L&P sponsored October’s Third Thursday—a family-friendly event where the Joplin, Missouri, and surrounding communities come together to enjoy local food, artists, entertainment, and shops.
The event’s theme was “Fall Festival,” and it attracted a great crowd! Twenty L&P volunteers helped set up the event and offered free games, mini-pumpkin decorating, a photo booth, candy, and popcorn to attendees. Our volunteers handed out more than 600 bags of free popcorn and helped over 100 kids decorate pumpkins!
We are grateful to all of our employees who made Third Thursday fun and successful! Check out some photos from the event below.
At L&P, we are proud to be a global company, employing people from many backgrounds and cultures. Our company values — Put People First, Do the Right Thing, Do Great Work Together, and Take Ownership and Raise the Bar — tie us together and guide us to be more connected, collaborative, and innovative.
As we continue sharing about our global mindset, we invited Samantha Lewis-Horner, Vice President of Human Resources, to share how she leads an international L&P team.
“When I joined L&P a year ago, it was clear to me that this is a global organization that values people,” said Samantha. “A global team brings diversity of thought and personality. We may think and act differently across cultures, but these differences are ultimately strengths that can bring benefit to the whole company.”
Samantha leads a team of HR leaders — Alan Ji, Clare Rees, Judith Kuhn, and Lori Kolodziej — located in North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. Alan works from China, and Lori works from the United States. Both Clare and Samantha are based in the United Kingdom, and Judith is based in Germany.
Judith, Samantha, Clare, Lori, and Alan
The team works closely with our specialized business units to provide global HR support that promotes growth through investing in our people, culture, and the processes that keep us competitive. Samantha Leads our specialized HR segment and is the strategic lead, along with Alan, Senior HR Director for Asia Pacific, for our Automotive business. Judith is the HR Director for Specialized Products in Europe and strategic HR lead for our Hydraulics business. Lori is the HR Director for Specialized Products in North America and strategic lead for our Aerospace business. Clare is a Senior HR Business Partner, driving Transformation and Capability improvements across our Specialized Products segment.
Every six weeks, Samantha hosts Listening at Leggett—an hour-long meeting without an agenda where the team can speak about any topic or issue.
“It’s important that we listen to our teams, no matter where they are in the world,” said Samantha. “We could all be better listeners, and we should be open to and listen to other people’s opinions. We only get the best ideas if everyone contributes.”
When asked how her team embraces a diversity of perspectives and ensures everyone stays engaged and connected, Samantha shared these key points with us:
Create clarity and foster transparency and trust, especially around future plans.
Be fair, consistent, and accountable.
Share and celebrate success.
Use available collaboration tools to check in.
Respect people’s time and time zones.
We’re really grateful to this team for putting people first, doing great work together, and enriching our global mindset!
On October 28, L&P teams across the U.S. and Canada will walk together in the Susan G. Komen’s More Thank Pink Walk, raising funds for breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Leading up to this event, we’ve been sharing stories from our team members on how breast cancer has affected their lives and those of their family members.
Meet Susan McCoy, who works at Leggett & Platt Corporate in Carthage, MO. We asked Susan about her experience with breast cancer and why L&P’s support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is meaningful.
Recently, 19 team members participated in the American Heart Association’s Four States Heart Walk at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, MO. Combined with a contribution from L&P, the walkers raised nearly $3,800 for the American Heart Association and their fight against cardiovascular disease – the number one killer of all Americans.
Thank you to all those who participated and continue to uphold our value of putting people first!
On October 28, L&P teams across the U.S. and Canada will walk together in the Susan G. Komen’s More Thank Pink Walk, raising funds for breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Leading up to this event, we’ve been sharing stories from our team members on how breast cancer has affected their lives and those of their family members.
Meet Shyre Creamer, who works at Clearfield in Ogden, Utah. We asked Shyre about her experience with breast cancer and why L&P’s support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is meaningful.
On October 28, L&P teams across the U.S. and Canada will walk together in the Susan G. Komen’s More Thank Pink Walk, raising funds for breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Leading up to this event, we’ve been sharing stories from our team members on how breast cancer has affected their lives and those of their family members.
Meet Lisa Overby, who works at ECS Fort Smith in Fort Smith, AR. We asked Lisa about her experience with breast cancer and why L&P’s support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is meaningful.
We are thrilled to announce the grand opening of our new L&P Automotive office in Troy, Michigan.
It is a significant milestone in our journey of growth and progress and a testament to our commitment to providing a better work environment for our employees and customers, enabling one of our values of doing great work together.
To celebrate this special occasion, we’d like to share some pictures of our new office:
Our new office is more than just a workspace; it’s a place where creativity and collaboration thrive. Many thanks to the dedicated project team for their hard work which made this opening possible. Here’s to a bright future ahead in your new home!
Did you know L&P has approximately 20,000 employees and operates in 18 countries? Our employees speak at least 14 different languages. We are proud to be a part of communities in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
The diversity of our business and our people brings together a wide range of perspectives, experiences, and ideas – driving innovation for our customers.
On October 28, L&P teams across the U.S. and Canada will walk together in the Susan G. Komen’s More Thank Pink Walk, raising funds for breakthrough research to prevent and cure breast cancer.
Leading up to this event, we’ve been sharing stories from our team members on how breast cancer has affected their lives and those of their family members.
Meet Anne Stocker, who works at Carthage Spring in Carthage, MO. We asked Anne about her experience with breast cancer and why L&P’s support of the Susan G. Komen Foundation is meaningful.
At L&P, our employees around the world enrich our global mindset and inspire us every day with their leadership and initiative.
Today, we’d like to recognize Isabel Perez! Isabel is a geosynthetics and engineering professional who’s passionate about building sustainable communities and a champion for inclusion, diversity, and equity. We invited her to share about work, her recent accomplishments, and what’s ahead.
A Community Leader and Partner
Isabel began her career at Terrafix Geosynthetics, a Leggett & Platt company, in Canada five years ago as an Account Manager. She currently serves as a National Category Sales Manager for Subgrade Solutions and is a member of our Women’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) leadership team.
As a geosynthetics professional, she enjoys helping her customers and end users enjoy the benefits of sustainable, reliable, and cost-effective infrastructure.
“I contribute by being a community helper,” shared Isabel. “I love to see communities benefit from better infrastructure—whether that’s a road, school, parking lot, or other facility.”
Isabel is also passionate about increasing the visibility of women in industries like geosynthetics. She serves on the External Partnerships Committee within our Women’s ERG, which focuses on building networks and sponsoring partnerships that lift up women.
“Thanks to our Women’s ERG, I feel more connected and understand more about our business outside of Terrafix,” shared Isabel. “It has helped me understand how global we are and how important it is to align with organizations that help women become more visible in industries like geosynthetics.”
Outside of L&P, Isabel is involved in many professional societies that advance geosynthetics and promote diversity. She is an Executive Committee member for the Canadian Geotechnical Society (CGS), a founding member of Women in CGS, Vice Chair of the CGS’s Geosynthetics Division, a founding member of the International Geosynthetics Society’s (IGS) Diversity Task Force, and a member of Women in Transportation.
Advancing Opportunities in Global Geosynthetics
In late September, Isabel traveled to Rome, Italy, to participate in the IGS’s annual conference where attendees discuss best practices, regulations, and requirements related to the geosynthetics industry. During the conference, she gave a presentation on the IGS Diversity Task Force, which aims to create a welcoming space for members to advance their geosynthetics practice and improve access to and opportunities in the geosynthetics industry for everyone.
“If you look at the numbers in the geosynthetics industry, it’s clear that we’re missing voices of minority groups,” said Isabel. “We should care because our customers are global and focusing on how we can increase diversity will allow us to better understand them and increase our reach in the industry. My contribution is speaking up and doing what I can to help open doors.”
Next year in late April, Isabel will attend GeoAmericas 2024 in Toronto, Canada, and give a presentation on the topic of exploring solutions towards green infrastructure with reinforcement systems. Her presentation will cover an overview of geosynthetics and geogrids, as well as their benefits and best practices.
We are excited to see what’s next for Isabel and are proud of her for taking ownership and raising the bar!
