Matt Smallwood peeks up from his computer monitor, breaking an afternoon trance from designing in SolidWorks. “Would you like to see what I’ve been working on for two years?” he asks.
And so, we leave his office and walk down to the shop floor to see the new Gribetz XT9 Stitch Bridge machine. Matt, a Research Engineer for L&P’s Global Systems Group (GSG), started in his role in 2011.
One of the challenges with this project was finding needles long enough to pierce through foam. The team got creative and made their own.
As he talks through the functionality of the machine, he quickly redirects any praise and instead highlights the collaborative efforts of the team. “I’ve learned so much from Michael James, our resident sewing expert, and Terry Myers, who led the project. This machine wouldn’t have been built without them.”
What is the Gribetz XT9 Stitch Bridge machine?
It’s a thread-based laminating machine introduced just this year by Gribetz International. In an industry accustomed to gluing together mattress comfort layers, this machine stitches them together with thread. Not only is thread more cost-effective than glue, it’s a better-quality product. Continue reading
The 8-5 workday doesn’t have to be a grind! We asked five happy employees how they enjoy their time at work.
1. Interact with someone. Make time between tasks to strike up a conversation with a colleague. Remember, teambuilding is good for your soul! Sarah Bentz, Internal Audit
2. Discover what energizes you. For me, I appreciate the perk of being able to travel to branches, and I’m grateful to work with teams across our operations. If you need a boost, lift your head up out of your to-do’s, and focus a minute on your version of what gratitude looks like. Lori Jones, Human Resources
3. Get outside. When you sit at your desk for 9+ hours a day hammering out work, that not only takes a toll on your mind but also your body. Getting outside and taking a break whether it be to run, walk, or ride is one of the best resets anyone can do to break up their day. Tyler Burgess, IT
4. Find the fun. It’s all about attitude. (Because if you’re miserable, that’s on you.) Take ownership of your attitude, the work you do, and how you do the work. I try to joke with coworkers, wear fun socks, or drink from fun coffee mugs. As long as you keep a good balance with being productive, work can always be fun. Ryan August, Corporate Accounting
5. Be friendly. In my 3 years at L&P, I’ve been lucky to meet so many other employees who have become my friends. Working with people you consider friends makes the job that much more enjoyable. Katelyn Pierce, Finance
We care about learning at Leggett & Platt. It’s how we adapt, grow, and continually reinvent ourselves to succeed in our jobs. We’ve worked to foster a culture of learning for employees at every level, and at the core of our operations are hundreds of frontline supervisors who are ready to learn.
Supervisor Essentials is a training program geared specifically toward our frontline supervisors at manufacturing locations. “Frontline supervisors have a tremendous amount of influence on the culture of L&P,” says Stephanie Elliott, Learning & Development Program Manager. “It’s essential that we help equip them with the skills to be great leaders of people.”
For many years, a training program for frontline supervisors has been highly requested from our operations. Frontline supervisors juggle multiple demands throughout their workday. While facing deadlines and urgencies within their operations, they also often lead a team of people – which requires a different skillset altogether.
In response to this request, we launched a pilot program launched last fall, with a total of 65 participants completing a trial of the training in Missouri and Texas. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive as participants found the training to be relevant and impactful. One participant shared, “I learned how to look at both sides of an issue when working with my team, as well as how to be fair in my decision-making.”
This year, the same training from the pilot program became much more widely accessible to our operations, as onsite trainings are currently underway. Participants explore topics such as effective communication, leadership, safety, handling difficult interactions and conflict, and respect in the workplace. The program takes a blended learning approach of both eLearning and instructor-led training, which means participants will guide themselves through a series of online modules at their own pace, then also attend onsite training sessions to further explore to the material. Continue reading
Two of our former CEOs, Harry Cornell and Felix Wright, have always enjoyed and collected fine art, especially works depicting nature and the American West. Many of these original paintings and sculptures line the hallways of our Corporate Office.
We asked the collection curators, Ken Southwick and Ned Mayes from Marketing + Creative, to tell us about their favorites. Here are their Top 5:
1. “Recording the Hunt” by artist Marilyn Bendell
This painting captures the subtle, fire-lit interior of the Indian artist’s teepee in a beautiful, impressionistic style.
The artist, Marilyn Bendell was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts in 1965. She ran an art school in Longboat Key, Florida, with her husband, artist George Burrows.
This business-to-business marketing advertisement from the 80’s says it all. Some of the most comfortable chairs start at L&P —even after all these years!
Since starting at L&P in 2014, Miguel Rivero has been committed to his customers. As an International Sales Representative for our Machinery Division, Miguel serves over 50 customers in Latin America when they require replacement parts for bedding machinery and systems.
8:30am: Miguel starts his day in the office, sending emails and making phone calls. Instead of waiting for customers to contact him, he proactively reaches out to them to ensure their machinery is running smoothly. Since Miguel is bilingual, he’s able to successfully assist customers who speak both Spanish and English. “Many of our customers’ machines operate 24 hours a day. You can imagine how much the parts wear down over time. My job is to help them replace those parts as efficiently as possible, so as not to impact their operations.”
10:00am: After checking in with customers, Miguel heads down to the parts room to double-check SKU numbers and take pictures of various machine parts. With numerous quilting, sewing, packaging, and specialized machinery to support, the parts room contains over 5,000 unique parts!
1:20pm: Back in his office, Miguel helps the customer service team by boxing a few orders for shipment. He also organizes marketing materials for his next trade show.
Expanding your professional network is an essential part of advancing your career. Yet, connecting with strangers can be difficult and leaves many feeling uncomfortable. We asked several of our employees for their top networking tips. Here are our favorites:
1. “When meeting someone new, I always try to repeat their name after they’ve introduced themselves. This allows me to say it out loud, helping commit it to memory. It also gives me a great opportunity if I didn’t hear their name or heard it incorrectly.” Kara Dixon, Marketing + Creative
2.“When networking, it’s important to build a genuine connection and show the other person you’re interested in them. I often ask open-ended questions that force the other person to talk about themselves. You never learn by speaking — only by listening.” Andy Cline, Hanes Industries
3. “Networking should be strategic. When I set out to meet a specific person or go to an event, I consider what goals I hope to achieve. When I’m able to articulate this, the connections I make are often more impactful.” Cari Southern, L&P Automotive
4. “One piece of advice I got a long time ago was to ‘make friends and be friendly.’ Framing networking in this light makes it seem more natural and, at least for me, it seems to work.” Dylan Hale, Global Procurement
5. “Try to get involved in projects that impact other areas of the organization, even if it doesn’t appear to have a significant impact to your current role. You never know when that knowledge will translate to a project or potential opportunity down the road!” Becky Burns, Corporate Accounting
And finally, we’ll leave you with one more simple tip: “Smile! It will make you seen more open and welcoming.” We totally agree, Dylan.
With fall just around the corner (can you believe it?), we say goodbye to another incredible internship class. This summer, we hosted 19 Doors interns participating from various Corporate departments, three local branches, and even Switzerland!
Our interns enjoyed getting to know each other through social events, developmental opportunities, tours of local operations, and exposure to company leaders. The summer finished strong with their final presentations and a closing luncheon to recognize their achievements.
Here are a few glimpses into our summer!
As Doors kicked off, several former interns (now full-time employees) shared advice on how to get the most out of the internship. Each intern was also paired with an employee ambassador who answered questions and mentored them throughout the summer.
