BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The Gradall Excavator is a piece of heavy construction equipment that is often used for imprecise projects like ditching or removing large chunks of asphalt from a road.

But on a cloudy morning in November, Ben Buttrey sat at the controls of this work-dented machine and carefully extended the Gradall’s arm toward a narrow, yellow pipe. The excavator’s engine rumbled as Buttrey positioned the bucket over the pipe and then dropped nine tennis balls into the small, three-inch opening. A video is available here.

His deftness with this sometimes unwieldly machine earned Buttrey, a Brentwood Public Works employee, 8^th place out of 140 participants during the Tennessee Chapter of the American Public Works Association’s (TCAPWA) annual Equipment Roadeo (yes, that’s how it’s spelled).

On Nov. 14, Public Works employees from across Tennessee converged on a parking lot in Downtown Nashville for the annual competitive event. Buttrey, who has experience from another municipality operating other vehicles, also earned 8^th place in the Trash Truck competition. In that event, he had to drive a large trash truck backward through a narrow lane of cones.

Buttrey’s brother, Jacob, is also an equipment operator for Brentwood Public Works, and he competed alongside his brother during the Nov. 14 event.

“After watching their performance, you can probably understand why I’m so excited to have them in Brentwood,” Todd Hoppenstedt, Brentwood Public Works director, said. “Ben and Jacob are two highly qualified and skilled operators.”

For more information on Brentwood Public Works, visit https://www.brentwoodtn.gov/departments/public-works.