The Driver's Seat Twitter Campaign - John H & John L

As mentioned, Westporters are taking turns in The Driver's Seat of our twitter account (@WestportDotCom). Learn more about our third contributors, John H and John L, who start in the Driver's Seat today. They are both based at the Westport LD technical centre in Detroit, MI, USA.

John H

Fuel: Coffee! Starbucks or the office espresso machine

John’s role leading marketing and business development for Westport LD involves collaboration with several Westport offices and navigating relationships for the company. Though fairly new to social media, John is pumped to be in the Driver’s Seat of the Westport Twitter account to get you excited about his current focus: the bi-fuel Westport WiNG power system featured in Ford F-250 and F-350 trucks launching this spring. He's just completed a road trip in the truck from Detroit to NYC using only natural gas.

John travels for work, and has always traveled. With over 30 years in the automotive industry, marketing globally, John clearly enjoys working in the sector. He is especially interested now in the transformation of the industry from purely petroleum-based to alternative fueled cars – not science projects, but vehicles available that actually work, right now!

“We have got the potential to change the world,” says John, who is currently based near Detroit, but has lived in Germany, Switzerland and Brazil. When not working to reach that potential, one vehicle at a time, John enjoys traveling for pleasure too. He has been to over sixty countries!

When at home, John keeps busy cooking, celebrating, golfing, hunting and working in his workshop.  Group dinners are frequently on his calendar with his wife and two grown sons, a huge extended family (he’s the eldest of seven) or friends. When asked if he could have dinner with anyone, alive or dead, real or fictional, John says the current U.S. President would always be on the list. “I am very opinionated and could give him lots of advice,” laughs John, “though I wouldn’t want the job myself!”

John L

Fuel: It seems John runs on air or water – no tea, no coffee...

John is Vice President of Westport LD, and Managing Director for  North American Vehicle Programs. Like John H, he is obviously much focused on the launch this spring of the Ford F-250 and F-350 bi-fuel trucks featuring the Westport WiNG power system. John is definitely a car guy. He reads many automotive blogs and news, and his favorite website is AutoTrader!

An engineer, John has worked with alternative fuels since 1980. He says, “In many ways it has defined my life’s work, and natural gas is my favorite by far. I have my dream job with people who share the passion.” John is social too; he enjoys working with people in the myriad of professional relationships.

When he is not at work or traveling for work, John says he would be in New York City, on the Jersey shore, or on a beach somewhere, but certainly with his family. When asked his guilty pleasure, he says shopping, but that is family time too – the father of 4 daughters he has had a lot of practice. He especially enjoys the time he spends with the 2 youngest who are still at home with him.

Another family member he wishes he could spend time with is his great grandfather. Having a nice filet mignon steak dinner with him would surely make John’s day. “I can read about other people,” he replies when asked who he would have dinner with, anyone alive or dead, real or fictional, “but I have no other way of connecting to my past and I have so many questions to ask him.”