August 18, 2022 – The construction and aggregates industry trade press will see one of its most ardent supporters move on, after Sharon Holling of the Caterpillar Trade Press Relations team announced her retirement after serving more than 45 years with the company. Her help and dedication has been beneficial to me personally as a long-time aggregates industry editor, and I can state the obvious: she is truly going to be missed.
Sharon began her Caterpillar career in 1977 in Government and Corporate Affairs, holding several administrative assistant roles in both Governmental Affairs and Public Information. From 1987 to 1996 she worked in both Corporate Medical and OEM Solutions. Since 1997, Sharon has been an integral part of the Caterpillar Trade Press Relations team within Marketing & Brand, supporting internal marketing clients in both Construction Industries and Resource Industries. She advanced to the level of a Market Professional in 2011.
Throughout her trade press career, Sharon has gained the respect and admiration of her industry peers, especially those within the trade journalist community. She has supported these editors with NPI announcements, responses and interviews for editorial inquiries, and coordinating editor experiences at customer job site visits, industry and enterprise trade shows, and Caterpillar-hosted press programs.
Some key initiatives over the last 25 years include establishing Cat 101, an industry training program for newly hired editors to construction and mining publications; coordinating the 797 mining truck press launch, obtaining coverage from industry magazines, Car & Driver, and The New York Times; and hosting editors at Ground Zero in 2001, allowing them to experience first-hand the impact of Cat dealer and customer support and equipment in the early response efforts. In 2001, Sharon was chosen by senior editors with the Publications in Construction and Agriculture (PICA) as the “Public Relations Person of the Year,” exemplifying the best practices in media relations.
The industry won’t be the same without her.