John Deere announced the Building America contest this past March at Conexpo. I love contests, and I love excavators, so this one’s right up my alley. The concept: Tell Deere what your construction business does, explain how you’re helping build your community, and show what you could accomplish with a new excavator. So now, the submissions are closed. The responses have been submitted, and John Deere has narrowed the entries to three finalists. I am not one of them. I guess no moat around the house this year. These three are probably better anyways.

Meet the three Building America finalists

John Deere has narrowed the field to three pretty cool dudes:

• Caleb Lovette, Wolf Creek Land Co., Tennessee
• Nick Long, Chamberlain Backhoe Service, California
• Patrick Rector, Rector Excavating Inc., Kentucky

Now America can pick the winner. Vote right here. The winning contractor gets a new John Deere midsize excavator, which, I mean, is a pretty serious piece of equipment. Deere said it will announce the winner September 8. It also said this (from the press release):

“These finalists represent the dedication, craftsmanship and entrepreneurial spirit that drive the construction industry forward every day,” said Jon Gilbeck, manager, customer success and excavator marketing, John Deere. “Their stories demonstrate the meaningful role contractors play in strengthening communities, creating opportunities and building the infrastructure that supports our future. We’re excited to share their stories and invite the public to help choose the winner.”

The contest is aimed at celebrating contractors and operators working on infrastructure and construction projects. It also has a nice community spin on it, which is probably why I lost. What would you do to make your community better with this piece of equipment? Deere also plugged into the halo surrounding the United States' 250th birthday, pushing pros to explain how they are “building America” today. Now, what would you do tomorrow? The grand prize is one of Deere’s latest trio of new excavators — the 210, 230, and 260 P-Tier models in the 20-metric-ton class. Read our previous story.

Who gets the CE vote?

I really like that Deere built videos around the finalists. See the one above. The rest are here. These quick vids really bring out the personalities and backstories of the finalists. When you watch all three, it’s super hard to pick a winner. Everyone is cool. Nick is like building hospitals. I dig Patrick’s family business and that story about his grade school. Man. I think I’m going with …[blindly chooses]… Caleb Lovette and Wolf Creek Land. I like that Caleb started a volunteer fire department in his rural Tennessee community. And it sounds like his team needs it the most — as they’re using undersized equipment right now to tackle bigger projects. Give that man an excavator! And throw in some hats. Of course, don’t let us pick the winner. Check out all three finalists and make your own decision. I’m tired of doing all the work.

Here’s the remaining schedule:

• Voting closes: Aug. 31
• Winner announced: Sept. 8
• Grand prize: A new John Deere midsize excavator (check’em here)

Deere keeps adding technology to the excavator

Since we’re all here hanging, let’s maybe talk about excavator grade control. It’s even cooler than contests. You maybe didn’t notice (you’re busy; I get it), but we recently created a nice 101 guide to all the options in excavator grade control today. We talk affordable 2D guidance to automated 3D machine control. Deere is among the manufacturers featured. That’s a nice tie-in. Check out our full excavator grade control guide. Then go vote. Somebody is getting a new excavator.