place to Work Certification from the Great Place To Work Institute!
To celebrate, L&P Brazil employees came together to enjoy food, music, and some fun. Check out some of the photos from the celebration!
We are proud of all of our employees who embody our values of Put People First, Do Great Work Together, Do the Right Thing, and Take Ownership and Raise the Bar. Their commitment to these shared values is what makes L&P a great place to work.
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!
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!
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.”
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.
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!
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!
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.
