Gabrielle Morgan, left, and Gregory Brown, right, both employees with Laitram, peruse the shelves of the company pharmacy in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Gabrielle Morgan, left, and Gregory Brown, right, both employees with Laitram, peruse the shelves of the company pharmacy in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Kelvin Cole works out in the fitness room for staff at Laitram in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
An in-house medical clinic helps staff of Laitram in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Gabrielle Morgan, left, and Gregory Brown, right, both employees with Laitram, peruse the shelves of the company pharmacy in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Gabrielle Morgan, left, and Gregory Brown, right, both employees with Laitram, peruse the shelves of the company pharmacy in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
When Hurricane Ida hit in August of 2021, Laitram LLC provided hotel rooms for employees whose homes were damaged or darkened by the storm. The company also helped establish an aid program that raised about $250,000 to get affected workers back on their feet.
At the height of the COVID pandemic, the Harahan-based company set up its own on-site health clinic that gave employees and their families access to testing and support. It also provided resources to help parents meet their needs while daycare centers were closed due to the lockdown.
Rather than layoffs or furloughs, Laitram provided extra incentives for employees involved in manufacturing whose jobs required them to report to work. Despite challenges over the past few years that have forced many companies to scale back, Laitram has pushed through the challenges with a team-oriented approach, its corporate managers said.
An in-house medical clinic helps staff of Laitram in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Laitram’s reaction to the one-two punch of a pandemic and a hurricane is in keeping with its culture, one that that company leadership says fosters corporate success and high employee morale. A global manufacturing leader across multiple industries, Laitram is a perennial winner of awards touting top employers in the region.
Laitram rose to the top of The Times-Picayune's 2022 Top Workplaces competition. Laitram employees say they appreciate the company’s benefits package and extras such as on-site health and fitness centers staffed with nurse practitioners, a registered dietitian, medical assistant and personal trainers.
But Laitram team members from throughout the organization believe it’s as much the intangibles and the caring attitude the company exhibits toward its employees as the actual benefits that make the company a special place to work.
“In general, it’s the culture in which employees are appreciated and rewarded for their efforts and accomplishments,” said Frank LaBiche, Laitram’s human resources director and a 27-year employee. “It’s about focusing on our people, their careers and how we can make work more enjoyable and their lives better.”
Laitram Corporation, founded in 1949, employs around 4,000 people in 11 locations worldwide – with just over 2,100 employees in the New Orleans area. The employees are spread across four operating divisions —Laitram Machinery, Intralox, Lapeyre Stair, and Laitram Machine Shop.
A global leader in the manufacturing of conveyor belts, the company holds more than 1,300 active patents. Intralox, Laitram’s largest division, is a pioneer in the development of conveyer equipment widely used in food processing, beverage handling, can manufacturing, baking, case and box handling, and packaging.
The company’s modest roots can be traced back to its founder, James Martial Lapeyre. As a 16-year-old working in a Houma seafood-packing plant, Lapeyre came up with an idea to make shrimp peeling easier. Four years later, the teen’s concept led to the issuance of a patent for the world’s first shrimp-peeling machine.
Kelvin Cole works out in the fitness room for staff at Laitram in Harahan on Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Lapeyre’s invention revolutionized the shrimping industry and set the stage for other inventions that formed the foundation of Laitram – a name derived by spelling Lapeyre’s middle name backwards. All these years later, the company attributes much of its success to a workplace featuring a commitment to innovation and integrity and a culture where employees support each other.
Employees rave about the work environment. Managers say it keeps employee turnover low, even during the “great resignation” trend.
Chuong Le, an assembly worker who has been with the company for seven years, said the reason for sticking with Laitram goes beyond the impressive package of benefits offered to employees.
“As a company, they value their employees and consistently remind us that we are their greatest resource,” Le said.
Jolene Fehler, a manager in the Intralox division who has been with the company for four years, said values like “assume good intentions” and “seek first to understand” are integrated into everything employees do.
“What makes Laitram a great place to work is the emphasis it puts on company values and principles,” Fehler said. “Most companies talk about culture and what's important to them but it's difficult to see those translated into action.
“Because we value these principles, everyone has the same opportunity to contribute - to the company, to our customers and for ourselves.”
Email Kim Chatelain at kchatelaintp@gmail.com.
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