John Deere was chosen unanimously from more than 400 manufacturers and dealers, according to Neal Ferry, corporate equipment manager, Peter Kiewit Sons' Inc.

Award candidates are nominated by Kiewit district equipment managers based on several criteria that focus on excellence in equipment and service. Deere's performance as a major equipment supplier for Kiewit's massive I-25 Southeast Corridor Transportation Expansion (T-REX) project in Denver, Colo., including the excellent economics of Deere machines, was key in the company's selection for the award, according to Ferry. T-REX will reconstruct 17 miles of two interstate highways while simultaneously adding 19 miles of new light rail transit (LRT) line. When complete in September 2006, T-REX will increase transit options, enhance safety, replace aging infrastructure, reduce travel time and support growing residential and commercial development.

Other factors contributing to the award selection included fast delivery of new units; trade-in consideration on selected units to allow Kiewit to replace existing machines with new Deere equipment; and an efficient process for handling requests that delivers a fast response time.

Source: John Deere, July 23, 2004