Ruan completed our fifth annual Top Technician Competition on August 5. Out of the 10 competitors, Dakoda Brown of Muscatine, IA, took home first place. Dakoda earned $3,500 and a trip to represent Ruan at the National SuperTech Competition, hosted by the Technology and Maintenance Council (TMC), this September in Cleveland, OH.
Brian Boswell of Gastonia, NC, placed second, and Martin Schneider of Cedar Falls, IA, finished third. Both won a cash prize and a place at the National SuperTech Competition as well. Congratulations to our top three finishers!
“The competition this year did not disappoint! The results were very close, and the hands-on stations pushed the technicians’ knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of maintenance and repair,” said Maintenance Operations Manager Ben Steines. “It was exciting and encouraging to see the commitment to excellence these technicians displayed during the competition. I’m proud of Ruan’s dedication to our technicians and willingness to provide them with the latest tools and resources they need to maintain our equipment safely and efficiently.”
(L to R): Martin Schneider, Dakoda Brown, and Brian Boswell.
The Top Tech event began with Ruan technicians completing a 100-question online assessment to test a range of maintenance knowledge earlier this summer. The 10 technicians who earned the highest scores from the assessment moved on to the hands-on portion of the competition held in Ankeny, IA, at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) last week. The hands-on portion consisted of the following 11 skills stations:
- Wheel Ends
- Steering/Suspension
- Brakes
- DOT Inspections
- Electrical
- System Diagnostics
- Fasteners
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
- Tires and Wheels
- Heavy Duty Vehicle Fluids
- Starting and Charging Systems
Congratulations to the seven other competitors for earning a spot in the final competition:
- John Ford, Thomasville, NC
- Matthew Butler, San Antonio, TX
- Caleb Smith, Tyler, TX
- Aaron Bomar, Jefferson, GA
- Richard Urban, Turlock, CA
- Matthew Schmid, Hagerman, NM
- Shane Riffe, Phoenix, AZ
(L to R): Brian Boswell, John Ford, Aaron Bomar, Caleb Smith, Matthew Butler, Matthew Schmid, Dakoda Brown, Richard Urban, Martin Schneider, and Shane Riffe
Great job to all our competitors! Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to keeping our equipment running safely. We look forward to next year’s competition!