Mexico. Grote continues to refocus on creating and leading safety-related innovation by adding three experienced members to its leadership team.
Kent Bode has been promoted to vice president of sales and marketing for the U.S. sales team, while César Pérez-Bolívar transitions to assume leadership responsibilities for Grote Electronics, and Mel Mendoza has been hired as the new vice president of North American operations.
"Meeting the challenges with strong leadership has been critical to Grote's legacy over the past 120 years," said Grote Industries Chief Operating Officer John Grote.
"These three leaders embody that; two of them with over 30 years of experience in the industry, and each with the ability to rise to the occasion and meet the ever-changing needs of our customers," added Grote.
Bode started at Grote in 1997, serving in various engineering capacities such as product manager, regional manager and OEM sales director.
Bode's leadership was instrumental in Grote Industries winning several prestigious business awards. He has been exposed throughout his life to the lighting and electrical industries, and grew up in his family's electrical contracting business.
Bode will lead the U.S. sales team, marketing team and business development team in his new role.
Perez-Bolivar has been with Grote for nearly a decade, working in research, engineering and development, hand in hand with Grote's focus on safety, productivity, protection and cost savings.
He has long been an expert in material selection, design experiments and testing, most recently serving as Director of Engineering, leading Grote's headlight engineering and manufacturing division in Madison, Indiana.
Mendoza is new to the Grote team and brings more than 35 years of experience as a global business leader working for a diverse group of manufacturing companies.
His track record of leadership and team building at Plymouth Tube Company, Acuity Brands Lighting, Emerson Electric, Danaher Controls and Zenith Electronics positions him as an expert to lead the manufacturing and supply chain for all of Grote's North American facilities in Madison, Waterloo and Monterey.
"Grote has always been known for our innovation, ethical business practices and a strong commitment to providing quality products and services," Grote said.
"As we expand the company's vision to make the world safer and smarter through connected visibility, I believe the extensive experiences and successful leadership styles of our new management team put us in a position to focus on the future."
