Internships can be a great way to gain hands-on experience in your field of interest and make industry connections. They can also help you apply what you’ve learned in the classroom to a real-world setting and stand out to potential employers. Here are a few more of the benefits of a Leggett internship:
Exposure to L&P – Leggett is a global manufacturing company with 135 facilities in 18 countries. When you intern at Leggett, you gain insights into different areas of the organization. This exposure helps interns understand the company’s operations and potentially explore future career paths within Leggett.
Hands-on Experience – Doors offer students hands-on opportunities to work in their desired field. You learn how your studies apply to the real world and gain experience that sets you up for future success.
Professional Development – During your internship, you’ll learn how to engage in a professional environment. You’ll hear presentations on networking, goal-setting, how to create compelling presentations, and more.
Mentorship – Throughout your internship, you’ll work with a Leggett mentor who will guide you and help you develop professional skills through hands-on knowledge they’ve developed over years of experience.
Building Career Goals – Through your L&P internship, you learn valuable insight into your career, which helps you refine your interests and make informed decisions to progress toward your goals.
July 30 is International Day of Friendship—a day to recognize the bonds that support and uplift us. To celebrate, we’re spotlighting some of the great friendships at L&P.
Meet Alexa Driskill, Strategy & Business Intelligence Analyst, and Kaycia Frieden, Internal Audit Project Supervisor! Alexa has been with L&P for 12 years, and Kaycia has been with L&P for eight years.
Alexa and Kaycia
Kaycia and Alexa’s friendship started at L&P:
“You could say it was ‘friendship at first sight,’ but in reality, Alexa only liked me because, at the time, I had red hair and she thought that was cool,” joked Kaycia.
Alexa continued, “I remember going home and telling my husband that we had a new girl in the department with red hair and the longest eyelashes I’d ever seen!”
“We have to credit our other great friend, Cheryl Jones, for putting us together, because we all bonded once I started opening up at work more,” said Kaycia. “We traveled together for Kaycia’s first audits — Seattle, San Luis Potosi, Atlanta, Jacksonville — and it wasn’t long before we were constantly laughing, sharing everything, and I no longer had to describe her to my husband as ‘the new redhead,'” added Alexa.
Alexa and Kaycia shared what they’ve come to admire about each other:
“I have always looked up to Alexa as a bonus older sister, because, well, she is the old one in this friendship, and I love and respect her for so many things,” said Kaycia. “She is intelligent, kind, sassy, and brave—she isn’t afraid to tell me what’s on her mind.”
“She is also a fantastic mother, solid friend, and giver of time and energy. In the last six months, I’ve watched her navigate life in a new way since losing the love of her life, so I would also add ‘strong’ to the list. I wouldn’t be where I am in my career or life without her help, and I am so thankful for a best friend like her.”
Alexa continued, “It’s true—I am the old one in this relationship, but what Kaycia lacks in years, she makes up for in emotional maturity and endless selflessness. She is the friend everyone deserves. She will go out of her way to do anything for anyone, never says no, volunteers her time and money, loves fiercely, and is a wonderful wife and mother.”
“She’s helped me navigate so many obstacles over the years—from job changes to parenting struggles. She always has my back, and it’s become so obvious over the last six months since my husband passed. She lifts me up in my darkest moments and has become so much more than just a work friend.”
We asked Alexa and Kaycia to share how having a good friend at work impacts their jobs:
“Everyone needs someone at work they can trust and who will cheer them on rather than see them as competition,” said Alexa. “Anytime I’m having a bad day, I know Kaycia will listen without judgement and will offer encouragement. Anytime I’m having a good day, she will celebrate with me.”
Kaycia added, “Without work friends, I don’t know where I would be professionally or personally. It’s heartwarming to know I have someone who shares the same core values and lends an ear to chat about work-life balance. If I am feeling overwhelmed, I have her to reach out to, and I know there will be no judgment. I am just so grateful!”
July 30 is International Day of Friendship—a day to recognize the bonds that support and uplift us. To celebrate, we’re spotlighting some of the great friendships at L&P.
Meet Tonya Cornell and Vanessa Stafford! Tonya has been with L&P for three years and is an Accounts Payable Technician. Vanessa is a Treasury Analyst and has been with L&P for seven and a half years.
Vanessa and Tonya
Tonya and Vanessa became friends at L&P three years ago:
“When I joined L&P, I first worked with Vanessa in Accounts Payable,” said Tonya. “We hit it off immediately, as we were training during March 2020 and the only two people in our department working in the office. Vanessa eventually got a position within Finance and our friendship remained the same. We were even bridesmaids in each other’s weddings in 2021 and 2022!”
When asked what they admire about one another, Vanessa and Tonya shared how they’re always there for each other:
“I admire a lot of things about Tonya!” said Vanessa. “She is not afraid to fail and jumps in 100% when trying new things (like learning the ukulele and growing a small garden on her front porch). She is loyal to her friends and family, even when she is going through tough times herself. She supports them no matter what!”
Tonya added, “Vanessa is a loyal friend who would do absolutely anything to help you out. She is a realist and gives the best advice. I admire her for the mother she is and how she has built a beautiful life for herself. Some of my favorite times with Vanessa are our adventures to Target and to get coffee. I am so thankful for our friendship.”
We asked Tonya and Vanessa to share how having a good friend at work impacts their jobs:
“We think having a good friend at work is vital to having a good work life,” they said. “Having friendships at work keeps you more engaged, gives you a greater sense of wellbeing, helps you produce higher quality work, and allows you to have more fun. We agree with a quote that work friendships ‘have the potential to improve our daily experiences immediately, no matter what we do for a living.'”
Our tenth summer of the Doors Internship Program is underway! Through virtual workshops, our interns work on goal-setting, networking, personal branding, and communication within their fields.
We invited our interns to share their experiences this summer.
Meet Dawson Jeffers from Troy, Missouri. Dawson is a Junior at Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T), majoring in Mechanical Engineering.
What does your internship with Leggett entail?
My internship at Leggett involves a lot of flexibility and problem-solving. I am in the Bedding division at the Idea Center, and I have been fortunate enough to be involved in a wide variety of projects, from product design to industrial engineering. Every day has been different and challenging.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far during your time at Leggett?
The most important thing I’ve learned is to communicate effectively with different people. You must communicate differently between Engineers, Project Managers, and Shop Technicians based on their technical understanding and communication styles. I’ve also gained a clearer understanding of what engineering looks like in the professional world. I’ve been tinkering for my entire life but understanding the documentation and workflow of a company like Leggett has helped me see what it takes for a large group of engineers and other professionals to come together and create a quality product.
What are your goals through your internship?
My primary goal this summer is to soak up as much knowledge as possible, while also developing relationships to open doors in the future. I have so much to learn, and many skilled people are here to help me hone my craft.
What has been your favorite part of your internship at Leggett?
The open-minded attitude. If I have an idea, I will not be met with a “this is just the way we do it” mentality. Everyone is open to change and ready to innovate and progress. And if my idea differs from the right one, my team tells me why and the communication channel is very open.
How will you apply your experience this summer as you return for the Fall semester?
I look forward to hitting it hard with new skills, like Excel calculations and Solidworks added to the toolbox. In terms of my career, there have been a lot of skills that I have learned this summer that would usually be in my first three months of full-time work. Having some of that learning curve out of the way will boost my career and allow me to jump right in.
Nine L&P employees, representing four of our business units in North Carolina, met in Hickory, NC, to learn about Safe Harbor—a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services to help meet the needs of women and their children.
During a lunch-and-learn session, they learned how Safe Harbor helps women who are struggling with homelessness and substance use disorder.
“We visited several facilities and listened to a young woman share her current journey in recovery from abuse and addiction—it was powerful,” says Samantha Howell, Vice President of Human Resources. “We discovered there are many ways we can support Safe Harbor, and we are looking forward to gathering together to plan our next steps.”
Thank you to our employees for doing great work together and for looking for ways to give back to our communities!
L&P employees pose for a photo in front of Safe Harbor’s Community Center
Our tenth summer of the Doors Internship Program is underway! Through virtual workshops, our interns work on goal-setting, networking, personal branding, and communication within their fields.
We invited our interns to share their experiences this summer.
Meet Nicole Duquet from Yorktown Heights, New York. Nicole is a Senior at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, majoring in Business.
What does your internship with Leggett entail?
My internship involves conducting comprehensive competitor analysis to identify opportunities and develop data-driven marketing strategies. I am creating a marketing plan to expand the company’s presence through digital marketing initiatives and developing a customer-focused marketing survey.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far during your time at Leggett?
During my internship, I had the opportunity to learn about the manufacturing process of Leggett’s flooring division’s products. Understanding the products was essential in figuring out what direction to take with my assignments.
What are your goals through your internship?
My goal for this internship is to learn more about B2B (business-to-business) marketing and social media marketing. I want to create a marketing plan and develop an effective social media strategy to promote Leggett’s flooring products.
What has been your favorite part of your internship at Leggett?
My favorite part of my internship so far was meeting the team in person in Ft. Worth, TX. I enjoyed talking to each employee about their role in the company and daily responsibilities. I liked connecting with new people and found the career journeys of the employees at Leggett inspiring.
How will you apply your experience this summer as you return for the Fall semester?
I look forward to applying the experience I gained during my internship to working in teams in the future. I have improved my communication and listening skills by collaborating with various groups and divisions during my internship. This experience will help me facilitate effective collaboration within team projects.
Our teams at the California locations of Elite Comfort Solutions (ECS) promote and celebrate safety with an Elite Safety Employee of the Month program.
Employees can nominate their peers who they recognize as safety leaders and who are making a difference at their branches. The managers from the facilities vote for a nominee, and the employee with the highest vote is named the Elite Safety Employee of the Month.
Angel Lagunas, Machine Operator at ECS Commerce, in Commerce, CA, is named Safety Employee of the Month.
“This program is helping employees across the ECS California network to understand the significance of a positive safety culture,” says Hugo Alvarez, Senior EHS Manager. “Recognizing the safety actions of the workforce promotes an autonomous safety culture and sets the example of what safety leaders look like.”
Each Safety Employee of the Month is recognized at a celebration luncheon at their branch, where the employee is given a certificate, a token of appreciation, and the entire branch is presented with a trophy that includes the names of past and present Safety Employees of the Month.
For the first time, the ECS California network plans to have a year-end celebration where they will invite the 2023 winners and name a Safety Employee of the Year.
Congratulations to ECS California and their commitment to prioritizing the safety and care of each other. You are living out our value of putting people first!
Our tenth summer of the Doors Internship Program is underway! Through virtual workshops, our interns work on goal-setting, networking, personal branding, and communication within their fields.
We invited our interns to share their experiences this summer.
Meet Josef Hefele from Munich, Germany. Josef is a Senior at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW), majoring in Accounting.
Josef is interning at PHC – Wilmington, but had the opportunity to visit Pacoma – Germany, while home for a family wedding.
What does your internship with Leggett entail?
The internship has exposed me to many different things, from visiting the factories and understanding how hydraulic cylinders are made, which helps to understand the finance part behind it, to interacting with other people within the branch and supporting the finance team with different tasks.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned so far during your time at Leggett?
Having an open mind and being eager to learn are the most important things I have learned. There are so many opportunities within Leggett, making it very easy to enter a different industry or segment while still working for the same company. Being open to new things and challenges can ignite interests you didn’t even know you liked.
What are your goals through your internship?
My main goal is to get familiar with different accounting software and enhance my Excel skills, as these technical skills often fall too short in the classroom. Additionally, I have set a goal always to be approachable for new tasks, so the team can come to me if they need something done.
What has been your favorite part of your internship at Leggett?
The people I work with have been outstanding and my favorite part of this experience. Before starting my internship, I did not know what to expect in the corporate world. Coming to work at Leggett’s Precision Hydraulic Cylinders (PHC) – Wilmington Branch gives you a feeling of being cared for, despite being part of a large corporation.
How will you apply your experience this summer as you return for the Fall semester?
Getting a taste of what it is like in the working world has helped me see the importance of the foundation taught in the classroom. I am sure many fellow students ask themselves why they learn particular things, but having a solid foundation will help them learn more quickly and better understand processes. I will use this internship experience to build an even stronger foundation for the future.
This summer, 19 interns from college campuses across the United States are participating in Leggett’s Doors Internship Program. The Doors Program is a virtual professional development series that allows students to gain real-life experience in their field of study through immersive leadership workshops.
“The Doors Program offers a comprehensive and well-rounded internship experience that combines professional development, networking, skill enhancement, and a broader understanding of Leggett & Platt,” said Danielle Sattler, Talent Advisor and Ambassador of the Doors Program. “It serves as an excellent opportunity for interns to grow personally and professionally, laying a solid foundation for their future careers.”
For the second year, Leggett & Platt has partnered with Destination Imagination (DI), a global community of 28 countries on six continents, whose focus is to inspire and equip today’s youth to find their creative self-expression by providing challenges rooted in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM).
Through DI, youth from schools worldwide compete in regional STEAM challenges and tournaments with the hopes of advancing to the Global Finals, the culminating challenge experience.
Thanks to the support of L&P, DI sent multiple teams from around the world, including two teams from Ukraine, to compete at the Global Finals held in May in Kansas City, Missouri.
“Your support of the Ukraine and Ukrainian children not only helped them to participate in the Global Finals, but it helps to develop their creativity and curiosity as well as advance DI in Ukraine,” said Vasyl Dunets, Ukraine Team Leader.
The Ukraine teams receive their L&P pins at Global Finals.
A popular activity at Global Finals is pin trading. Teams can make pins or bring pins from their affiliates and trade them with teams worldwide. Leggett presented the Ukrainian teams with L&P pins.
“The children enjoyed sharing pins during the Global Finals, and after returning home, we also sent the pins to teams who could not visit the U.S.,” said Vasyl. “Thank you to our friends at Leggett & Platt, who supported our Ukrainian teams.”
