Proterra Inc. announced Aug. 16 that it has more than doubled in size in the past nine months, adding a second production line and shift and increasing its number of employees by more than 50 percent. The company attributes this rapid growth to strong interest in lower total cost of ownership clean energy transit options.
The electric bus manufacturer has also made significant infrastructure investments in the past year to prepare for planned future growth and to expand beyond its current U.S. transit agency customer base and commercial operators.
Another area of strategic investment is the addition of top national talent to the Proterra leadership team. In the past 15 months, Proterra has hired executives from transit agencies, such as the Chicago Transit Authority and Star Metro, as well as from major industrial and transportation sector players, such as Honeywell, Navistar, Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft.
“As the manufacturer of the only Altoona-tested and road-proven EV bus on the market, Proterra is very well-positioned to capitalize on growing market demand for fuel-efficient and cost-saving transportation solutions,” said Christina Rever, director of human resources at Proterra. “While we are proud that our growth is based on a track record of solid performance, we are even more pleased that our American-made buses are contributing to U.S. energy independence and economic growth.”
The company’s most recent hires include Vice President of Marketing Heidi McNary, General Counsel Eric McCarthy and Vice President of Operations Jim Gibbs.
As VP of marketing, McNary provides nearly 20 years of experience in a variety of technology, marketing, managerial and executive roles. Prior to joining Proterra, McNary spent several years as the VP of product development and engineering and as chief technical officer for Hawker Beechcraft. In thirteen years with Honeywell Aerospace, she held marketing and strategy roles in the U.S. and Singapore before becoming executive VP of sales and marketing and COO for DeCrane Aerospace in Arizona. McNary holds a Bachelor of Science degree in materials science and engineering from the University of Arizona and an MBA for Arizona State University.
McCarthy brings 17-plus years of litigation, general counsel and executive leadership experience to Proterra. He served most recently as EVP and general counsel for Seneca One Finance Inc. Previously, McCarthy was the general counsel for Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. Prior to joining Honeywell’s Aerospace business unit, he was an antitrust trial litigator, and was a partner in the Antitrust & Competition practice groups of Latham & Watkins LLP and Howrey. McCarthy is a recent recipient of the prestigious First Chair 2013 Top General Counsel Award and holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
In his role as VP of operations, Gibbs will draw upon his previous roles in supply chain, logistics, and manufacturing management. Before joining Proterra, Gibbs was most recently vice president of supply chain for Tomkins Industrial & Automotive in Colorado. He also served as vice president, integrated supply chain for multiple divisions of Honeywell Aerospace in Arizona, Florida and Kansas. Before joining Honeywell, Gibbs served as plant manager for Eaton Navy Controls Division in Wisconsin, and has held other engineering, operations and manufacturing positions. Gibbs holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan Technological University, an MBA from Northwestern University and certifications as both a lean manufacturing expert and as a Six Sigma black belt.
