North American Top Tech Finals

All of Devin's hard work and Top Tech challenges culminated with a trip to Indianapolis to compete in the finals. What a week we had as Cummins rolled out the red carpet.

Unfortunately, United Airlines did NOT roll out a red carpet. Or carpet of any kind. We were really disappointed with the service on our way to Indy - arriving at the airport at 8am to discover our flight was delayed which would cause us to miss our connecting flight in Washington. We stood in a huge line with other frustrated passengers as one employee slowly worked through the problems. This was, of course, while three other employees mingled in the self-check in area to help anyone that might have a problem. We were finally rerouted through Chicago and, again, we were delayed. So much so that we had to RUN to catch our connecting flight. We slid into our seats at the absolute back of the airplane, winded and sweaty. Then we sat on the tarmac for 90 minutes. What a day! We finally arrived in Indianapolis with no time to lose as we were headed to the opening reception.

The Cummins HQ building in downtown Indianapolis is new, sleek and modern. It was a beautiful spot to welcome everyone with fantastic food and a peek into what we had in store for the week. The thing that stuck with me during that opening night was when one of the men stated: "There are 3600 Cummins technicians in North America. There are 36 of you here tonight. You are the top 1% of this company." My husband is a 1%er! Who knew?

The next morning, Devin was picked up at the hotel at 6am for his day of testing. The ladies in the group had an easier morning as we left around 9am. They took us to the testing facility so we could get a glimpse at what the techs were up to. Then it was off for lunch and shopping in Little Nashville. It was a cute walkable town, but it was very hot so we were all exhausted by the time they took us back to the hotel!

Wednesday was jam packed with activities for both spouses as our group had completed the testing. We did a walking tour of the downtown - which was filled with interesting historical tidbits. We had lunch at a great restaurant and then headed off for the Rolls Royce museum and Lucas Oil Stadium - where the Colts play. It was a great day but we crisscrossed Indianapolis on foot and we were all tired and sweaty by the end of it! We flopped on the bed in our room when we returned and mindlessly watched a game show on the food network! That night we checked out a great paleo-inspired restaurant for dinner. They started us off with a shot glass of olive oil. It's apparently supposed to help satiate you and curb carbohydrate absorption. (or something like that) Sounded interesting so we gave it a try. Devin ordered veggie lasagna and I had chicken strips and sweet potato fries.

Thursday was probably the coolest day! We went to the Indy 500 track to watch them practice for the big race. Cummins has two suites, so we had to wear lanyards with our passes but had access to free food and drink, AC spot to relax, pit passes, etc. I have no idea about race cars but it was a really cool experience and when will we ever have that opportunity again!?!

Thursday evening was our last of the trip and time for the big reveal! We got fancied up and set off for the reception at Cummins HG. Unfortunately, Devin did not place in the top three but I was super proud of him for making it this far. Apparently the first engine he was tested on was a marine engine - which he's never been trained on or worked on. A disappointing way to start the competition as he was feeling defeated. I know he was disappointed with himself, but it was an incredible accomplishment to make it this far and, as I encouraged him, he will know what to expect for next year!