Today Ted speaks with Tiffany Guido, Vice President of 5th generation European wood floor manufacturing company, Legno Bastone Wide Plank Flooring based in Naples, Florida. Legno is a family-owned manufacturer founded in the late 1800s by Luigi Bastone.
Tiffany got involved with the business in 2014, joining her brother Frank and father Arturo on the company’s leadership team. Along the way, she immersed herself in her family’s history, at one point enduring a grueling five-hour hike amid an Italian summer to the exact spot her great, great-grandfather chopped down trees for Legno Bastone five generations prior.
She shares how the company underwent its dramatic growth from 0 to 400 dealers in ten years, building up a team of employees that feel just as part of the family as Luigi’s descendents do. This family-centered business philosophy is part of the reason Legno Bastone has attracted a loyal community of raving fans, differentiating it from other flooring companies in the market.
When asked for the secret to thriving as a family business, Tiffany only has this to say:
“My brother is President. I’m the Vice President. My father is the CFO. But none of those titles mean anything, because we’re a family. We’re a unit. When you’re truly a unit, there’s no person that’s higher up or better than I am. That’s not how we look at our family. Everyone gets an opportunity to speak and everybody’s ideas come into play.”
Topics Discussed:
Connect with Tiffany Bastone & Legno Bastone:
Connect with Build Magazine:
Key Quotes by Tiffany: