Grote Industries, manufacturer and supplier of truck lighting products and safety systems, has promoted two of its employees to leadership positions and hired a new employee as VP of operations, North America, according to a company press release.
Kent Bode has been promoted to VP of sales and marketing for the U.S. sales team, while Cesar Perez-Bolivar transitions to take over leadership responsibilities of Grote Electronics, and Mel Mendoza has been hired as the new VP of operations, North America.
“Facing challenges head-on with strong leadership has been instrumental to Grote’s legacy over the past 120 years,” said John Grote, COO of Grote Industries. “These three leaders all embody that, two of them with more than 30 years of industry experience, and each with the ability to rise to the occasion and meet our customers’ ever-changing needs.”
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Bode started at Grote in 1997, serving in various engineering capacities as a product manager, regional manager and director of OEM sales. Bode’s leadership was instrumental in Grote Industries winning several business awards, according to the company. He has had lifelong exposure to the lighting and electrical industries, growing up in his family’s electrical contracting business. Bode will lead the U.S. sales team, the marketing team, and the business development team in his new role.
Perez-Bolivar has been with Grote for nearly a decade, working on research, engineering, and development, while focusing on Grote’s focus on safety, productivity, security, and cost savings. He’s long been an expert in material selection, design of experiments and testing, most recently serving as the director of engineering, leading Grote’s headlamp engineering and manufacturing division in Madison, Indiana.
Mendoza is new to the Grote team, bringing more than 35 years of experience as a global business leader working for a diverse group of manufacturing companies. His track record of leading and building teams at Plymouth Tube Company, Acuity Brands Lighting, Emerson Electric, Danaher Controls, and Zenith Electronics, led to him being hired for his expertise to lead the manufacturing and supply chain for all of Grote’s North American facilities in Madison, Waterloo, and Monterrey, the company stated.
