Category Archives: Employee Spotlight

Taking Pride in Our Work: Spotlight on L&P’s Internal Audit Team

At L&P, we do the right thing when we conduct business with integrity. This week, we’re spotlighting how our Internal Audit team helps us strengthen our reputation for integrity and how they take pride in their work!

Introducing Our Internal Audit Team

L&P’s Internal Audit Team

Our internal auditors develop and execute an annual audit plan that conducts financial and IT audits. They perform a wide range of audits, including location-specific audits, anti-bribery audits, operational audits, risk-based audits, and internal control reviews. They also assist with fraud and Ethics Hotline investigations and proactively consult with and survey employees regarding potential ethical concerns.

“We strive to be value-added business partners that provide independent, objective assurance and advisory support,” says Rachel Krenz, Vice President of Internal Audit and Due Diligence. “We help L&P accomplish its objectives by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and control processes.” 

Taking Pride in Work

We asked members of our Internal Audit team how they take pride in their work:

A job well done is defined by our adherence to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism as we identify risks, provide guidance to enhance processes, and abide by regulations. By collaborating with teams across our global organization, we take pride not only in building strong, trusted relationships but also in achieving measurable improvements that advance L&P’s operations – together.
Kevin Curtis, Senior IT Audit Manager

We take pride in our work by having a shared mission and vision that aligns with L&P’s. We also never settle into routine; instead, we continuously seek ways to improve our skills while being responsible stewards of L&P’s resources.
Kaycia Frieden, Internal Audit Supervisor

We take pride in delivering quality results that reflect the complete picture. We ensure thorough investigations, ask questions, and verify all details to avoid any oversight before documenting an issue. Additionally, we treat everyone with respect, fostering a collaborative and positive work environment. I also find great satisfaction in contributing to the success of my team and L&P.
Kathy Flinn, Internal Audit Supervisor

We take pride in our work by being transparent. As auditors, we know that our presence can be nerve-wracking, so it’s important to keep people in the loop. If we move in silence, we risk our observations being inaccurate and degrading the relationships we build around L&P. Communication is key.
Morgan Pyle, Internal Auditor II

Thank you to our Internal Audit team for all your hard work and for taking pride in what you do!

Mindfulness with Éva Völgyi

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! This week, we’re spotlighting mindfulness and how our colleague, Éva Völgyi, uses it to boost her mental wellbeing.

Mindfulness 101

Simply put, mindfulness is the practice of being aware of what’s currently happening within and around us moment by moment – it’s the opposite of living life on autopilot. Mindfulness can:

  • anchor us to the present moment through our five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell).
  • help us engage with our thoughts, feelings, and experiences in non-judgmental and accepting ways.
  • be practiced anywhere while doing anything.

Studies show that regularly practicing mindfulness can reduce stress, increase our ability to focus, make us more resilient, increase happiness and joy, and help us cultivate self-compassion and compassion towards others.

Éva’s Experience with Mindfulness

Éva

Éva Völgyi, Human Resources Business Partner, joined L&P four years ago and regularly practices mindfulness at work and beyond. She supports L&P through a mixture of operational and strategic HR initiatives and planning activities, and she’s introduced many of our colleagues to mindfulness.

When and why did you become interested in mindfulness?

I became interested in mindfulness years ago when I realized the impact of stress on my wellbeing. Mindfulness offered a way to manage stress and improve my focus, leading to a more balanced and fulfilling life.

Practicing mindfulness can help us stay present and fully engaged in our activities. It can reduce stress, improve mental clarity, and enhance emotional resilience, making it a valuable practice for both our personal and professional lives.

How do you practice mindfulness at work?

I take regular breaks to reset, practice deep breathing exercises, use mindfulness apps for guided meditation, and stay present during meetings and tasks. This helps me maintain focus and reduce stress throughout the day.

What’s challenging about mindfulness and how do you address it?

One of the challenges is staying consistent, especially when we’re busy. To address this, I set reminders on my phone, schedule regular mindfulness sessions, and try to integrate mindfulness into daily activities – like walking, eating, or exercising.

Where can people go to learn more about mindfulness?

Here are a few helpful links that I’ve shared with colleagues:

Many thanks to Éva for sharing about mindfulness and how it can help our wellbeing!

Celebrating our Administrative Professionals – Carolyn Stolarski

Carolyn

Administrative Professionals Day was Wednesday, April 23! The administrative professionals at Leggett & Platt are some of the most hard-working, unsung heroes of our business. They keep our departments running smoothly while wearing many hats – from managing schedules, organizing events, or ensuring our teams get paid on time, their roles are unique and dynamic.

To show our appreciation and say thank you – we’d like to introduce you to a few of the administrative professionals who epitomize our value of putting people first.

Meet Carolyn Stolarski. Carolyn joined Leggett & Platt Automotive 2.5 years ago as the Human Resources Administrator for the Global Automotive HR Team in Troy, MI.

As an HR Administrator, Carolyn wishes others understood the attention to detail required to do her job well. She spends a significant amount of time refining processes and improving the workday of their teams.

“What I enjoy most about my role is contributing to the development of more efficient processes for our HR team. By enhancing our efficiency, we can extend the same level of efficiency to our employees.”

Thank you, Carolyn, for your dedication to L&P Automotive and Leggett & Platt!

Celebrating Our Administrative Professionals – Fran Liu

Fran

Administrative Professionals Day was Wednesday, April 23! The administrative professionals at Leggett & Platt are some of the most hard-working, unsung heroes of our business. They keep our departments running smoothly while wearing many hats – from managing schedules, organizing events, or ensuring our teams get paid on time, their roles are unique and dynamic.

To show our appreciation and say thank you – we’d like to introduce you to a few of the administrative professionals who epitomize our value of putting people first.

Meet Fran Liu. Fran joined Leggett & Platt Hydraulics 1.5 years ago as Finance Manager at Pacoma in Ningbo, China.

As a Finance Manager, Fran enjoys data-driven decision-making and working with cross-functional teams to align financial plans with business objectives.

“Finance provides a numerical foundation for business department decision-making, enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of these decisions.”

Fran believes that in today’s dynamic business environment, the role of finance extends beyond traditional boundaries.

“Finance is not merely a recorder and supervisor but a partner and supporter. The more finance is involved in the design and optimization of business processes, the greater the efficiency and higher the quality of decisions.”

Thank you, Fran, for your dedication to your team and Leggett & Platt!

Celebrating our Administrative Professionals – Mariana Fermin Gomez

Administrative Professionals Day was Wednesday, April 23! The administrative professionals at Leggett & Platt are some of the most hard-working, unsung heroes of our business. They keep our departments running smoothly while wearing many hats – from managing schedules, organizing events, or ensuring our teams get paid on time, their roles are unique and dynamic.

Mariana

To show our appreciation and say thank you – we’d like to introduce you to a few of the administrative professionals who epitomize our value of putting people first.

Meet Mariana Fermin Gomez. Mariana joined Leggett & Platt in September as a Routing Coordinator at Leggett & Platt Flooring Products – Aurora but soon transitioned to Payroll/Receptionist.

Initially, the transition and changes in responsibility scared Mariana, but with time and determination, she grew more confident and is proud of her accomplishments. She credits her supportive coworkers with helping her significantly improve her English, even though her primary language is Spanish.

“Working with people from different nationalities and cultures, all united by the same goal of personal and company growth makes me proud to be part of Leggett & Platt.”

Kim Dolder, Regional Human Resource Manager, calls Mariana “a rising star” of Aurora.

Thank you, Mariana, for all you do for Leggett & Platt!

Celebrating Administrative Professionals Day – Vaishak Unnikrishnan

Vaishak

Administrative Professionals Day is Wednesday, April 23! The administrative professionals at Leggett & Platt are some of the most hard-working, unsung heroes of our business. They keep our departments running smoothly while wearing many hats – from managing schedules, organizing events, or ensuring our teams get paid on time, their roles are unique and dynamic.

To show our appreciation and say thank you, we’d like to introduce you to a few of the administrative professionals who epitomize our value of putting people first.

Meet Vaishak Unnikrishnan! Vaishak joined Leggett & Platt Hydraulics 4.5 years ago as Senior Executive – Human Resources Generalist at Precision Hydraulic Cylinders in Chennai, India.

One of the most enjoyable parts of Vaishak’s role is the opportunity to interact with employees and understand their professional wants and needs.

Reflecting on his role, Vaishak shared, “Every day, I face new challenges that help me develop my problem-solving skills. I have learned more than I could have imagined. It’s been a great ride, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Thank you, Vaishak, for your dedication to Leggett & Platt. We appreciate you!

Celebrating our Administrative Professionals – Louetta Hanson

Louetta

Administrative Professionals Day is Wednesday, April 23! The administrative professionals at Leggett & Platt are some of the most hard-working, unsung heroes of our business. They keep our departments running smoothly while wearing many hats – from managing schedules, organizing events, or ensuring our teams get paid on time, their roles are unique and dynamic.

To show our appreciation and say thank you – we’d like to introduce you to a few of the administrative professionals who epitomize our value of putting people first.

Meet Louetta Hanson. Louetta joined Leggett & Platt Hydraulics in 2023 as an Executive Administrative Assistant at Precision Hydraulic Cylinders in Wilmington, NC.

As an Executive Administrative Assistant, Louetta enjoys every aspect of her role but especially collaborating with and helping her colleagues.

“I wish everyone understood the dynamic nature of my role and how rewarding it is to assist my colleagues with a variety of tasks. It brings a great sense of accomplishment.”

Thank you, Louetta, for your dedication to Leggett & Platt. We appreciate you!

Sustainability Team Spotlight: Barry Haubner

At L&P, our mission is to build businesses and a culture that are sustainable for generations to come, and Barry Haubner, Energy Manager, is helping us do just that!

After graduating college, Barry’s first job involved scheduling natural gas for one of the first deregulated natural gas suppliers. From there, he discovered energy consulting and focused on helping clients use less energy and spend less on energy.

Barry

Barry joined L&P in October of 2024 and has been helping our businesses with energy management since. We asked Barry to share about his role at L&P and how he incorporates sustainability into his personal life.

Tell us about your role.

I help our branches with all things energy – everything from helping our branches purchase their energy, reviewing renewable energy proposals, calculating energy efficiency savings, and working with local utilities to ensure our branches are on the lowest cost tariff rates.

Our Sustainability team is also working on a decarbonization plan. I am constantly surprised at how many different areas our team supports L&P’s operations. It seems like I learn about a new one every week.

What do you find most rewarding about your role?

Helping. It is so rewarding to have the experience and background to help our branches navigate the murky waters of energy management.

How do you incorporate sustainable practices in your own life?

I use a water bottle, buy local as much as possible, grow a garden, compost food waste, and we make our own cleaning products.

Thank you, Barry, for your dedication to sustainability in your personal life and Leggett & Platt!

Celebrating our Administrative Professionals – Deb Veronda

Deb

Administrative Professionals Day is Wednesday, April 23! The administrative professionals at Leggett & Platt are some of the most hard-working, unsung heroes of our business. They keep our departments running smoothly while wearing many hats – from managing schedules, organizing events, or ensuring our teams get paid on time, their roles are unique and dynamic.

To show our appreciation and say thank you – we’d like to introduce you to a few of the administrative professionals who epitomize our value of putting people first.

Meet Deb Veronda. Deb joined Leggett & Platt Flooring Products – Sponge Cushion in Morris, Illinois, 17 years ago as a Human Resources Assistant.

As an HR Assistant, Deb has enjoyed playing an important and supportive role that has allowed her to work with people at all levels of the company. She’s enjoyed the collaboration, camaraderie, and problem-solving together as a team.

“In this role, you have to wear many different hats, and you never know which one you’ll need when you wake up in the morning. I love that every day brings a new adventure.”

Kim Dolder, Regional Human Resource Manager, calls Deb “the glue” of Sponge Cushion.

Thank you, Deb, for your dedication to your team and Leggett & Platt!

Sustainability Spotlight – Meet Melanie Koenig

At L&P, our mission is to build businesses and a culture that are sustainable for generations to come, and Melanie Koenig, our ESG Governance Specialist, is helping us do just that.

Melanie

Melanie joined Leggett & Platt in September 2024, bringing over five years of experience in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) industry. She began her career focusing on corporate philanthropy and the social aspects of ESG, before advancing into environmental and governance roles within manufacturing and B2B businesses. Melanie’s lifelong love of nature inspired her to pursue a career in Sustainability.

Tell us about your role.

I work closely with Legal Compliance and our individual branches to ensure L&P complies with ESG and sustainability regulations worldwide. I also manage our internal sustainability reporting software and support important projects such as our annual Sustainability Report and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Inventory.

What do you find most rewarding about your job?

I enjoy supporting our branches and helping them achieve their sustainability goals, as well as celebrating the progress we make as a company moving forward and expanding our sustainability programming.

Can you share any of the team’s recent milestones?

This year, we launched our first Water, Waste, and Scope 3 Inventories and increased our score on the 2024 S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA).

How do you incorporate sustainable practices in your own life?

I love shopping at my local farmer’s market, planting native flowers and plants in my yard, and washing my clothes with cold water and air-drying them, when possible, to conserve electricity.

Thank you, Melanie, for your dedication to sustainability in your personal life and Leggett & Platt!