Bullard CEO Wells Bullard has been around the company her entire life. Her great-great-grandfather founded the company in 1898, making Wells the fifth generation of leadership.
"My parents raised me and my brother to neither be entitled to work at Bullard nor be expected to do so," she said. "When I was in college, I started to seriously think that I wanted to work at Bullard. I was so drawn to the important work we do of protecting people in hazardous environments."
Wells started her journey at Bullard by working on the manufacturing floor, supervising the company's Head Protection Team.
"I worked 10-hour shifts six days a week, walking almost eight miles on the floor each day, and I loved every single second," Wells said. "I knew then that Bullard was my calling. I joined full-time right after my graduation in 2008, and I worked in manufacturing, engineering, marketing, product development and then business development before I became CEO in November 2017."
Bullard's vision is to advance human safety to enable long, healthy, productive lives through innovative solutions. As CEO, Wells' goals are to lead Bullard to continue to protect and serve the brave men and women who depend on the company to keep them safe.
"My job is to build, develop and empower the Bullard team to continue to drive our vision around the world," Wells said. "Together, we will leverage our past successes to make even bigger strides in advancing human safety."
Reflecting on her own career path, Wells emphasized that it's very important to find something you truly love and are passionate about.
"That makes all the difference," she said. "To grow in an organization, I recommend learning the business and not just your role. People are the key to being successful as a leader. You have to listen, ask lots of questions and get comfortable with being uncomfortable. If you're doing something you're passionate about, you will find your path."
According to Wells, when she sets out to do something, she always starts with the end goal in mind.
"As Michael Porter said, 'Sound strategy starts with the right goal,'" she said. "To set the right goal, it is critical to get ideas from many sources; diversity and inclusion are key. The times when I've struggled to accomplish something, it almost always tied back to not having set out clear goals at the beginning and/or not getting all the necessary input to set the right goals."
Wells will help guide Bullard forward as a leading manufacturer of high-quality personal protective equipment and systems marketed worldwide. In fact, a main motto of hers about moving forward comes from Henry Ford, who said, "Don't find fault; find a remedy."
"In life, we need to move forward," Wells stated. "Dwelling on the past just slows us down; working together to solve the problem we're facing is what lifts us up and brings us together. I am a big proponent of reviewing lessons learned from experiences, but the energy we spend on this must be about learning what we can apply to the future and finding the remedy."
For more information, visit www.bullard.com or call (877) 285-5273
