The Lion Electric Co. (Lion), an innovative company manufacturing all-electric vehicles, appointed Nate Baguio and Tony Watkins as Vice President of Sales USA (VP Sales), effective immediately.
Nate BaguioNate will be instrumental to the expansion of the Lion Electric Co. across the U.S. and help Lion reach its goal, to ensure that Lion is the leader in the all-electric bus and heavy vehicle space,” said Peter Rego, chief commercial officer of The Lion Electric Co. USA. “There are few transportation executives in North America that have experience in nearly every phase of student transportation services as Nate Baguio. We are excited to not only bring his thought leadership, but also his proven ability to grow companies like the Lion Electric Co., to provide all-electric healthy solutions to our society and children. Nate will be key in our journey to electrify the USA.”
Baguio drove multi-million dollar revenue growth as top performer and team leader, by identifying and pursuing markets for favorable growth for the largest provider of student transportation services (yellow school buses) in North American, with annual revenues of approximately $2.5 billion. He coordinated multi-functional departments, including finance, marketing, real estate, procurement, and sold over $200 million in total contract value across 20 major school systems over the years.
“Tony is a sales leader who excels at building world-class organizations and achieving superior results,” said Rego. “I am confident that Tony’s meticulous leadership style that has proven to be extremely successful in his 16-year career at a Fortune 500, multi-billion-dollar company, will accelerate our ability to build large teams and expand our product offering in the United States rapidly. His past track-record of success is a perfect match for the Lion Electric Co. US.
Tony Watkins
Watkins is a sales executive with over 16 years of sales and operational leadership. He led teams of more than 80 members in the past and covered as many as 12 states many times across the Midwest and Northeast Regions. He exceeds at hiring, training, and instilling a winning attitude and culture.
Nate Baguio mentioned that “joining the Lion Electric Co. is the most exciting opportunity I have faced in my 28 years in the transportation industry. I have the chance to change the traditional business of transportation culture through innovation, and by providing green technologies that make sense economically, are sustainable and will benefit our future generations.”
Tony Watkins mentioned that “I joined the Lion Electric Co. because I share the same environmental and forward-thinking values as the company. I envision my son going to school on an electric school bus when he starts school in a few years. I will strive for excellence in everything we do and to electrify the USA, so that all children can grow in a healthy, pollution-free world.”
About the Lion Electric Co.
Lion Electric Co. is an innovative manufacturer of zero emission vehicles. Since its foundation in 2008, Lion’s mission has been to develop durable, integrated solutions while reducing its environmental footprint. Always actively seeking new technologies, Lion vehicles have unique features that are specifically adapted to its users and their everyday needs. The company believes that transitioning to all-electric vehicles will lead to major improvements in our community, environment and overall quality of life.
Lion has already sold hundreds of electric Type C school buses in North America and is also developing an electric Type A (minibus) to meet customer needs in paratransit, school and public transportation requirements. The minibus will go-to-market during summer 2018. Furthermore, Lion is broadening its vehicle offering by developing class 5-8 all-electric trucks. Class 8 vehicles will launch during Fall 2018.
