New Flyer’s Lindy Norris and Ben Wood named to Mass Transit’s Top 40 Under 40 list; leading the future of mobility

Lindy Norris, Director, Marketing and Public Affairs and Ben Wood, Plant Manager of New Flyer’s world-class Anniston, Alabama facility, were recognized for outstanding innovation, demonstrated leadership, and a commitment to making an impact in transit. They join prior New Flyer inductees Stephanie Laubenstein, Ian Macpherson, Paul Cantin, and Brydon Owen.

“New Flyer is proud to now have six leaders recognized on this prestigious list. Ben and Lindy exemplify our team’s passion to drive innovation in and advancement of North American public transit,” said Chris Stoddart, President, New Flyer. “With each steering critical elements of New Flyer’s business, Ben and Lindy are making a difference – driving innovation, celebrating diversity and creating a culture of collaboration within our business, the transportation industry, and across their communities.”

Joining New Flyer in 2017 as Director, Marketing Communications, Lindy led media relations and marketing for New Flyer, transforming its brand through the 2017 American Public Transportation Association’s (“APTA”) EXPO conference, followed by the launch of New Flyer’s Vehicle Innovation Center (“VIC”), the first and only innovation lab of its kind in North America. The VIC was subsequently awarded two of the industry’s most respected recognitions in one year – the 2019 APTA AdWheel Grand Award for Best Marketing and Educational Effort, and the 2019 Canadian Urban Transit Association’s (CUTA) Corporate Leadership Award for the VIC as an educational hub for zero-emission bus technology.

Advancing to Director, Marketing and Public Affairs, Lindy now advocates for technology advancement, workforce development, and investment in sustainable infrastructure for the transportation industry in addition to leading New Flyer’s North American brand strategy. She currently serves on several APTA committees including the Business Member Board of Governors, the CUTA Workforce Development and Public Affairs committees, the Canadian Urban Transit and Research Innovation Consortium’s (“CUTRIC”) Public Affairs Committee, and the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials’ (“COMTO”) first international chapter committee, COMTO Toronto and Region.

Lindy passionately champions initiatives that support diversity and inclusion in our communities. Most notably, she founded Athena Leadership in 2011, a member-based nonprofit organization providing mentorship and leadership development to ambitious young women. Since founding, Athena Leadership has hosted over 100 developmental events; welcomed over 50 mentors; developed a scholarship fund to over $80,000, awarding it annually to high potential young women exhibiting financial need through its Leader of Tomorrow scholarship fund; launched Canada’s first millennial leadership development conference; and donated 13,000 pounds of gently used workwear to women re-entering the workforce from situations of poverty or domestic violence.

“It’s an honor to be named to Mass Transit’s Top 40 Under 40 and to join other esteemed leaders responsible for defining the new mobility era,” said Lindy Norris. “With our industry advancing more rapidly than ever before, the opportunity to solve novel challenges alongside social, environmental, and regulatory change is an absolute privilege.”

Ben is an exceptional manufacturing leader who has dedicated the past decade of his career to developing New Flyer’s people, processes, and partnerships. As Director of Materials, he improved inventory accuracy and process efficiencies, and as Director of Purchasing, he managed more than $1 billion in annual business with over 350 industry suppliers, and set a New Flyer record for the improvement of on-time supplier delivery.

Today, Ben leads over 700 people as Plant Manager of New Flyer’s Anniston, Alabama facility.

Pairing his operational expertise with steady and compassionate guidance, Ben has inspired the Anniston team to achieve the rank of New Flyer’s best performing manufacturing facility over the past year.  Together, Ben and the Anniston team have successfully launched advanced zero-emission bus manufacturing processes, enhanced product quality, reduced work-in-process by 85%, increased employee retention, and embedded 5S and Lean Manufacturing techniques throughout the plant.

Ben’s community-oriented and hands-on leadership style has had a remarkable impact on our organization. Since stepping into the Plant Manager role in 2019, Ben has invested in the Anniston team’s growth, fostering a culture that is inclusive, encourages ongoing learning, and promotes continuous improvement. He has championed teambuilding events such as Veteran’s Day celebrations and April’s “Light It Up Blue Day” to raise awareness for Autism, and he also remains steadfast in supporting community causes – encouraging the team to achieve 135% of its United Way workplace fundraising campaign goal in 2019.

“I am honored to be named to Mass Transit’s Top 40 Under 40 list,” said Ben Wood. “Together, our Anniston team works hard to build the industry’s best mobility solutions through innovating buses, technology, and infrastructure, promoting sustainability, and delivering the highest quality products to communities across North America. I am so proud to be part of changing our industry for the better.”

For more information on Mass Transit’s Top 40 Under 40, visit masstransitmag.com.

New Flyer has been leading innovation in mobility for 90 years, and today supports growing North American cities with sustainable buses, technology, and infrastructure. It also operates the Vehicle Innovation Center, the first and only innovation lab of its kind dedicated to advancing bus technology and providing essential workforce development through electric bus training. New Flyer is also developing automated bus technology to improve safety in public transit.

About NFI

With 9,000 team members operating from more than 50 facilities across ten countries, NFI is a leading independent global bus manufacturer providing a comprehensive suite of mass transportation solutions under brands: New Flyer^® (heavy-duty transit buses), Alexander Dennis Limited (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches), MCI^® (motor coaches), ARBOC^® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™. NFI buses and motor coaches incorporate the widest range of drive systems available including: clean diesel, natural gas, diesel-electric hybrid, and zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and fuel cell).  In total, NFI now supports over 105,000 buses and coaches currently in service around the world. NFI common shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol NFI. News and information are available at www.nfigroup.com, www.www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.arbocsv.com, www.alexander-dennis.com, and www.nfi.parts.

About New Flyer

New Flyer is North America’s heavy-duty transit bus leader and offers the most advanced product line under the Xcelsior^® and Xcelsior CHARGE™ brands. It also offers infrastructure development through New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions™, a service dedicated to providing safe, sustainable, and reliable charging and mobility solutions. New Flyer actively supports over 35,000 heavy-duty transit buses (New Flyer, NABI, and Orion) currently in service, of which 8,600 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,900 are zero-emission. Further information is available at www.www.newflyer.com.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Lindy Norris
P: 320.406.3386
[email protected]

For investor inquiries, please contact:
Stephen King
P: 204.224.6382
[email protected]