SCOUTS GO FARTHER - Wendy Bashnan
Welcome to our Scout Motors employee spotlight featuring Director of Security and Fire Protection, Wendy Bashnan
Where do you call home?
The Lowcountry of South Carolina is my home and where I was raised although because I went to school in Columbia, SC, it has always been a second home to me.
What motivates you at work?
I have a desire to serve so public service was a natural fit for me. Whether my time in the Diplomatic Security Service (DS) or with Scout, both offered opportunities to serve my country and use my passion for security, safety, executive protection, and major event planning and coordination.
How did you get into your current field?
I have always been drawn to the law. I started in state law enforcement in SC and then federal law enforcement with DS.
What does a typical day at Scout look like for you?
There are no typical days in Scout. We are very much still a start-up company. That requires us to fly the airplane while we build it. Like most Scouts, I spend my days in meetings learning what are the future goals of each business unit so that I can best help them achieve those goals in a secure manner. I want to empower Scouts to understand their environment, the threats within their environments, the risks they have to manage, and to reach their potential to confidently secure and protect the company, themselves, and their families.
What was exciting to you about joining Scout?
Starting with a ‘greenfield’ excites me. I’ve never had a ‘job’ in my adult life. I have a career and a calling. I love what I do. The challenges, threats, risks, and opportunities excite me every day. I know that what we do matters, and it saves lives, and it saves the business money. What motivates me is to continue to improve on how we sell that to business leaders who may think of us as strictly a cost center to their profit margins. I believe that if I create a business understanding that security is better than an insurance policy, because we can prevent the tragedy, then we reached the holy grail.
What skills do you use on an everyday basis?
Communication, empathy, listening, teamwork. Notice how all of these are the traditional ‘soft’ skills. I would say there is nothing soft about them. They are critical to business success.
What has been one highlight of your journey here so far?
Breaking ground on the new production plant in Blythewood is a highlight thus far. I know there are so many more to come.
What is one thing about you most folks don’t know?
Not much – I’m an open book. Maybe that I am really an extrovert with introvert tendencies.
What is your favorite hobby?
Playing golf and watching sports (most all of them)
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go and why?
Antartica. I’ve lived in eight countries (on 5 continents) and visited over 100 countries, so I love to travel. There are so many more places I want to go and see.
If you could go back and tell your 13-year-old self anything, what would it be?
Buy Apple stock in 2000. Just kidding. I would tell myself to trust my instincts and merge my love for sports with the law.
What do you like most about your legacy Scout 80? Why did you choose the model you purchased?
I wanted to be part of the heritage history of the trucks partly because I have memories of one summer as a young child spending the summer at Edisto Beach with my grandparents and riding on the beach in a Scout 80 that my Grandfather purchased for the summer. I have no idea what happened to that truck but I remember vividly that Roadrunner was painted on the hood.
Where do you hope to be in five years?
Preparing to build the second Scout plant in North America and launching Scouts overseas. We have to dream, right.
