Manufacturing 2024: HOWARD BROADFOOT

Broadfoot has been with Electro-Mechanical since 2009. He was promoted from chief operating officer to CEO when founder Russell Leonard retired in 2021.

Operating in Bristol, Virginia, for 65 years, Electro-Mechanical’s divisions include Line Power, Federal Pacific, Mafesa and Mirus International. With five manufacturing facilities, including a repair and service division, the company has almost 1 million square feet of manufacturing facilities in Bristol, Canada and Mexico.

In March 2023, the company announced it was expanding its presence in Bristol and in Mexico. The expansion will provide its Federal Pacific division with added manufacturing space for improved production capabilities in Bristol.

The company also plans to relocate its Mexico-based manufacturing arm, Mafesa, to a new, larger site: a 106,000-square-foot facility for manufacturing, and distribution space for low- and medium-voltage transformers.

Prior to joining Electro-Mechanical, Broadfoot was an executive at Thomas & Betts and Newell Rubbermaid and worked for Boeing and German car parts manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen AG. He has a bachelor’s degree in industrial management and an MBA from the University of North Alabama.