Montrose, CO—Rusty Catlin, Montrose County Road and Bridge Foreman, recently placed in the top ten in the American Public Works Association’s National Equipment Roadeo in Charlotte, N.C. Catlin placed fifth overall in the backhoe with a total time of 3:37 and tenth in the mini excavator with a time of 4:15.
Earlier this year, Catlin also brought home the state backhoe championship title from the Colorado American Public World Association West Slope and Colorado Association for Road Maintenance (CARMA) Spring Street Conference in Grand Junction, Colo. Catlin’s top finish at the spring conference earned him a sponsored place at the national competition courtesy of the American Public Works Association Colorado Chapter.
“As a Montrose County native, I am glad to represent my county at the state and national roadeos,” said Rusty Catlin, Montrose County Road and Bridge Foreman. “Operating a backhoe is something I’ve done for decades as part of everyday life whether at home or at work. It is great to have an opportunity to put my skills to the test.”
In the backhoe event, competitors performed a complex skill set in the bucket challenge. The objective was to slide a bucket along a plank from a designated start to a designated finish point in the least amount of time. Similarly, in the mini excavator, competitors performed a complex skill set stacking tires according to a set of directions in the least amount of time.
“It’s important to me to challenge our team and put their skills up against some of the best in the state and in the nation because we have some outstanding operators,” said Brandon Wallace, Montrose County Road and Bridge Superintendent. “Our crews on both sides of the plateau are some of the best operators out there—they routinely deal with challenging conditions from paved roads to mountain roads and more—and they continually out-perform any other teams out there.”
In 2021, operators Shan Stratton (1st motor grader and 3rd skid-steer) and John Scharnhorst (4th motor grader and sixth loader) also placed nationally in the APWA National Snow Roadeo. Montrose County will once again be taking a team of competitors and staff to the 2022 APWA Western Snow and Ice Conference and National Snow Roadeo in late September. To learn more about Montrose County Road and Bridge, please visit here.
