Winners of the 2025 SkillsUSA competition for heavy equipment operations include three secondary and three post-secondary students, taking home gold, silver, and bronze. Winners were from Pennsylvania, New York, Idaho, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
High school medalists were Collin Goshert, gold; Tyler O’Connor, silver; and Blayd Gerbitz, bronze. Post-secondary winners were Bryson Hatch, gold; Chase Allen Ostdiek, silver; and Nathaniel Cowan, bronze.
This is the fifth year the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC) included the Heavy Equipment Operator competition. NLSC is organized by SkillsUSA and is the largest gathering of America’s future skilled workforce, showcasing excellence in career and technical education. This year’s event was held in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Twenty-four competitors representing 18 states gathered for the Operator event, which included 22 judged competitions across two days, including:
- Compact excavator skills
- Excavator trenching
- Backfilling
- Wheel loader loading
- Articulated hauler operation
- Pre-start inspection
- Skid steer/CTL challenges
- Compaction
Equipment industry support for SkillsUSA
Eleven equipment manufacturers, distributors, and associations sponsored the event: Komatsu, Caterpillar, John Deere, Volvo Construction Equipment, JCB, Bobcat of Atlanta, Martin Equipment (a Deere dealership), Yancey Bros. Cat (a Caterpillar dealer), Ascendum (a Volvo dealer), Georgia 811, and Ohio 811.
In addition to the equipment used in the events, sponsors provided trainers and product managers who planned the competition, set up the course, and judged student participants. In-the-dirt competitions were hosted by Komatsu at its customer center in Cartersville, Georgia. Other hands-on competitions were held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
About the Author
Rod Sutton
Sutton served as the editorial lead of Construction Equipment from 2001 through 2025.