Kelly Tractor Delivers Cat Centennial D4 Dozer to Ryan Inc.

Kelly Tractor Co. selected its longtime customer, Ryan Incorporated Southern, to take delivery of the last Caterpillar centennial edition unit — a Cat D4.

For Ryan Inc., a family-owned site development firm established in 1884, owning a piece of Caterpillar's history is fitting, given that the company was there when the construction industry shifted from horses and pack mules to the first-ever Caterpillar tractors more than a century ago.

"We've been using Caterpillar products since they started making scrapers many decades ago," said Wills Ryan, CEO and owner, whose great-grandfather, P.W. Ryan, established the business in Wisconsin, building railroad embankments before the highway construction era emerged in the early 20th century.

The evolution of Caterpillar's machinery went very much in tandem with Ryan's own growth as a site development firm, as it expanded its operations beyond America's heartland into Southern Florida during the early 1970s.

Since then, Ryan Inc. has partnered with Kelly Tractor for their Caterpillar equipment needs.

"Kelly Tractor has been an integral part of our growth," Ryan said. "They've supported us with sales and rentals, and they've been a great partner to have."

Earlier this year, Caterpillar announced its exclusive Centennial Edition series to mark 100 years of Cat machines. As the authorized Cat dealer in South Florida, Kelly Tractor Co. procured a limited number of these units to deliver to its most valued customers. Ryan Inc. was selected to receive the last unit on-hand — a distinction that cements the enduring relationship between Ryan Inc. and Kelly Tractor Co.

Ryan Inc. plans to deploy the Centennial D4 on a landmark change order for a district project, where it will help prepare the site for one of the largest pump installations in the area.

"The Kelly family have been great to work with over the years, and we very much appreciate having the opportunity to celebrate 100 years of Caterpillar," Ryan said.

The battleship grey Centennial D4 will immediately join Ryan's active fleet alongside hundreds of other yellow Caterpillar machines, continuing a partnership that has endured for decades.

This story also appears on Construction Equipment Guide.