Bendix Philanthropic Efforts Strong in 2021

Source: Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems announcement

AVON, Ohio – As the world faced its second year in the COVID-19 pandemic during 2021, Bendix remained committed to its tradition of providing financial support to community organizations through grants, donations, and sponsorships. At the same time, team members’ volunteering efforts grew strongly throughout the year, as they logged more than twice as many service hours from the year before.

Bendix’s corporate and employee donations for the year totaled more than $830,000, including $426,500 in grants awarded on behalf of the corporate foundation Knorr-Bremse Global Care North America, Inc. (KBGCNA).

The philanthropic organization is the North American arm of Knorr-Bremse Global Care, a global nonprofit entity operated by Knorr-Bremse, the parent company of Bendix. Headquartered in Munich, Germany, Knorr-Bremse is the world’s preeminent manufacturer of braking systems for rail and commercial vehicles.

KBGCNA centers its investments in the surrounding communities of Knorr-Bremse’s three largest North American companies: Avon, Ohio-based Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC; Westminster, Maryland-based Knorr Brake Company; and Watertown, New York-based New York Air Brake LLC.

In addition to KBGCNA grants, another $408,000 in 2021 funding came from Bendix and Bendix employees to support numerous nonprofit organizations and community initiatives across North America in the form of grants, donations, and sponsorships.

“Hosting, planning, and managing community support activities during 2021 was still very challenging, but we learned a lot from our past experiences,” said Maria Gutierrez, Bendix director of corporate responsibility and sustainability. “With those insights, we were able to regroup and adapt our programs to offer flexible opportunities for our employees to become engaged in our communities. Our programming centered around offering both in-person and virtual events, allowing employees to participate from the safety of their homes or to adjust their efforts based on their comfort level.”

Gutierrez continued, “We quickly adapted to this new normal and saw that we could continue to impact and support our communities just as much from our work-at-home environment as when we were in the office. Technology and online giving platforms allowed us to offer a wider variety of opportunities, and this translated into a two-fold increase in the reported employee volunteer hours from 2020.”

Of the $408,000 in Bendix contributions, approximately $47,000 was generated through employee donations and fundraising campaigns, while close to $126,000 represented Bendix grants from the company’s Get Involved! program. The remaining $235,000 in contributions took the form of corporate grants and sponsorships to local nonprofits.

To view the entire announcement, click HERE.