June 9, 2015 (Indianapolis) – Nowadays, it is rare to find an individual who has devoted 60 years of service to one company, and done so with as much passion, kindness and honesty as Bill Bastian Sr., previous owner and president of Bastian Solutions. To this day, Mr. Bastian continues to mentor new employees and provide outstanding customer service to clients, several of which he has serviced for more than three decades.
“My dad has provided a tremendous foundation for this business to grow upon, and with a little luck and the good fortune of our employees, we’ve been able to do that,” explained Bill Bastian II, CEO of Bastian Solutions. “But I think it’s been his sense of integrity, honesty and fairness that has become the gold standard. It’s part of our culture as a company, for our employees, and how we treat our customers.”
In 1955, a 24-year-old Bill Bastian joined the E.C. Stark Company, then owned by his father-in-law. After several years of hard work, Mr. Bastian purchased the business from his father-in-law in 1962, and renamed it the Bastian Stark Company. Since the early days, Bill Bastian Sr. has witnessed the company’s continued growth from a conventional equipment distributor to a global material handling systems integrator. Through the growth, Mr. Bastian remains a loyal employee and still manages two of Bastian Solutions’ biggest accounts.
On June 3, Bastian Solutions welcomed Mayor James Brainard from Carmel, Ind., during a celebration for Bill Bastian Sr. at the company’s headquarters. In honor of Mr. Bastian’s 60th anniversary and dedication to the community, Mayor Brainard proclaimed June 3 as Bill Bastian Sr. day in the city of Carmel.
During his visit, Mayor Brainard commented, “In 1989, Bill Sr. had the vision to move his growing company north to Carmel, and at that time, the company had 22 employees, and just has Carmel as continued to grow, so has Bastian Solutions. Today, 180 employees [locally] contribute tremendously to the economy here, and we’re proud to have you as an integral member of our community and very appreciative of Bill’s vision and 60 years of service.”
Following the ceremony, Bill Bastian Sr. shared, “The one thing that has made this company grow for all these years is the people. We have outstanding employees, and a strong leadership team that has led to our success.”
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For media information, please contact Stefanie Hardy, Assistant Marketing Manager, at 317-575-9992 ext. 1079 or by email at shardy@bastiansolutions.com.