Confidence in the Controls: Collin Goshert on Turning Practice into Pride

Vintage Blacktop Co. exists to spotlight real people and real paths through the skilled trades. When Jason Groff introduced us to Collin Goshert, we knew immediately this was one of those stories.

A 2025 graduate of the Heavy Equipment and Basic Maintenance program at Lancaster County Career & Technology Center, Collin accomplished something no student from Pennsylvania had done before. Winning both the Pennsylvania State SkillsUSA competition and the SkillsUSA National Championship in heavy equipment operation. What makes the story even better is how it started. No family business. No lifelong background around heavy equipment. No years spent riding in excavators as a kid. Just curiosity.

“The first time I ran the Volvo rubber-tire loader with Mr. Findley, I figured, why not give it a try,” Collin recalled. “Just getting to run new equipment felt cool on its own. I never thought about winning.”

That first moment came during his junior year construction class after hearing about a skills competition and seeing photos of the equipment students would get to operate. For Collin, the appeal had nothing to do with trophies or titles. It was the feeling of the work itself.

“I came into the heavy equipment class last year with absolutely no experience,” he explained. “We saw pictures of what we might get to do at the competition and I thought, why not. Just being able to try the equipment was appealing enough.”

What followed was a steady process that now feels simple in hindsight. Observe, practice, repeat. Through co-op shifts alongside experienced operators, Collin studied the rhythms of the trade in real time. Back at school, he worked to replicate those same movements and techniques in the training yard, building confidence one repetition at a time.

“I still consider myself a beginner,” he said with humility. “But going out to the workforce on co-op, watching seasoned operators, then using what I observed at school really moved my training along.”

That humility shows up often in conversations with Collin. Even after winning at the national level, he speaks more about learning than achievement. And he is quick to challenge one of the biggest misconceptions people carry about heavy equipment operators.

“People think operators don’t move much and are lazy,” he said. “That hasn’t been my experience at all. I haven’t worked with anyone who makes me agree with that stereotype.”

Instead, he describes an environment built around precision, responsibility, awareness, and pride in the finished product. For anyone interested in entering the field, Collin believes the best path is often the simplest one: get close to the work and stay open to learning.

“A good starting point is a heavy equipment class or part time work with a construction company for the summer,” he explained. “I listened to my teacher and my trainers at B.R. Kreider and trained on both equipment and paper. Blueprints, parts manuals, grades.”

Like most stories in the trades, his growth was not built alone. Collin credits much of his confidence and development to the people who invested time into him early, especially during moments where nerves and pressure could have easily taken over.

“I can’t point to one line that stuck,” he said, “but the motivation from Mr. Findley meant a lot. He came down to the competition and that helped with my nerves.”

That support reinforced something bigger than competition results. It showed what mentorship can actually do when young people are given a real opportunity to try something difficult. Collin wants more parents, teachers, and students to understand that excavation and heavy equipment operation are not fallback careers. They are skilled professions tied directly to the foundation of how communities are built.

“In skilled trades like excavation, we’re there from start to finish in the building process,” he explained. “This isn’t a trade where you get thrown into a position and a mistake is an easy fix. It can take a little while to grow in a company, but it’s worth it. If you keep putting out quality work and have pride while you do it, you can go anywhere.”

That mindset, pride, patience, consistency, and willingness to learn, is exactly what makes stories like Collin’s matter. Because sometimes the future of the trades doesn’t begin with mastery. Sometimes it starts with a student seeing a piece of equipment for the first time and deciding to climb in anyway.