When CEOs and CFOs Share an Alma Mater

On 500-mile road trips to watch Mizzou basketball games, executives David Haffner and Matthew Flanigan talk strategy.

Afterward, the University of Missouri alumni munch hot slices at Shakespeare's Pizza and map out plays—including some painful team cuts a few years ago—for their company, Leggett & Platt Inc.

"[We] get home about two in the morning or later, and dang it if we don't have an eight o'clock" meeting, said Mr. Haffner (Class of '74), chief executive officer.

Mr. Haffner and Mr. Flanigan (Class of '84), chief financial officer, know the success of their relationship is essential to executing the vision of the company, which makes everything from mattress springs to shelves. And though they graduated a decade apart, they say their common experiences at the university tie together the threads of their past.

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