Page 289 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong
P. 289

 Custom fabrica- tion and Special Services keeps us from becoming
a commodity. It’s what sets us apart from every- body else—even other Caterpillar dealers.
– Duane Doyle Jr., president of Earthmoving Division, Peterson-Cat
  (L-R) Jack Ravazza with Duane Doyle Jr. in San Leandro main shop in 2020
weld shop often gets the call. In 2011, Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa was building a new four-story wing when they ran into trouble. “They were placing 150 diagonal steel braces on multi- ple floors, moving and matching them like pieces in a puzzle until they had 16 left with holes that wouldn’t match up. They hadn’t been bored to spec,” explains Ravazza. “So they called us.” The contractor was ready to pour concrete in two days and they were in a bit of a panic.“We came out the first day and built fixtures to hold our boring bars in place,” says Ravazza. “The next morning John [Kaszer] and Karl [Sieber] got everything lined up and bored everything correctly, which kept them on schedule. The customer also had to make new steel plates, and when they found out we could do that, they were surprised because we’re a ‘tractor place.’ We’re getting a lot more emergency work because we can stop what we’re doing a lot of times and get out there and dig them out of their hole. Word is getting out.”
Innovation has always been the lifeblood of Peter- son—looking at things in a new way, taking risks, and stepping up to the plate first. Today, Peterson will continue to push the envelope as long as its doors are open. “Custom fab is really important to
me,” says Duane Jr. “It keeps us from becoming a commodity. You can’t just be the same as every- body else. You have to set yourself apart—even from the other Caterpillar dealers. Our custom fabrication and Special Services makes us different from the rest.”
CHAPTER 17 | 287
 


























































































   287   288   289   290   291