Click Bond's Culture Bet: Why a New Hire Signals Its Next Big Move

CARSON CITY, NV – September 15, 2026 – In a year marked by strategic acquisitions, ambitious product launches, and a landmark board expansion, aerospace manufacturer Click Bond, Inc. just made what might be its most critical move yet. It wasn’t a new factory or a groundbreaking patent, but a person: Melody Lewis, who joins the family-owned company as its first Vice President of People and Culture.

For a company that built its reputation on the hard science of adhesive-bonded fasteners, this heavy investment in the “soft” science of human capital is a telling indicator of a broader shift in advanced manufacturing. As Click Bond navigates a period of explosive growth, its leadership is making a clear bet that the key to scaling innovation, maintaining quality, and dominating the market lies not just in its technology, but in its team. The appointment signals that for the future of business, culture isn't a perk; it's a core operational strategy.

A Strategic Hire Amidst Aggressive Growth

To understand the significance of Lewis’s arrival, one must first grasp the sheer velocity of Click Bond’s current trajectory. The Carson City-based firm is not merely growing; it's strategically reshaping its capabilities and market position. Earlier this year, the company debuted its “Stronger Together” system at the Farnborough International Airshow, a sophisticated integration of fasteners, automated bonding, and XR-guided technology designed to meet the aerospace industry's surging demand for high-quality, high-speed manufacturing.

This innovation was bolstered by the January acquisition of Brighton Science, a leader in Surface Intelligence, a move that vertically integrates critical adhesion-measurement technology into Click Bond’s portfolio. The company is also expanding its global footprint, recently extending its partnership with Viba Aerospace & Defense into France and naming STROCO Manufacturing as the first launch partner for its new Automated Bonding Technology (ABT).

This external expansion is mirrored by internal fortification. In the past year, Click Bond has appointed a new VP of Finance, a new COO for its parent company, and, for the first time in its 38-year history, expanded its Board of Directors to include external members. As President Brandon Perlich noted upon Lewis’s hiring, her “proactive leadership style and deep expertise” are essential to “strengthen our culture, support our people, and help position Click Bond for long-term success.” In short, as the company’s machinery gets bigger, faster, and more complex, it recognizes the absolute necessity of upgrading its human operating system to match.

The 'People and Culture' Pivot in a High-Stakes Industry

Lewis’s title itself—VP of People and Culture—is indicative of a crucial evolution from traditional Human Resources. In the high-stakes aerospace and defense (A&D) sector, the challenges are acute. The industry faces a looming talent crisis, with a projected gap of 3.5 million manufacturing workers by 2026, exacerbated by a wave of retirements from an aging workforce. According to industry reports, A&D employers consistently struggle with skills gaps, and employee turnover is compounding a critical talent shortage.

In this environment, simply posting jobs is a losing strategy. Leading companies are shifting to a holistic “People and Culture” model that integrates talent acquisition with retention, upskilling, and creating an environment where highly skilled individuals choose to stay and grow. This is precisely the philosophy Lewis brings, stating, “I believe that culture and results go hand in hand.” Her focus is on creating an environment where employees “feel valued, connected, and empowered to do their best work.”

This people-first approach is no longer optional in A&D. With nearly half of the industry's workforce having been with their company for less than five years, and a critical need for structured knowledge transfer from retiring experts, a strong culture becomes the glue that holds a company together. It ensures that as new technologies like automation and AI are integrated, the human workforce is being developed, not displaced, fostering the digital literacy and continuous learning required to stay competitive.

A Leader Forged in Transformation

Click Bond hasn’t just embraced the idea of a culture-driven strategy; it has hired a leader with a proven track record of executing it. Melody Lewis’s resume reads like a playbook for modern workforce development. Most recently, as Chief People Officer at VSE, she was a key member of the executive team during a period of profound transformation and growth. While she was in that leadership role, VSE completed its transition into a pure-play aviation aftermarket powerhouse, surpassing $1 billion in aviation revenue for the first time and reporting a 41% year-over-year revenue increase in 2025. Her mandate was to align talent strategy with these aggressive business objectives, a task that involved spearheading HR transformation and building a robust talent acquisition engine.

Her experience prior to VSE, with leadership roles at tech and finance firms like nZero, Clear Capital, and TriNet, gives her a broad perspective that transcends traditional manufacturing. This diverse background, combined with master's degrees in both organizational leadership and business administration, equips her with a unique toolkit to tackle the specific challenges at Click Bond.

Bridging the Gap Between Vision and Reality

Lewis arrives at a company with a strong foundation and a clear vision. As a family-owned business, Click Bond promotes a “close-knit community” culture and offers an attractive benefits package, including a 4-day workweek, profit sharing, and tuition reimbursement. It actively engages in community outreach and runs programs to inspire the next generation of manufacturing talent.

However, the challenge for any rapidly growing company is ensuring its cultural vision translates into the day-to-day reality for every employee. External employee reviews, while mixed, suggest opportunities to enhance management communication, strengthen the sense of belonging across all departments, and ensure pay remains competitive in a tight labor market. These are precisely the areas where an experienced People and Culture leader can make a transformative impact.

Lewis’s task will be to harness the company's existing strengths and build the systems and communication channels needed to create a truly cohesive and empowered workforce. It is about more than just benefits and perks; it is about ensuring that as Click Bond reaches for new heights in aerospace technology, its people feel like they are the engine of that success. Her ability to align the company's stated values with the lived experience of its employees will be the ultimate test of this strategic investment in culture.