Sara Blondin, BDI, named 2026 Wendy B. McDonald Woman of the Year
The PTDA Foundation announced Sara Blondin, director of marketing at BDI, as the recipient of the 2026 Wendy B. McDonald Woman of the Year Award.
She was recognized during the PTDA 2026 Industry Summit, held Oct. 28–30 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Wendy B. McDonald Woman of the Year Award recognizes a woman who has made significant contributions to her company's success while driving meaningful impact across the power transmission and motion control (PT/MC) industry throughout her career.
Blondin began her career with BDI more than 20 years ago. What started as a part-time receptionist position introduced her to the PT/MC industry and launched a career distinguished by creativity, leadership and a commitment to building strong relationships.
In 2025, Blondin led the development and implementation of an expanded digital marketing strategy, including the addition of a digital marketing software engineer. These efforts contributed to increased website and social media activity and e-commerce growth. Blondin also spearheaded an upgrade to BDI's internal Microsoft SharePoint platform, streamlining access to information, improving the sharing of sales strategies and strengthening collaboration across the organization.
Bill Shepard, vice president, BDI, who nominated Blondin for the award, praised her leadership and creativity. "This last year, Sara continued to develop as a leader and demonstrated tremendous creativity in her role as director of marketing. Her efforts are greatly appreciated across all of BDI."
"A flood of memories, foundations and lifelong friendships fill these last 20 years in the bearing and PT industry," said Blondin. "I do not take for granted the examples of leadership that I've been exposed to and have had the privilege to work alongside of over this time."
Learn more about Blondin and the Wendy B. McDonald Woman of the Year Award at ptdafoundation.org/McDonaldAward.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The September/October issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Rotator Products. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
