Eric Punt (right) receives a unique award designed by Pella Engraving Company celebrating his master-level technician certification from Casey Flanagan, industrial service training lead.
Attendees of Vermeer Tonight, held on February 17, 2016, in San Antonio, Texas, might have wondered if they’d stumbled onto the set of Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show. In reality, it was the centerpiece of Vermeer Corporation’s annual weeklong sales, parts, and service (SPS) event, which includes awards presentations and training for over 600 dealership personnel and corporate employees.
Eric Punt of RDO Equipment Co., a dealer of Vermeer equipment, received a special honor at Vermeer Tonight. He was the first person to achieve the difficult master-level technician certification from Vermeer, the top level of the company’s service training program. Vermeer wanted to do something special to thank the first graduate of the program, so RJ Van Dyke, a training and development specialist, turned to Jeff Vroom, Pella Engraving Company co-owner. Over the years, RJ and Jeff have worked together many times, and Vermeer has come to PEC frequently to create awards to help celebrate the accomplishments of its employees. RJ approached them with the idea for a shadowbox, and they helped with the layout and design, which showcases seven golden wrenches with a silver plaque to either side. PEC manufactured the plaques with the Vermeer name and logo, as well as the information about Eric and the award he was receiving.
During the presentation of the award, Eric got a standing ovation from the event’s attendees. Achieving the master level of the service training program is no easy task—Eric passed three levels, with a timed written test at each level of 100, 200, and finally 300 questions. He demonstrated his mastery of three Vermeer product lines, and proved his knowledge of Vermeer systems and how to fix machines.
“This award was a fun one to make,” said Jeff. “We enjoy projects where we really get to use our creativity to help design the end product.”