December is more than just a month full of celebration, gatherings and a lot of baking. December marks the end of the year and ushers us to a whole new year of hope and prospect for success.

The year 2020 has been incredibly transformative, and without a doubt, ending this year with our health intact, while surrounded by our loved ones, surely brings a sigh of relief for many of us. Let's not rush into saying 'goodbye' to 2020 just yet, instead, let's pause and reflect on the numerous life lessons and life hacks this year has revealed and introduced to us. The insurmountable challenges we had to face this year has changed our lives and livelihood. Let's not take for granted the opportunity to explore and learn from these crisis, and discover the many things that shaped our values and character.

Some of the few reflections for the year 2020:

That relationships (our family), deserves the highest spot in our priority list.
Health and wellness is truly our wealth.
The planet doesn't need us; we need it.
Building an emergency fund is crucial. Things can change overnight.
Find the balance between staying informed, yet not overly consumed with negative news.
Our teachers are so, so important. They too are front liners.
Front liners deserves our respect - they epitomizes what true humanitarians truly are.
Freedom is not free, so never take it for granted!
The best life lessons are learned during crisis and trials.
Do not expect anything; appreciate everything. Tomorrow's unpredictable.

JAMES D'ANDREA

SALES EXECUTIVE

James may have only started a year ago, but this guy has already proven that he's got what it takes to push LBU to another level when it comes to our Sales. Thanks for being an awesome team player. Keep rockin'!

Q: How long have you worked for LBU?

A: 1 year and 5 months. After moving into the new factory, Jordan and Jeff took me out to dinner, wine and dined me, and asked if I want to start working for LBU. I said yes, and the rest is history!

Q: What other activities do you enjoy outside LBU?

A: I pick things up and put them down. LOL!

Q: Can you share a fun fact that many people don't know about you?

A: My middle name is "Nunzio!"

Q: What motivates you the most?

A: Fear of not living up to my full potential.

Q: What lessons or advice would you like to impart to our newcomers?

A: At LBU, you can be as successful as you would like. If you work hard and stay hungry, you will have a great career!

JOSE CASTILLO

PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

Jose is LBU's "go-to" guy. A huge thanks for all your hardwork, many sleepless nights, managing and ensuring that we produce this year's Walmart orders on time!

Q: How long have you worked for LBU?

A: I've been with the company for a little over 6 years. A friend of mine who worked here referred me. He believes that my skills and work attitude would be a great asset to the company. It was enough motivation for me to join. Plus, our facility is so close to home, so for me, it's a no brainer!

Q: What other activities do you enjoy outside LBU?

A: I'm an avid workout junkie. I spend a lot of time at the gym doing resistance training and cardio. I'm also in a habit of visiting open houses for potential acquisition. I consider myself a huge foodie, so much so that I truly believe that my taste for food has elevated to connoisseur level!

Q: Can you share a fun fact that many people don't know about you?

A: I think it's weird that my fridge is never out of pizza or chicken wings. I like to make sure I have these two dishes ready as I often find myself waking up as early as 3AM craving for something to eat. LOL!

Q: What motivates you the most?

A: Learning new things and being successful at it, while seeing the reward of being financially secured. Also, getting an early start as soon as my alarm goes off which starts my day right, truly motivates me!

Q: What lessons or advice would you like to impart to our newcomers?

A: Stay focused regardless of the ups and downs life throws at you. Focus on what you can change and start from there. Your drive to be great and successful always propels you to do great things!

LATEST NEWS AND UPDATES

We've Launched Our Updated Website!

Many thanks to all the work and dedication put in by our dear Michelle Morin of Art Department, our EVP, Jordan Scaduto, and our team of web developers for crafting a more updated and polished look for our website! A company's website is the 'virtual face' of the organization. Since our site is a reflection of our organization, leaving a lasting impression is our utmost priority. Making it look professional and loaded with useful information helps our audience see our authority and expertise in our given industry. This new and fresher look have accomplished all that and so much more! We are truly happy and proud to say that all these new and exciting updates are telling signs of our continued success and improvement. (Click the image below to re-route you to our website!)

𝔽𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕟𝕔𝕖 𝕓𝕖𝕥𝕨𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕗𝕦𝕟𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕒𝕝 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕤𝕥𝕪𝕝𝕖. 𝕊𝕙𝕠𝕨𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕗𝕦𝕝 𝕒𝕣𝕥𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕔 𝕖𝕩𝕡𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤 𝕚𝕟𝕥𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕕𝕒𝕪 𝕔𝕒𝕣𝕣𝕪-𝕠𝕟𝕤.

Lifestyle Sets On The Go!

PARTIES & CELEBRATIONS

Jeff shared "I graduated high school early and went straight in to college. I eventually got my degree from Baruch College after 7 years going to night school while building the business during the day. I started LBU on the street corners of NYC when I was about 15 years old. I noticed a need for a nice laundry bag for native New Yorkers while sitting once a week in my local laundromat doing my family’s laundry (which I hated!). Everyone was using pillow cases, and trash bags, while wearing expensive designer jeans. I went down to Canal street and purchased rolls of beautiful nylon fabric in all rainbow colors and found a local sewing contractor to make these great laundry bags. I setup my large display rack on the street corners of Columbus avenue and Broadway and start selling…a lot of bags! Next was flea markets, then wholesale to all the laundromats, hardware stores, college university book stores, and then trade shows and lastly selling to most of the larger big box retailers in the country. The company name as a kid was Laundry Bags Unlimited, and many years later turned into LBU… which today is one of America’s leading manufacturers of sewn products."

Life Tips & Hacks:

"Life is short and everyday above ground is a great day! Look for the good in EVERY situation and always believe that failure is NOT an option….and you will be rewarded with the life that you truly deserve!"

Year End Message:

"I want to thank my whole fabulous team for a very crazy and exciting year during this national pandemic. We were truly blessed that when life threw us sour lemons back in March…that we were able to turn around and make a lot of Limoncello! A strong chain is only as good as its weakest link. Thank you Team LBU…..and for all of you being those STRONG links this year!"

Jordan said "I grew up in the factory in Passaic watching Jeff grow the business. He put me to work in the factory, so I would help with packing, QC, screen printing, shipping etc. It helped me learn the ins and outs of the factory and how the products were made. Being able to see the company from the factory point of view is extremely helpful to know how our products are built and to understand the work flow. After college I started as a salesman and started to learn from Jeff – the best salesman in the game. Having him as a mentor has helped me become successful today, learning as much as I can to help lead the team to many more successful years!"

Life Tips & Hacks:

"If you had $86,400 and someone stole $60 from you, would you throw away the remaining $86,340 trying to get it back? Or would you rather move on and live? Each one of us have 86,400 seconds every day. DON'T let someone's negative 60 seconds ruin the remaining 86,340 seconds of your day!"

Year End Message:

"If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten. This goes for anything in life.. If you want more in life, you need to do more. We can always get better, be better, and do more. No one is perfect and there is always room for improvement. That's what drives me.. knowing that I can always get better at whatever I do, if I only want that much. We can all do whatever we want to.. we just need to want it bad enough!"

Nick is a seasoned operations professional who has a combined experience of 45 years in the 'cut & sew' industry. Having raised by his father who also spent decades in the 'cut and sew' apparel industry, he has mastered the art of Operations Management.

Before joining LBU, Nick headed and directed Solid & Striped production team based in New York City as their VP of Operations for five years, until Christopher Burch who founded C.Wonder acquired a stake of the company. Nick moved on and later joined LBU as our VP of Operations, currently spearheading our entire production and manufacturing crew.

Life Tips & Hacks:

"Always move forward. Always speak and keep positive thoughts in the atmosphere about your goals!"

Year End Message:

"To all my colleagues and subordinates, it is a great pleasure to work alongside you all. We have an amazing team here at LBU which allows us everyday to create these amazing designs, and to make and produce orders for customers in record time like no other company anywhere in USA! I wish you, your family and friends continued health and happiness for the coming year. Let us continue to hope and pray for the year 2021, to be one of the most successful year LBU have ever had!"

Walter is originally born and raised in Queens, New York. The first generation in his family to receive a college degree. He expressed, "My love of cooking led me to reach out for an associate's degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America here in New York. A few years later, I attended Berkeley University to fulfill my passion for Computers & Network Administration. I was working as an Executive Chef when I met Jeffrey Mayer. He offered me an opportunity to build a career that I could not pass. Fast track 16 years later and still going strong!"

Life Tips & Hacks:

"Pursue your dreams no matter how difficult they may seem. The odds of me finishing culinary school and becoming a chef sounded an impossibility if I had let negative thoughts overcome me. I believe that success is achieved by those who try and keep trying. I take to heart the words of Matt Fraser who said: 'I consciously seek out everyday what I'm weak at, and how I can pound this weakness until it's a strength."

Year End Message:

"Although the Covid-19 pandemic has been a difficult time for us all, it can also be a time where we have an unprecedented opportunity to evolve as an organization to shift work and talent . During these challenging and difficult times, to be able to work and be part of a company that had the ability and flexibility to switch all gears, to be deemed an essential business and be able to give back to first responders by manufacturing PPE products, are more than enough reasons we can all be proud of this year!"

Michell graduated from Baruch College, and shortly thereafter, he received his CPA license. He said that he had always enjoyed working in various industries in the past, but he always knew he wanted to be a part of Manufacturing. He said, "Fortunately, I found the coolest company! Thanks to our wonderful HR who found me!"

Life Tips & Hacks:

"Take risk, but make sure it's calculated."

Year End Message:

"While I have only been a part of LBU, Inc. for a short period of time, I must say that you have all impressed me and surpassed all my expectations. The hard work provided by each staff is nothing short of astounding. Never have I witnessed such dedication to a common goal, and I truly mean it at the risk of sounding cliché. I look forward to 2021 in which I believe we can all surpass our goals. I thank each and every one of you, and truly grateful for the support you have provided, and for that reason, I am truly proud to call LBU, Inc. HOME."

Dianne is originally from Manila, Philippines. She graduated in 2005 with a major in Advertising and a Bachelors in Communications. She moved to United States in 2006 and has worked in several industries including Finance, Operations and Human Resources.

Born and raised by her mother who is an entrepreneur, Dianne was taught at an early age that opportunities don't always come knocking. She believes that we are our own true ambassadors! "It takes great skills to make people listen and respect you. You need to learn how to do it with grace and proper timing. Communication helps build and cultivate relationships. Bringing in the right caliber of people, building solid foundation one SOP at a time, and 'walking the talk,' so to speak, are paramount to our success."

Dianne joined LBU, Inc. in the winter of 2019. Dianne believes that although navigating through the complexities of human behavior is no easy feat, it is in many ways, very rewarding. She said, "You need to have the heart and soul for it. It is in our vulnerability and weaknesses that we discover our strengths. Tapping into life experiences to fuel our people's desires, while motivating them to explore outside their comfort zones, are the winning combination for their success! Yes, their success is OUR success!"

Life Tips & Hacks:

"Opportunities do not come to you knocking. Learn to set the stage for your own success -- be open to other people's advice but listen to your inner voice. Invest in your EQ, and remember, great leaders are made from excellent students and followers."

Year End Message:

"There is no greater satisfaction than to see the results of all our hard work. This year has pushed us to our limits, but it is during these fragile times that valuable traits and strong characters are built. We should all be proud of our accomplishments. Ending the year 2020 stronger and bolder than the day we entered it, is an achievement we should never take for granted!"