July 1, 2025 – Caterpillar is turning 100 and Byers & Co is on location to celebrate! It’s part of WSOY’s Century Tour, also celebrating WSOY’s 100th Anniversary! The Decatur Plant is also celebrating its 70th anniversary and is hosting the world tour of an immersive exhibit for employees that celebrates Caterpillar’s first 100 years and showcases what is possible in the next 100 years. In addition, Caterpillar has announced a generous donation of $51,000 to the Northeast Community Fund. Listen to the podcasts below!
Decatur Facility Manager Gaurav Pareek joined Byers & Co to talk about celebrating Caterpillar’s 100th anniversary with the Centennial World Tour and how the facility marks 70 years of being in Decatur.
Lee Fosburgh has one of the coolest jobs at Caterpillar, working at the company’s archives in Mossville, Illinois, just a little north of Peoria. He joined Byers & Co to talk about the 70th anniversary of Caterpillar’s Decatur facility and its history.
Caterpillar’s Decatur facility manufactures some of the company’s biggest products… so big they often can’t leave the facility fully assembled because of their size. Supply Chain Director Jessica Wisher joined Byers & Co to talk about what the thousands of people who work at the facility are building.
100 years ago, two companies merged to form what we know today as Caterpillar. Caterpillar Corporate Archivist Lee Fosburgh takes Byers & Co back a century and tells us how it all started.
For 100 years, innovation has been at the core of Caterpillar’s hundreds of products. Caterpillar Senior Vice President Greg Hepler joined Byers & Co to discuss the latest in mining technology and how it’s helping Caterpillar mining customers be more successful using the products manufactured right here in Decatur. Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe also joined Byers & Co on location to help celebrate Caterpillar’s 100th Anniversary and the Decatur plant’s 70th Anniversary with a commemorative proclamation.
The Caterpillar Foundation made its first donation in 1952 in East Peoria, Illinois. Since that time, it has invested more than $975 million around the world to improve lives. Decatur Facility Manager Gaurav Pareek joins us to talk about how the Foundation impacts our Decatur community. In addition, Pareek announced a generous $51,000 donation to Northeast Community Fund as part of the Caterpillar World Tour stop!. In addition, Mark Denzler, President of the IL Manufacturers Association called in to congratulate Caterpillar on 100 years of manufacturing and innovation.
Caterpillar’s Decatur facility is made up thousands of people… each with unique stories. But you’d be hard-pressed to find someone more well-known in the facility than Sherley Tyus, who has worked in Decatur for more than 55 years. Her supervisor Josh Fritz also joined Byers & Co to talk about their employee experience.
Generations of families have worked for Caterpillar… including the Mooney family. In fact, for the last 70 plus years… there has always been someone from the Mooney family working in Decatur. Caterpillar’s Decatur Senior Manager Facilities Engineering Martin Mooney joined Byers & Co to talk about his family’s deep connection to the company.
Angel Lawrence of Northeast Community Fund, Mayor Julie Moore Wolfe and Dr. Juanita Morris, joined Byers & Co at Caterpillar to talk about the impact Caterpillar has had on the local community, the local economy and providing for local families, including Caterpillar Foundation’s generous donation of $51,000 to Northeast Community Fund to celebrate Caterpillar’s 100 years.
