Summit Holdings recently held its 4th annual Summit Truck Group Technician Rodeo, pitting the company’s top technicians against each other in a skills competition.

To participate in the Tech Rodeo, Summit technicians were required to complete all 12 required service certifications through Navistar and take a written qualifying test. The top scorers on the qualifying test from each location were eligible to participate in the Rodeo.

The largest Summit locations each sent two technicians to compete, while smaller locations sent one person each. This year 42 service technicians competed in the event, representing each of the 27 markets in eight states within Summit’s network. The rodeo took place in the Springfield Convention Center in Springfield, Mo.

Service technician Ryan Deleon from Summit’s Lowell, Ark., location received top honors in the skills competition, receiving $5,000 from his first place finish. Nathan Holden of Little Rock, Ark., placed second overall, receiving $3,000 and third place was won by Jonathan Metz from Russellville, Ark., who received $1,500 in prize money.

In addition to overall winners, station prizes were awarded for each of the 14 challenge stations, with the top finisher at each station receiving $500, second place receiving $300 and third place receiving $150. Deleon received five station awards, Holden won two awards and Metz won four.

“The caliber of the technicians competing is always high, the competition fierce, and the support for this event by employees throughout Summit incredible,” said Duke Fancher, vice president of service operations for Summit. “Each of the 43 competitors is a winner by just participating in this event, and we were also pleased to see a large number of competitors this year who participated in the Tech Rodeo for the first time, which speaks well to the future of our service departments.”

Summit Holdings is the parent company of Summit Truck Group, Summit Bus, Summit Idealease and Summit PacLease, operating 33 commercial truck and bus dealerships in the U.S.