Erik Lovett, product support representative at Linder Industrial Machinery, is the winner of the Komatsu PSR World Championship.
"Being selected by Komatsu as the PSR World Champion is a tremendous honor," said Lovett. "This award wouldn't be possible without my colleagues who have helped me grow and develop as a PSR since joining Linder in 2017. I am very fortunate to work with a great team whose goal is ensuring our customers are always taken care of."
Lovett, who works out of the Linder branch in Greenville, N.C., was selected as the Komatsu North America PSSR Champion, earning the right to represent both Linder and Komatsu North America in the global competition.
Komatsu Ltd. set a rigid structure for presentations for the contestants in the Championship Series. In the world finals, expert judges from Komatsu Ltd. critiqued Lovett's presentation regarding customer support angles and the benefits of doing business with Komatsu and Linder. They then grilled him on his selling skills and product knowledge and, in the end, selected him over dozens of PSRs from several different countries.
"This competition helped me grow as a PSR while also building strong relationships with Komatsu and Linder cohorts, which will help me better serve my customers in my day-to-day activities on many levels. The insight and knowledge gained are priceless in supporting customers at a high level," Lovett said.
Linder had two other PSRs invited to represent and vie for the North American Championships — Matt Byram from the Ladson, S.C. branch and Joe D'Oreo from Fort Myers, Fla.
Lovett is the first Linder employee to represent the company at the Komatsu event that had been scheduled to be held in Japan but was done virtually due to the COVID pandemic.
"Erik's responses to the judges were excellent," said John Coughlin, Linder president and CEO. "His win speaks volumes on the quality of our people and company."
Besides the honor of being named the Komatsu PSR World Champion, the win earned Lovett a trophy, an iPad and a trip to the Komatsu headquarters in Japan this September.
