Equipment World names 2011 Contractor of the Year

Bryan Force and Jeff BurtonAn out-of-the ordinary success story catches the attention of magazine editors 

 Bryan Force, owner of Force Inc., based in Indiana, Pennsylvania, won the annual Equipment World Contractor of the Year award during a March 5 event at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The event is sponsored by Caterpillar.

 Force was chosen by the magazine’s editors for his dedication to growing his company, his passion for maintaining an excellent equipment fleet, his commitment to his clients and smart business practices.

 Although his father had lined up a job for him at the local power plant, Bryan had other ideas. On his 18th birthday, he got his CDL and bought a used truck. Once his father found out Bryan planned to go into construction, he left Bryan a voice mail so heated that he saved it for several years to remind him of his commitment. He began hauling water to gas well drilling sites, and never turned down a job. He amassed a fleet of equipment and eventually developed his own aggregates operation, growing his business into a $15 million firm.

To determine the winner of each year’s Contractor of the Year program, Equipment World’s editors spend a day interviewing the candidates and visiting their crews and sites. They also evaluate comments made by the contractor’s references listed on the application form. Some of the accolades editors heard about Force included “he is not afraid to go after what he wants,” “he dove right in and is doing extremely well,” and “he is really out of the ordinary, a real success story.”

All finalists received a four-day trip to Las Vegas and attended the NASCAR Sprint Cup race courtesy of Caterpillar, sponsor of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, driven by Jeff Burton for Richard Childress Racing.