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Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix) recently hosted its largest-ever Habitat for Humanity framing event, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to community support. Over 200 employees gathered at the company’s Avon, Ohio, headquarters on June 18 to construct the walls for two new homes for families in need. This initiative highlights Bendix’s core values and its dedication to investing time and talent in community-strengthening activities.
Key Highlights:
- Largest-ever framing event for Bendix, involving over 200 employees.
- Two new homes were framed in collaboration with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity and Help Build Hope.
- 140 wall frames were constructed, 70 for each house, and signed with messages of encouragement.
- This event marks the 18th and 19th homes framed by Bendix employees since 2008.
- Over 2,100 team members have contributed more than 8,200 volunteer hours since the program’s inception.
- Bendix’s 2025 contributions included $7,000 for lumber and fasteners, over $1,600 for OSB roof sheathing, and $3,000 for roofing materials.
- The event recognized the 20th anniversary of KB Global Care, the philanthropic arm of Bendix’s parent company, Knorr-Bremse.
The framing event, executed in partnership with Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity and Help Build Hope, saw employees construct 140 wall frames, approximately 70 per house. Each frame was signed with personal messages of encouragement before being delivered to a Cleveland-area neighborhood for completion. Maria Gutierrez, Bendix senior director of environmental, social, and governance (ESG), emphasized that these efforts are “firmly rooted in the culture of Bendix,” reflecting shared values like teamwork, leadership, passion, and responsibility.
Since its inception in 2008, Bendix employees have framed 18th and 19th homes in Avon and Elyria, Ohio. Over this period, more than 2,100 team members have volunteered over 8,200 hours, transforming nearly 10,600 pieces of wood into over 800 frames. After a pause from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the program resumed with two-house builds in 2023 and 2024. This year’s build was the most ambitious to date, nearly equivalent to framing three standard homes due to larger house footprints and increased demand in Greater Cleveland Habitat’s development plans.
Bendix’s substantial contributions for 2025 included financial support for materials: $7,000 for lumber and fasteners, over $1,600 for oriented strand board (OSB) roof sheathing, and $3,000 toward roofing materials. Additionally, CrossRoads Missions provided support for wall transportation and coordination. Erich Neugebauer, Bendix scrum master and co-leader of the 2025 build, highlighted the event’s success in bringing team members together for a cause “bigger than any one of us,” providing an opportunity to lead, collaborate, and make a direct impact on the lives of others.
Beyond the framing, the day featured sitewide engagement initiatives, including booths hosted by employee resource groups (ERGs) and a plastic bag recycling drive. The collected bags will be repurposed into woven mats for donation, a project led by Yazmin Dorpinghaus, Bendix Legacy Brake Control Product Engineer and co-leader of the event. This year’s build also honored the 20th anniversary of KB Global Care, Knorr-Bremse’s philanthropic arm, recognizing its entrepreneurial approach to creating sustainable solutions for social challenges.
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