At Leaf Home, innovation is an essential part of the day-to-day. Our teams pride themselves at exploring fresh, new ideas every day, but the product development team embraces the future with particular gusto. Today, we’re going to hear from Mike Gori, Vice President of Product Development, about the team behind Leaf’s biggest and best products.
Leaf: Thank you for chatting with us, Mike! How long have you been with Leaf Home?
Mike: I have been with the organization for just over five years now. When I came on board in 2016, I was responsible for building out the product development team and strategy. As a team, we have successfully launched multiple new products that have added substantial intellectual property and revenue to the Leaf Home portfolio.
Leaf: That’s awesome! How many products has your team worked on?
Mike: The Product Development team’s primary goal is to drive organic growth via innovation and to protect this growth with a wide moat of patents. To date, we have been granted 28 patents with 12 more that are already filed. At any given time, my Team has about 15 key projects that they are working on to solve problems that will ultimately enhance our customers’ experience of Leaf Home as well as make the business more efficient and profitable.
Leaf: Wow! And how big is your team now?
Mike: During 2021, we doubled the size of the team to eight members, including myself.
Leaf: We love to see that kind of growth. Are you stationed at of the corporate office?
Mike: Yes, for now. The team works out of the corporate office in Hudson, but we will soon be moving into a new state-of-the-art product development center located at 1696 Georgetown Road, right by the corporate office. If any team members are visiting the Leaf Home corporate office, it will definitely be a must-visit area and experience!
Leaf: For sure! It will be a great way to showcase the hard work your team does every day. Can you tell us more about why the work you and your team accomplishes is important to Leaf Home?
Mike: Innovation is a critical driver of organizational success – and this applies across all functional areas. For Leaf Home, our investment in Product Development represents a very unique competitive advantage, as our competitors have not made this investment. We are the only scaled, national provider of home services that is focused on and facilitates the entire customer experience, all the way from product ideation and concept through installation and service. It’s a remarkable competitive moat which ensures a bright future for all of us here at Leaf Home.
Leaf: Love that! Are there any particular products that your team worked especially hard on that we can highlight?
Mike: I am excited about everything we are working on! However, we do have three major next generation products that we are currently working that will truly be game changers for Leaf Home Safety Solutions and LeafFilter! It is going to be a very proud moment for all of us to get these innovations out to the marketplace.
Leaf: We can’t wait to see them! What do you think the future holds for your team?
Mike: Capability. Attitude and results reflect leadership, and leadership has a tremendous responsibility to develop the capability of their team in order that we may not only offer a current state impact for the organization but also develop a legacy impact. Within the product development team, I am very excited about the growth and capability that each team member has achieved, and I find a great pleasure in witnessing this growth and watching them become leaders and enjoying the pride of their impact.
The future will hold more of this multiplier impact, especially as the organization continues to grow within its cross-functional collaboration which is critical to launching new products and services. With this in mind, we are especially excited about the broader organization’s investment in other critical areas.
Leaf: Thanks for chatting with us today, Mike! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Mike: Yes, total credit goes to my team. They are an incredible team of problem solvers. In total, they bring over 75 years of professional experience, hold over 53 patents, have 12 specialized university degrees, and they continue to lead the entire organization. I also want to thank the broader organization for the support and appreciation it has bestowed upon the product development team over the last five years. Please know we are just getting started and look forward to serving our customers, the organization, and having a major impact for many years to come!
Innovation is at the core of everything we do at Leaf Home. Are you interested in exploring opportunities with our team? Check out the LeafFilter careers page to find opportunities near you.
