While it came down to some tough decisions, the Equipment World editors have named the 12 finalists for the magazine’s 2017 Contractor of the Year award, now in its 17th year.
Sponsored by Caterpillar since its inception in 2000, the Equipment World Contractor of the Year event honors 12 finalists during a weekend event that includes the March 12th NASCAR Kobalt Tools 400 race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. This year, all 12 finalists will have the added bonus of being able to attend Conexpo, since the once-every-three-year trade show will be in its final two days during the Contractor of the Year event.
Held at the Wynn Las Vegas, the event includes a Friday roundtable, Saturday morning focus group and a Saturday night awards banquet, where the 2017 Contractor of the Year winner will be announced. The winner will be featured on the May 2017 issue of Equipment World, and each finalist will be featured in subsequent issues.
Our 2017 winners are:
Blacktop Paving
Homewood, California
Owner: Raymond Devre
Carl R. Jones Excavating and Hauling
Fredericktown, Missouri.
Owner: Carl R. Jones
Chipley Company
Florence, South Carolina
Owner: Roy Chipley
HD Truck & Tractor
Lake Charles, Louisiana
Owner: Hiram DuRousseau
Hutzel’s Concrete Construction
Malvern, Arkansas
Owners: Jim Hutzel and Charity Bennett
Kat Excavation & Construction
Sour Lake, Texas
Owner: Kerry Trest
Livengood Excavators
Walnutport, Pennsylvania
Owner: Leo Livengood
McKinnley Excavating
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Owner: Joseph Palmer
Preston Construction
Johnson City, Tennessee
Owners: John Preston and Claudia Preston McCord
Sawyer Construction
Fremont, Nebraska
Owner: Tom Sawyer
Sun Construction
Darlington, South Carolina
Owner: Marshall Flowers
Whaley & Sons
Kodak, Tennessee.
Owners: Matthew, Austin and Ken Whaley.
Each finalist rose to the top after being judged on several criteria, including industry experience, the enthusiasm of their references, their commitment to safety and company management practices.