Grote continues added 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; Cesar Perez-Bolivar transitions to take over leadership responsibilities of Grote Electronics; and Mel Mendoza has been hired as the new Vice President of Operations, North America.

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 prestigious business awards. 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, positions him as an expert to lead the manufacturing and supply chain for all of Grote’s North American facilities in Madison, Waterloo and Monterrey.