The guest of honor during last week’s special event at the Goochland Tech Center could be forgiven for staying silent throughout the proceedings.
By Roslyn Ryan Managing Editor
February 13, 2024
The guest of honor during last week’s special event at the Goochland Tech Center could be forgiven for staying silent throughout the proceedings.
It had been a long trip to get there, after all, with stops in New Hampshire and Maine.
Also, the honoree everyone had gathered to celebrate was not a CEO or a dignitary—it was an eight-ton, gleaming yellow bulldozer.
On Tuesday, Feb. 6, students in the Goochland County Public Schools Utility and Heavy Equipment Operators Program were officially introduced to the Caterpillar D3, donated by the Sargent Corporation.
The bulldozer, valued at $100,000, is the largest single donation ever made to the division’s Career and Technical Education program.
“On behalf of everyone at GCPS, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Sargent Corporation for your incredibly generous donation,” GCPS Superintendent Michael T. Cromartie, Ed.D., said. “This contribution not only demonstrates your belief in the importance of education but also your commitment to empowering the next generation. Through your gift, we will continue to provide enriching educational experiences and opportunities that inspire our children to reach their fullest potential.”
Students Jayme Roblero, Burke Lee, and Thomas Riley are ready to start learning how to use the new equipment. In near unison, all three said they were very excited and couldn’t wait to get the bulldozer on the work site. They also were very appreciative of Sargent’s support.
“We can’t thank them enough for everything they’ve done,” Roblero said. “They’re always in and out, bringing materials and hard hats and everything else, just donating their time and money to us,” Riley said.
“We really appreciate it and can’t wait to get onto the new equipment,” Lee said.
“Sargent’s purpose is to build, and they honor that purpose by making sure that they’re protecting relationships and stewarding their resources,” School Board Chair Angela Allen said. “It’s with deep appreciation that we accept this gift and partner with them in their theme of ‘Let’s Get to Work.’ I love that because that perfectly aligns with Goochland’s mission every day to maximize the potential of every learner.”
As part of Virginia’s only two Utility and Heavy Equipment Operators Programs, GCPS students learn in the classroom, on job sites, and through the actual operation of heavy equipment. Local Sargent employees have long supported the program in GCPS and actively share their knowledge and experiences with students. “Our business partners are the heart and soul of all of our CTE programs,” Bruce Watson, director of Career and Technical Education, said. “We couldn’t survive in our CTE programs without our business partners, regardless of the curriculum areas we offer, and this donation is just the epitome of that.”
“Sargent is always looking for new and better ways to identify and attract young adults to the heavy civil industry,” Sargent’s Justin Embrey said. “Throughout our collaboration with Goochland, we’ve observed a rise in student interest in the heavy equipment program. As that interest has grown, so has the need for equipment like this bulldozer because this is the equipment students will encounter if they enter the workforce.”
Virginia Board of Education President Grace Creasey also thanked Sargent for their support. “This is a very special opportunity for me to be here in front of my own home community and somewhere that I spent many years teaching,” she said. “The Virginia Board of Education’s mission is to ensure that these opportunities are spread far and wide across the Commonwealth, and this is a model from which we want to build. I look to the students in this program to maintain the work that you have before you in the classroom, beyond the walls, beyond the theater stages, and beyond the athletic fields of Goochland County Public Schools. We are dependent on you to continue the economic prosperity of this county and the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
Discussions about making the donation started at Sargent in the fall of 2023. Sargent’s Embrey and local Sargent employees previously worked with GCPS to fix issues with the program’s older bulldozer, but it was clear that the program needed new equipment. Once the donation was finalized, Sargent shipped the CAT D3 bulldozer from a project site in New Hampshire to the company’s maintenance facility in Bangor, Maine. Sargent mechanics then completed minor repairs, installed new tracks and a fresh paint job, and ensured there were no mechanical issues. “We spent a lot of time making sure this machine was up to snuff,” Embrey said. “The dozer only has 5,500 hours on it and is in great shape.”
Current Sargent employee Hunter Proffitt graduated from Goochland High School in 2018 and went to work as a laborer at Sargent that summer. “I’ve been fortunate enough to become a senior foreman in such a short time, and if the program didn’t exist, none of this would have been possible for me. Through teaching fundamentals of construction, soft skills, teamwork, and a lot of life lessons, the teachers who dedicated their time and effort every day were true mentors in my life,” he said.
The donated bulldozer was dedicated to long-time program instructor Mike Verasstro.
“Mr. V, Mr. Tim Greenway, Mr. Bruce Watson, and many others knew what it took to give us a foundation to build on. It boils down to one simple phrase and Sargent’s number one core value: investing in people. This program, the classes, the faculty and staff, and this bulldozer is an investment for the future generations to succeed,” Proffitt said.