Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
All Content > Regular Column > Heartland

Title of entry: 
Editor at Large: Highlighting the Human Side of Earthmoving Equipment

Issue or Publication date:
Print: May/June Issue and November/December Issue, Online: March 20th, 2024, and October 14th, 2024

Publication name: 
Compact Equipment

View Website home page:
https://compactequip.com/

Links to entry URLs

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Entry URL(s), if applicable:
Please enter a URL that will direct judges to the entry: 
https://compactequip.com/industry-events/digging-deep-into-diversity-caterpillar-celebrates-women-in-construction-with-all-female-operator-skills-challenge/
Additional URLs, if needed:
https://compactequip.com/mini-excavators/exploring-volvo-ces-coolest-tech-and-latest-compact-equipment-with-president-scott-young/

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Entry Essay: 
Mission statement: Compact Equipment is a print trade publication and website covering the smaller categories of construction machinery. Our gearheads operate, analyze and write about off-highway equipment such as skid steers, mini excavators, utility vehicles, telehandlers, and basically any diesel-powered construction machine (some landscape and ag too) that can be hauled on a trailer without a CDL. Our editorial content is enjoyed on multiple media channels — print, web, YouTube, email, webinars, social media, seminars, and beyond. We print six times a year, blast out two e-newsletters every week and usually post about five times a day at www.compactequip.com. Editors travel the globe to visit machine makers like Caterpillar and Volvo, researching new machines, regulations, technologies, and trends.

Editor at Large: Highlighting the Human Side of Earthmoving Equipment

Compact Equipment’s Editor at Large column, led by editor and publisher Keith Gribbins, offers readers a unique, boots-on-the-ground perspective of the off-highway equipment industry. In 2024, Gribbins traveled to tons of big events capturing the evolving culture of construction. We offer you two, visiting Caterpillar’s first-ever Women in Construction Celebration and Operator Skills Challenge in North Carolina and Volvo Days 2024 at Volvo CE’s North American headquarters in Pennsylvania. These experiences, shared through compelling narratives, insightful photography, and self-produced videos, bring the human element of heavy equipment to life.

At Caterpillar’s Women in Construction event, Gribbins highlighted an important industry shift — increasing opportunities for female operators in a traditionally male-dominated field. The column showcased the stories of 18 highly skilled women from across the U.S. and Brazil as they competed in equipment challenges, networked, and shared career experiences. This story captured both the excitement of the competition and the broader message: construction needs more diversity to meet workforce demands.

At Volvo Days 2024, Gribbins explored Volvo’s innovative approach to compact equipment and sustainability. From testing next-generation electric machines to learning about Volvo’s jobsite management technology, he delivered firsthand insights into the future of construction equipment. His storytelling blended hands-on experiences with thoughtful analysis of the evolving equipment landscape.

The Editor at Large column stands out in the crowded machinery media space by delivering personal, immersive stories that connect readers with the equipment, the companies, and the people shaping the industry. Online, these stories take on even more visual dimensions through companion video narratives. All of this work informs readers: The future of construction is as much about the people operating the machines as it is about the machines themselves.