What is the GDTC?
The GDTC, or “Global Dealer Technician Challenge,” is a world-wide competition sponsored by Cat, where technicians from Cat dealers all over the globe compete for the chance to be crowned the GDTC Champion.
Toromont was tasked with selecting their own champion.
Among the 2,200 techs at Toromont, 87 techs were voted in by their peers to represent their branch and passed a technical test. The six best technicians with the highest scores went to battle on September 19-20 at our Bradford branch, completing challenges in Hydraulics, Powertrain, Aftertreatment, Electrical, Applied Failure Analysis and Engine Systems.
The finalists came from across our territory:
Eric Mierzwinski (Wabush)
Matthew Sylvester (Brandon)
Trevor D'Entremont (Dartmouth)
Harry Mott (Ottawa)
Ryan Green (Kingston)
Mathieu Aussant (Candiac)
We think we have the best heavy equipment technicians in the world.
But what do our technicians think about working for us?
We talked to our six GDTC finalists about what got them interested in working on heavy machinery, what it’s like working for Toromont Cat, along with some advice for people looking to get into the trade or become a part of the Toromont Team.
Let’s get into it!
Experience: 12 years With Toromont: 7 years
Eric learned young that the ability to fix things is a useful skill to have. As he got older, his talent for solving mechanical problems blossomed into a career as a heavy duty technician. Not one to shy away from adventure, Eric found his way into the mining industry as a Heavy Equipment Technician, where he enjoys the freedom of fly-in, fly-out rotations. One of the perks? “You get two weeks off, to do whatever you want, every month,” he says. “That, and the pay is great.”
Experience: 14 years With Toromont: 12 years
Both Eric and Mathieu enjoy working on the best, and most complicated, machines on the planet, something that drew them both to Toromont Cat. “I got into this trade because it’s not just the basic stuff,” Mathieu says. As someone who loves learning and taking on challenges, Mathieu appreciates the ongoing education technicians receive at Toromont: “We have access to so much training and technical support, from Toromont as well as Caterpillar.” And the working conditions? “We are very well treated,” he says. “Cat machines are great quality and working on them is a treat.”
Experience: 18 years With Toromont: 18 years
Like the challenge judges, technical trainers who started out as technicians, our third competitor, Matthew, is a great example of the opportunities to grow as part of the Toromont family. “I love that there’s always an opportunity to learn and grow, and we get fantastic technical support,” he says. He grew up on a farm around big equipment which inspired him to get into the trade, became an apprentice, certified tech and now he is a Lead Hand at Toromont in Brandon, Matthew is proof that hard work pays off. “It’s a great trade,” he says, “and it’s so rewarding to fix problems every day.”
Experience: 27 years With Toromont: 27 years
We’re proud that our talented technicians come from a variety of backgrounds. Like Trevor, who was going to become a lobster fisherman but got into heavy equipment in high school, did his apprenticeship at Atlantic Cat and hasn’t looked back since. A fixture in our Toromont Cat Atlantic team, Trevor has called Toromont home as a Field Technician for over 27 years. What made this all-star Red Seal tech stay? “I really enjoy meeting our customers,” the Dartmouth resident says. That, and he loves working on Cat machines, especially excavators.
Experience: 9 years With Toromont: 9 years
When we say we have the best techs in the business, we mean it. Take Ryan. A former automotive mechanic who now works out of our Kingston branch, Ryan won bronze at the Worldskills competition, where he got to represent Canada in his category. He attributes out of the box thinking, love of a good challenge, and a willingness to get his hands dirty to his on-going success. “I really like working at Toromont,” Ryan says. “It’s a team sport. If I don’t know the answer, I can call someone who does.”
Experience: 12 years With Toromont: 10 years
Last, but definitely not least, our winner, Harry Mott. Like Ryan, he started his career in the automotive sector and competed as an apprentice at Skills Canada, where he took home bronze. He liked working on trucks but found it too easy. When his Mom told him to think bigger, he got back to school then took his skills to Toromont Cat – and we’re glad he did! “You have to take a lot of pride in your work,” Harry says. “It’s all worth it, because it’s so satisfying to be able to finish a task, resolve a problem, and put the machine back to work for the customer who needs it.”
As our T-Tech Cup winner, Harry will bring the cup back to his home branch in Ottawa. He’ll spend the next few months with our Technical Trainer team, who will prepare him for the big battle in Arizona this December, where he’ll take on techs from all over North America for the chance to qualify for Global GDTC Final that will take place in Conexpo in March 2026, in Las Vegas.
Interested in joining the Toromont family as an heavy equipment technician?