Page 32 • June 15, 2022 • www.constructionequipmentguide.com • CONSTRUCTION EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Gregory Poole Equipment Company Hosts Operator Challenge
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In the “Mini Master” segment of the operator challenge, the contestant navigates the course and moves tires using a grapple mounted on a Cat 304 excavator.
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Gregory Poole Equipment Company and the other Caterpillar dealers in the country are on a quest to find the best — the best equipment operator in the world.
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A contestant was navigating the “Stay on Track” segment in a Cat D3 dozer.
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regory Poole Equipment Company and the other Caterpillar dealers in the country are on a quest to find the best — the best equipment operator in the
world. The local winner, Ben Sandy with Sandy’s Hauling & Backhoe Service Inc. in Roseboro, N.C., showed off his agility, speed and accuracy in a series of skills-based tests. With a time of 9:32, Sandy will move on to the regional finals and from there to the Global Operator Challenge finals at ConExpo-Con/AGG 2023 in Las Vegas, where Caterpillar will crown one operator world champion. Sandy also won in 2019, when he participated Gregory Poole’s first ever Global Operator Challenge. CEG CEG photo
In “the Big Dig” the contestant had to dig a 25-ft.-long ditch while maintaining a 4-ft. depth within a tolerance of 2/10ths of an inch. The Cat 323 excavator was equipped with Cat Grade Control that helps operators reach grade faster.
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(L-R) are Phillip Walton, Mike Dawson and Leonard Lupton, all of Balfour Beatty, and Brad Rinderer of Gregory Poole.
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Big winner Ben Sandy will move on to the regional finals and from there to the Global Operator Challenge finals at ConExpo-Con/AGG 2023.
Brian Metcalf (L) of Gregory Poole and James Collopy of Providence Construction in Clayton, N.C.
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This portion of the “Stay on Track” segment required the use of a Cat 259D3 compact track loader.
Contestant Trish Harrell of Martin Marietta’s Fountain Quarry in Farmville, N.C., and Bryant Balentine of Gregory Poole.
