BARAGA, MI -- Jason Hershberger, a second generation telehandler operator of Herschberger Steel Erectors of Abbeville, South Carolina, won the Telehandler Skills Competition at last month's World of Masonry/World of Concrete (WOC) show in Las Vegas. The competition, sponsored for the first time by Pettibone material handling equipment manufacturers, drew 36 skilled competitors from across the country and was designed to test the skill, accuracy and finesse each competitor had while operating either a Pettibone Extendo Series 8044 or a Pettibone Traverse Series T8044.

In stage one of the two-stage competition, operators had to drive their machine from its starting place up to a designated mark and pick up three planks from a sawhorse, then deposit one plank on each of three different sawhorses arrayed in front of them. Once completed, the operator then had to pick the planks back up and return them to the original sawhorse. Next, in stage two, operators had to maneuver over to a second mark in front of a Hydek scaffolding system on which a 4' x 4' x 4' fork box rested 35 feet up. Operators had to simulate picking up an overhead load by raising the boom, then guiding the forks into matching slots on the box, triggering a light that indicated the task was complete. Following completion of stage two operators had to maneuver the telehandler back to its starting place.

After the preliminary competition, held on January 22-23, was finished, the top two finishers from day one and top three finishers from day two returned to repeat the two stage course in semi-finals. Theses semi-finalists were Jason Hershberger; Len Mackowiak of Midwest Masonry, Alsip, AL; Chris Hartman of Hartman Construction in Unityville, PA; and Chris Yeghoian and James Hendricks, both of R.E. Serrano in Martinez, Ca. The two top scorers in the semi-finals, Jason Hershberger and Chris Yeghoian, then competed a third and final time to determine the overall champion.

Both finalists performed almost flawlessly in the competition and final scores were remarkably close. In the end, though, Jason Hershberger had performed most consistently and drove away the winner...on a 2008 Harley-Davidson Fat Bob motorcycle, valued at $15,000. Chris Yeghoian, good natured in his second place finish, won a $500 Visa gift card. "I only finished second, but you and your team did a great job of putting together a great competition," Yeghoian said.

The competition, which was organized, operated and judged by Pettibone staff including Product Manager Dan Blondeau, Sales Managers John Graham, Steve Kiskunas and Steve Talley, and Service Manager Dave Raasakka, will be sponsored by Pettibone again in 2009. "We were really impressed by the skill level of the participants," commented Blondeau. "And we're already thinking of ways to make it even better next year." Pettibone was present at this year's WOC featuring its recently up-rated Extendo and Traverse models of telehandlers, each of which is now rated for lifting 1,000 more pounds than its predecessor. The equipment used in the competition was provided by Pettibone dealer Inland/Hobbs Material Handling of Las Vegas and by Pettibone customer Seedorf Masonry of Strawberry Point, IA. Cosponsors of the event included Hydek Hydraulic Mast-Climbing Systems of Atlanta and Power Great Lakes of WoodDale, IL.