BCI's 2024 Distinguished Service Award honors three industry icons

Bob Flicker, Roger Winslow, and Hal Hawk stand as examples of selfless service

WASHINGTON, April 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Battery Council International (BCI) is pleased to announce the 2024 recipients of its Distinguished Service Award, recognizing exemplary service to the energy storage industry.

The BCI Distinguished Service Award is BCI's highest individual honor and recognizes those who have made a sustained, long-term, and meaningful contribution to the advancement of both the association and the battery industry. This year's honorees are:

• Roger Winslow, former CEO of Voltmaster
• Bob Flicker, former COO at East Penn Manufacturing
• Hal Hawk, current CEO of Crown Battery

"There are many amazing leaders who work in the energy storage industry, and Roger Winslow, Bob Flicker and Hal Hawk are definitely the cream of the crop," said BCI's President and Executive Director Roger Miksad. "What really sets them apart, however, is the extent to which these three executives worked tirelessly to uphold the future of the industry through the betterment of this trade association while also staying committed to the growing needs of their own individual firms. As BCI turns 100, it's the perfect time to honor them for selflessly working to build a world-class industry group that has withstood the test of time."

These three inspiring individuals will be formally honored as part of the association's 100^th anniversary celebrations at the 2024 BCI Convention + Power Mart Expo, April 21-24 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Roger Winslow, Voltmaster

Roger Winslow joined Voltmaster in 1957, and purchased the business in 1972. As his business grew, he invested in both his hometown of Corydon, Iowa, and other battery suppliers for more than five decades. 

Roger was a driving force behind the evolution of BCI as the world-wide trade association moved more aggressively into public policy, standard-setting and other pressing issues. In the mid-1960s, Roger led the formation of the modern BCI Group Size system, and was instrumental in the formation of a very active BCI Data Book Committee.

Roger served as president of BCI from 1986-1988, and was also president of the Independent Battery Manufacturers from 1973-1975. He served on the BCI Board for roughly three decades until 2006, and as a Board Member Emeritus until 2012. During his tenure, Roger also developed and regularly led an informal Board-member orientation meeting to make sure that non-battery Board members understood the difficult industry issues.

BCI's success depends on leaders who are willing to look beyond their individual businesses to the needs of the industry as a whole. Roger's many years of dedicated service stands as an example to us all.

Bob Flicker, East Penn Manufacturing

Bob joined East Penn as an Engineering Technician in 1972, where he served in various engineering leadership roles until becoming Executive Vice President of Engineering and Manufacturing in 1994. He then assumed the position of Chief Operating Officer in 2014 until his retirement from East Penn in 2022 after 50 years of service.

Bob was tasked by the BCI Board of Directors to chair the Data Book Committee and help standardize the many battery types that were starting to proliferate across the industry. At the time, a single battery type had up to five group size designations depending upon the manufacturer or the geography.

Fundamentally, vehicle manufacturers had to have faith in the person representing BCI's idea and the industry as a whole. Bob was the perfect person for that job, widely distributing Data Book Guidelines and giving each battery design due consideration.

Worldwide acceptance of the BCI group numbering system could not have happened without Bob Flicker and his decade-long chairmanship of the Data Book Committee. He was knowledgeable about the issues and had the respect of the technical committee members throughout the process – and in fact, Bob also served as Chairman of BCI's technical committee for over 10 years.

With five decades of experience and a selfless desire to serve the industry and solve some of our biggest challenges, Bob's impressive record of service has earned him respect and appreciation across the industry.

Hal Hawk, Crown Battery

Hal Hawk is the President of Crown Battery and has been a part of the organization's success for over 40 years. For much of his career, Hal has worked on behalf of the entire industry as a supporter and key partner of the Battery Council International.

Hal has been a fixture of the BCI Board of Directors since 1999 and currently is the longest-serving member on the Board. Hal also served as President of BCI from 2006-2008. Hal was a key leader for the entire industry during an important period of change, as the members of the Independent Battery Manufacturers Association (IBMA) were integrated into BCI to ensure that the industry association represented the full breadth of the industry's participants.

Additionally, Hal has served as BCI Convention Chair for more than two decades, is the Chair of the BCI Quarter Century Club, and is a devoted leader of the annual BCI Golf Tournament. He also continues to be active on numerous other BCI committees.

Hal's long-standing industry leadership and commitment to the goals and efforts of the association on behalf of all members has garnered him deep respect from across industry. His selfless efforts to advance the industry as a whole and to foster a spirit of community and collaboration within the association is worthy of deep respect and gratitude.

About the Distinguished Service Award

The BCI Distinguished Service Award is presented by the BCI Board of Directors to individuals who have made a sustained, long-term, and meaningful contribution to the advancement of the association and the industry. The BCI Distinguished Service Award is BCI's highest individual honor recognizing those who have made a sustained, long-term, and meaningful contribution to the advancement of both the association and the battery industry.

Past recipients of the award (previously called the BCI Honorary Lifetime Membership) include industry icons such as DeLight Breidegam Jr., Peter Aspinall, Norman R. Farsje, and Edward T. Foote. BCI first honored an individual in 1945 by recognizing the service of Louis B.F. Raycroft.

These inspiring individuals will be formally honored as part of the association's 100^th Anniversary celebrations at the 2024 BCI Convention + Power Mart Expo, April 21-24 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

About BCI

Battery Council International (BCI) is the leading trade association representing the global battery industry and is the premier authority on energy storage solutions. Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2024, BCI advocates and educates on behalf of battery manufacturers and recyclers, marketers and retailers, suppliers of raw materials and equipment, and battery distributors. With a unified voice, BCI conveys an industry-wide commitment to sustainability, safety and science. The organization continues to unite members within the industry to successfully communicate and protect through education, science and advocacy efforts the most successful circular economy on the planet. With 99% of used lead batteries collected and recycled in the U.S. and the typical new lead battery containing 80% or more of recycled materials, BCI supports the path toward similar sustainability goals for all other battery chemistries. For more information, visit www.batterycouncil.org.

SOURCE Battery Council International