During ConExpo, Caterpillar crowned the winners of its two major competitions — the Global Dealer Technician Challenge and the Global Operator Challenge.

At Caterpillar’s Operator Stadium at the show, Brian Hayden from the United States won the title of 2026 Global Operator Challenge World Champion.

Cat also named Tom March from England as the inaugural Global Dealer Technician Challenge Champion.

While adding a new element to ConExpo, both competitions reinforce Cat’s commitment to workforce development and prepare the next generation to support customers and build the world’s infrastructure.

“As global infrastructure demand increases, access to skilled technicians and operators is a critical issue for our industry,” said Caterpillar CEO Joe Creed. “By investing in training and upskilling, we’re helping to build the workforce our industry depends on and staying true to our mission of solving our customers’ toughest challenges.”

The Global Dealer Technician Challenge (GDTC) showcased the high-tech, high-impact nature of today’s technician careers. The competition included a series of challenges in which technicians had to accurately diagnose and make repairs under intense time pressure.

Of the thousands of technicians who competed in events around the world, only 10 advanced to the finals.

Harry Mott, a Field Service Technician with

in Ottawa, Ontario, represented Canada in the GDTC. Mott has tested his skills in competitions before via the Skills Ontario and Skills Canada contests and decided to enter Cat’s first GDTC.

After succeeding in the Canadian leg of the competition, Mott travelled to Peoria, Illinois to challenge the nine other finalists.

“This was similar to the Olympics. When you get to this calibre, we can all be within one second, but it’s going to be the hundredths of a second or two points out of a thousand that’s going to separate us,” Mott said.

Since the spring of 2025, thousands of operators from more than 40 countries competed in the Caterpillar Global Operator Challenge. The competition highlights the skill required to safely operate Cat machines with precision, efficiency and technological intelligence through a series of challenges that tested their skills using wheel loaders, excavators and dozers.

Nine operators advanced to the finals in Las Vegas, including

who represented Quattro Constructors and Finning Canada.

One of Leclerc’s superintendents signed him up for the regional leg of the GOC, which he won. In September, he won the North America West semifinals in Clayton, North Carolina to earn the opportunity to compete in Las Vegas.

“The competition has been great. In North Carolina, it was like a second family. The guys from all over the States treated us like family,” Leclerc said. “We were coaching each other and cheering each other on. It was a huge team mentality.”

Both Leclerc and Mott said their fellow Canadians rallied behind them as they competed against the world’s best operators and technicians.

“It’s an honour. I’m very proud of where I come from and I’m proud of who I represent in terms of dealership and country,” Mott said. “It’s sad that it had to come to an end, but It’s such a good experience because it’s a finite experience. We’re all like-minded people cut from the same cloth.”