In transit seating, strategy doesn’t win contracts—execution does. At STER Seating, every department understands one fundamental truth: we succeed or fail as a team.
The transit industry is littered with companies that had great products and compelling value propositions, yet struggled because they couldn’t execute consistently when customers needed them most.
“Brands live or die on how they execute,” says Ray Melleady, President of STER Seating. “You can have the best-engineered seat in the market, but if you can’t deliver it on time, if customer service doesn’t respond when there’s an issue, or if quality escapes because production was rushing—none of the other stuff matters. Execution is everything.”
At STER Seating, this philosophy isn’t just executive rhetoric. It’s embedded in how every department operates and, more importantly, how they operate together.
The Field: Where Relationships Become Promises
Execution begins with Bus Stuf, STER Seating’s field representation partner, building relationships with transit authorities across North America.
“Bus Stuf brings decades of relationships with maintenance managers and procurement directors who trust them,” explains Melleady. “When they represent our capabilities, the entire organization must deliver on those promises. One missed delivery doesn’t just affect that customer—it affects every future opportunity they’re developing.”
This field-level trust creates accountability that flows through the entire organization.
Customer Service: The Bridge Between Promise and Performance
When opportunities convert to orders, customer service becomes the central nervous system connecting field commitments to operational execution.
Amy Grochowski, Director of Customer Service, sees her team as relationship protectors. “When a customer calls about lead time or delivery, we’re protecting relationships that took years to build,” she explains. “If engineering designed something that sourcing can’t procure in the required timeframe, or if production capacity is constrained, we need to know immediately so we can manage expectations honestly. Transparency internally drives reliability externally.”
The Execution Engine: Sourcing, Engineering, and Operations
Interdependence becomes critical when sourcing, engineering, and operations must synchronize to turn orders into delivered products.
Cassandra Young, Director of Sourcing, operates at the intersection of supplier relationships and production schedules. “I need components that engineering has validated, that operations can work with efficiently, and that arrive when production needs them. If any variable is wrong, the whole system breaks down.”
David Kiernan, VP of Engineering, echoes this integration mindset. “We don’t design in isolation. Every design decision affects sourcing complexity, production efficiency, and field serviceability. The balance requires constant dialogue across departments.”
Jim Inman, VP of Operations, sees production as the ultimate accountability test. “This is where all the promises made by sales, all the designs created by engineering, and all the materials sourced by purchasing converge. If we can’t build it right, on time, and within cost, everything upstream was wasted effort.”
His team operates with clear quality standards and direct communication channels to engineering and sourcing when issues arise. “We don’t hide problems. If there’s a design issue or a material problem, we surface it immediately so the team can solve it together.”
Shipping: The Last Mile of Trust
The shipping team determines whether months of work results in satisfied customers or damaged relationships.
“You can execute perfectly for 95% of the process, but if shipping makes a mistake—wrong product, damaged freight, late delivery—that’s what the customer remembers,” says Melleady. “Our shipping team understands they’re delivering on commitments that multiple departments worked together to fulfill.”
The Culture of Collective Accountability
What differentiates STER Seating isn’t that each department executes well individually—it’s that they understand they can only succeed collectively.
“We either win as a team or we fail as a team,” Melleady emphasizes. “When shipping has a problem, it’s not shipping’s problem—it’s our problem. When sourcing faces a supplier issue, engineering and operations help solve it. This interdependence creates natural accountability.”
Bus Stuf in the field holds the organization accountable to customer promises. Customer service holds internal departments accountable to commitments. Engineering, sourcing, and operations hold each other accountable to feasibility. Shipping holds everyone accountable to final delivery.
“That’s our culture,” concludes Melleady. “Not independent excellence, but interdependent execution. Because in this industry, brands don’t live or die on strategy—they live or die on whether they can execute when it matters most. And execution only happens when everyone understands we’re in this together.”