In the Win a Cat Truck contest that ultimately drew more than 300 entries and 47,500 votes, LPA Marine of Peaks Island, Maine, came out on top — winning a brand-new Cat CT660 vocational truck, the first in a full line of vocational trucks from Caterpillar.

“We have always struggled to find a truck that can match Caterpillar’s balance of good design, reliability and durability. We think Caterpillar can do for our trucks what it has consistently done for our marine and excavating equipment,” said LPA Marine’s Coley Mulkern in his “Win a Cat Truck” contest entry, a video that showcased how the company uses Cat equipment and engines to serve the communities and islands that make up coastal Maine.

“We received many great submissions, but when you watch LPA Marine’s video, it’s easy to understand why this entry garnered more than 3,000 votes from the general public,” said George Taylor, director of Caterpillar’s on-highway truck group. “Mulkern and the LPA team did an outstanding job explaining their business, their loyalty to Caterpillar and their need for a new CT660.”

Founded as a barging company in 1967, LPA Marine today operates two large, Cat powered landing crafts that deliver cargo between the New England coast and working public and private islands and coastal properties. The family business, now in its fourth generation of operation, also has a construction arm with expertise in excavation, erosion control, septic and drainage system installation, utilities work, road and sea wall construction and land reclamation.

“We buy Cat earthmoving equipment and depend exclusively on Cat marine engines to power our ferries. We want to be assured we can consistently get through our days without equipment failures while operating at offshore sites far from any service facilities,” Mulkern said in his video submission. “We find Cat equipment to be unbeatable.”

LPA Marine’s Cat dealer, Milton CAT, is thrilled that one of the first CT660’s off the production line will be going to work in its territory.

“Coley Mulkern and his team at LPA Marine are very deserving winners,” said Erik Sveden, on-highway general manager of Milton CAT. “We look forward to helping them put their new CT660 to work on what can be some pretty rugged and remote job sites.”

The “Win a Cat Truck” contest launched on Aug. 1, and 306 videos, essays and audio recordings were submitted over the course of the next two months. Participants were asked to describe the vocational application in which they work and explain how owning a new Cat CT660 would make their jobs easier. Online voting was held between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 and the general public voted and picked the ultimate winner.

LPA Marine will begin specing its brand new CT660 over the coming weeks and will take delivery of the truck in the first quarter of 2012. To view LPA Marine’s winning entry, visit DriveCat.com.

This story also appears on Truck and Trailer Guide.

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