Bendix announces ‘Excellence in Leadership Award’ winners

Improving highway and commercial vehicle safety is a total team effort at Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC, thanks to the commitment, talent and leadership contributions of employees at all levels across North America. In recognition of three team members who display outstanding qualities supporting these goals every day, Bendix has honored Barbara Gould, Sonia Meade, and Juan Carlos “JC” Mellado with its 2018 Excellence in Bendix Leadership Award.

This marks the ninth year of the Excellence in Bendix Leadership Award – the highest individual distinction a Bendix employee can achieve. The award, presented as a part of the company’s Drive for Distinction celebration, recognizes employees who exemplify leadership in their behavior and actions, whether or not they hold a leadership title or manage others in their everyday role, Bendix says. Recipients are nominated by their peers and recommended by their managers for demonstrating invaluable leadership characteristics, such as collaboration, guidance, integrity, and excellence.

“True leadership, in any role, in any department, in any assignment, is highly prized at Bendix, and recognizing it requires looking far deeper than a job title or day-to-day functions,” says Berend Bracht, Bendix president and CEO. “When we look at the recipients of this honor and what their work means to both Bendix as a company and to all of us as their co-workers, we are inspired, challenged, and reminded every day of not just how we can do things better, but why it matters too. Barbara, Sonia, and JC never stop embracing the potential they see in Bendix and their fellow team members – which is exactly how they’re helping all of us to shape a brighter future.”

Director of Communications Barbara Gould is based at Bendix’s Elyria, Ohio, headquarters, and has been with the company since 2001. She’s the driving force behind the external communications agenda, including Bendix’s physical presence and thought leadership at trade shows, the company’s interactive and vibrant social media presence, as well as its media relations, plus branding and marketing communications efforts. Gould also holds responsibility for the full-bodied internal communications program, including company Town Halls and a host of other employee events, marketing of the Bendix corporate social responsibility efforts, plus support for strategic communications initiatives for Bendix and its sister Knorr-Bremse Group companies across North America.

“Over the years, Barbara has taken on the challenge to ensure that the employees and customers of Bendix have the right information, on time, with a voice that is reliable, passionate, and fully engaged,” says Bendix Chairman Joe McAleese. “Knowing that she cannot do it alone, she uses her leadership and ability to champion activities to ensure success. Her team, along with many others, earns her support and recognition as she is quick to thank everyone for their contributions.”

Sonia Meade is Bendix’s manager of accounts receivable, also based in Elyria. A 15-year veteran of the company, she joined as an accounts payable team member and progressed through payroll before taking on her current role in 2015. Goal-oriented and constantly driven to improve processes for the betterment of her team and the company, Meade has embraced challenges and opportunities to achieve performance metrics that had previously been considered unattainable.

“She possesses everything you’d expect to find in an exceptional leader: A ‘can-do’ attitude, reliability, a responsible and ethical approach, and the highest integrity in everything she does,” says Bracht. “Thanks to her invaluable experience and practical, firsthand knowledge, she teaches, mentors, and coaches those who work for her, encouraging and preparing them for new opportunities within the Bendix organization.”

Juan Carlos “JC” Mellado, manager, product engineering at Bendix’s Acuña, Mexico, facility, joined the company in 2010, and has been making an impact since day one, the company says. His entrepreneurial approach mixes strong technical expertise with interpersonal skills, and has led to creative solutions for both improving processes and strengthening the Acuña team and its work. The value Mellado places on the insights and opinions of his co-workers has earned him an incomparable degree of trust.

“JC is a person of action and results, as well as a selfless mentor and an agent of change,” says Bendix COO Carlos Hungria. “He is always mindful of the future, and a real advocate for personal and professional development. It’s this authentic leadership style and enviable sense of team which genuinely motivate those around him to engage and excel. These traits have earned him the deep respect of his team and the admiration of his peers.”