Life is about taking risks, and a startup can be just that. When Eric Miller, Electronics Engineering Manager at L&P, was hired to launch an Electronics Lab for our Adjustable Bed Group in Kansas City, MO, he knew he would be in for a challenge. Eric had been working on his master’s degree in Engineering Management when he was contacted by Leggett. “As part of my coursework,” he said, “I had done a lot of in-depth studies on startup companies and entrepreneurs, and I found the idea of starting something from the ground up very appealing.”

Eric took the risk and joined L&P in April 2016, ready to embrace a “different kind of challenge.” Eric has always been interested in management, but at the same time, he considers himself an engineer at heart. “With this opportunity,” he said, “I saw a chance to jump into a management role while still be a part of the design process. I just couldn’t pass it up.”

Eric (left) with Patrick Millar, Senior Software Engineer for the Electronics Lab.

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Selfless, lively, and zealous perfectly describe the personality of the Exhibit Solutions Manager Sharon Baird. She speaks with the same energy and joy while describing her children and grandchildren as she does while detailing her day-to-day at L&P.

Sharon’s colorful office walls showcase her keen ability to organize!

As Exhibit Solutions Manager, she serves as a project management resource to others at L&P who use her help. She designs and procures trade show items such as backdrops, tables and chairs, and table coverings. She also assists with trade show strategy, like developing advertising, press releases, sponsorships, and an overall budget. When executing trade shows, Sharon travels a lot for the job – sometimes up to 3 weeks at a time. Continue reading →

1971: The first Starbucks was established and the cost of gas was $0.36 per gallon. It was also the year that Jerry Ralston began his career with L&P.

Jerry, fresh out of school, “just wanted to work.” For the past 45 years, he’s accomplished his goal. He joined Leggett as an employee at Carthage Spring, a facility which produces coil mattress units. In his first role, he cleaned boiling rooms (with actual dirt floors), tidied up bathrooms, and performed minor repairs. Many days, he says, he returned home looking like a coal miner.

He then worked in the Chromecraft department, where he monitored machinery and crated finished goods. After about seven years and wearing several hats, he was relocated to Phoenix, Arizona to work at our Phoenix Spring location.

In 1991, he was relocated back to Carthage Spring, where he now works as the Maintenance Superintendent. “I’ve really enjoyed seeing processes become more automated over the years,” Jerry said. “This job used to be extremely labor-intensive. It has been very rewarding to be a part of significant change at Leggett.”

When not at work, Jerry enjoys spending time outdoors with his family, playing golf, and fishing. In the next five years, he would love to retire and build a log cabin at the lake.

Kile (left) and Jerry inside the Carthage Spring facility.

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Liliana Rupp’s outlook on life is infectious. Her enthusiasm for her family, her work, and her community bleeds into everything that she does. She smiles as she talks through list of activities, which makes it seem as if she’s discovered a way to fit extra hours into the week. She speaks joyfully of her job, her upcoming test for U.S. citizenship, and her volunteer work with her church.

But she absolutely beams when she talks about her children. “The best job I ever had was being a parent.”

A single mother of two, Liliana permanently moved to the United States from her native Colombia to give her kids different opportunities than she had. After a brief time in New York, the family of three relocated to Carthage, Missouri, where Liliana spent time as a foreign exchange student. Currently she works as Translation Services Specialist at L&P, a role she has held for 4 years. Continue reading →

It only takes a few minutes with Dian Rose to get a sense of her drive. You can quickly tell that she’s thinking several steps ahead, always with a strategy in mind. Even at home, Dian says she’s always motivated to find “work” for herself, whether through activities with her family or projects outdoors. That drive has led into her current role of Corporate Safety Manager & Engineer for Hanes Companies, where she uses her engineering background to manage the safety and environmental components at the facility.

Dian Rose specializes in compliance and improvement for Hanes.

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Silvia Wixson loves a challenge — but she also loves making an impact on those around her. She found both in her current role: “Ever since I first learned about the company, I’ve been drawn to Leggett & Platt and wanted to be part it.”

Originally from Paraguay, Silvia settled in Pittsburg, Kansas with her husband and three children (who she’ll tell you keep her very busy with softball season in full swing) where she received her Master’s degree in Engineering Technology from Pittsburg State University. Through a combination of quality assurance and engineering roles with an automotive supplier, Silvia learned about lean manufacturing where she discovered her passion for continuous improvement.

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No one can test a mattress like Leggett & Platt’s International Technical Center (ITC). Discovering how beds will hold up to years of wear and tear is their full-time job. And no one at ITC is closer or more involved in testing than Matt Blunt (no relation to the former Missouri governor, though they have met).

I sat down with Matt for an interview, but it became immediately and awkwardly apparent that he’s not a talker. In fact, I had to get most of my information from his managers and co-workers. Continue reading →