It’s hard to say that a person exemplifies what it means to be a member of the Caterpillar team. Our team is so diverse, that it’s hard to pinpoint specific qualities. But Paul Blackburn comes pretty close!

Paul started his Caterpillar career as a student and spent the next 37 years learning and growing with the company. Early in his career, he held a variety of roles in quality. He held positions in Mexico, England and in the United States. And then he went to China to help establish our first manufacturing operations there when the country was barely on anyone’s radar. He had a foundation in quality that he carried with him everywhere he went. He was always willing to take on new challenges, even under very uncertain conditions. And along the way, he taught others. He was a tremendous resource and leader.

This is certainly a sad day, and we will all miss Paul. But he will be remembered. For all of us who had the opportunity to know him and work with him, we will remember him as a genuinely good person who also had a strong work-ethic and tremendous strategic-planning ability. And the entire Caterpillar team, whether you knew him or not, will be beneficiaries of the impressive work he’s done for the company over the course of his very successful career.

On behalf of Caterpillar, I extend our thoughts and prayers to the family, friends and co-workers of Paul.

Doug Oberhelman 
Catepillar Chairman & CEO