Ring Power's 2025 Operator Challenge Concludes with Top Talent

The recent Operator Challenge saw impressive displays of skill and precision as 69 equipment operators competed across six sessions in St. Augustine and Tampa on April 2-3 and 9-10. After fierce competition, Frank Gross of RIPA & Associates emerged as the overall champion. 

Gross, based out of Tampa, will now advance to represent both Ring Power and RIPA & Associates at the Caterpillar Global Operator North American Semi-Finals in Clayton, North Carolina, scheduled for September 22, 2025. The winner of the Semi-Finals will earn the prestigious opportunity to compete in the Global Operator Challenge Finals at ConExpo in March 2026. 

Challenging Competition Format 

Participants faced three rigorous challenges designed to test their precision, speed, and technical abilities with different equipment. Each operator was tasked with completing courses as quickly as possible while avoiding penalties for safety violations, barrier contact, or improper load weights. 

The challenges included: 

Excavator Challenge: Operators used a 325 Excavator bucket to push a barrel across a beam, load an Articulated truck with exactly 10 tons of dirt, and successfully drop a rod on a chain into a post. 

Wheel Loader Challenge: Using joystick steering in a Cat 966 Wheel Loader, competitors navigated a bumpy course with a barrel balanced on a pallet, demonstrated work tool changeovers, and precisely loaded an Articulated truck with 10 tons of dirt. 

Skid Steer Challenge: In perhaps the most precision-focused event, operators maneuvered a Cat 265 Compact Track Loader through a complex course with a bar positioned on the forks—without letting the bar fall or knocking down any barriers—and successfully relocated a box containing a barrel. 

Congratulations to Frank Gross and all participants who demonstrated exceptional equipment handling skills during this exciting regional competition. We wish Gross the best of luck as he advances to represent our region in the North American Semi-Finals! 

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