Jesse Lariviere, a technician with Equipment Sales and Service (ESS) in Edmonton, Alberta, has placed first in the 2025 Global Skills Contest.
In early November, Sumitomo Construction Machinery (SCM) hosted the competition in Chiba, Japan.
The event is held every two years and brings together top service technicians from around the world to showcase their technical expertise and dedication to safety.
In preparation for the event, Link-Belt Excavators Training Manager Grant Kirk worked closely with LBX dealers to identify and select the technician who would represent LBX and North America at this prestigious event.
After a thorough evaluation, Lariviere was selected for the opportunity to compete.
“Jesse is a shop technician with 15 years of service. He was highly motivated and driven to excel at the 2025 Global Service Skills Contest,” Kirk said.
“Over the last eight months, Jesse and I have met multiple times to reinforce his product knowledge on the 210 X3 excavator. I could not have chosen a more qualified candidate.”
Lariviere’s enthusiasm and determination, supported by Grant’s technical expertise and training experience, proved to be an outstanding partnership. Together, they brought home first place overall, a tremendous achievement for both LBX and ESS.
This accomplishment reflects the dedication of the LBX team and the strong support of its dealer partner, Equipment Sales and Service.
This year, 11 countries joined the contest in Chiba. Their technician skills were tested in five areas, including:
- Safety: While not an event on its own, each contestant was monitored closely to ensure that safety was the highest priority in everything they were tasked with.
- Troubleshooting: Machines were faulted in various ways. The technicians were monitored by two judges, who were evaluated on their ability to follow procedures, accuracy, and time.
- Engine repair: Tasked with replacing injectors while adhering to procedures, torque specifications, and time.
- Maintenance proposal: Inspect a machine and determine what issues need to be addressed. This was based on a 162-line-item checklist. The contestants had one hour to complete.
- Written Test: A 25-question test relating to all areas of service.
