Bobcat discovers a true enthusiast

Bobcat has announced the three prize winners in the ‘What Did Bobcat Do For Me?' 50^th anniversary celebratory competition.

To help mark Bobcat's 50^th anniversary owners of Bobcat equipment throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa were invited to submit stories about how they believed Bobcat equipment had enabled them to work better, smarter and faster.

The winner of the grand prize - a trip to the USA, including a visit to the Bobcat factories at Bismarck and Gwinner in North Dakota and a one day visit to New York - was David Arthon of Fuveau in Aix-en-Provence in Southern France, a customer of the Bobcat dealer Boïs.

Entitled ‘Bobcat and I,' Mr Arthon, the winner of the Grand Prize, began his story with the passage: ‘What Bobcat has done for me is incredible. It has played a part in so many important moments of my life that it has captured my heart.'

He went on to describe his first experience of Bobcat machines when he visited the International Fair in Marseille in 1992 at the age of five with his father. His father ran a family business called Société Arthon & Fils Démolition. He bought a Bobcat 753 skid-steer loader from salesman, Jean Curgis, who still works for Bobcat today.

Mr Arthon wrote, "As Jean highlighted all of its excellent mechanical characteristics, its workability, simplicity, precision, power and flexibility, and of course its line of attachments, we found it impossible to resist. Watching this towering giant work with such power and grace made me think of world class ballerinas. Jean Curgis is like a father to me for Bobcat, and we can spend many an hour just talking about our Bobcat friends; we can look at new products online, and he always asks me what I think about them."

Today, Mr Arthon runs the family business which also has a TD40150 telehandler and a 331 excavator from Bobcat.

"Writing this text has allowed me to realise how important Bobcat has been in my life. I have been able to have my own business by the age of 20, and realised my wildest dreams....I would like to thank Bobcat from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to accomplish all of this at my age."

The Second Prize, a €1000 voucher for Bobcat products, went to Richard Heskens of the Netherlands, a customer of Bobcat Zoeterwoude. Mathias Morlion of Belgium, a customer of Bobcat dealer, Vangaever, won the Third Prize - a €500 voucher for Bobcat products.