Patten Cat Power to Power Three Major Sport Events Simultaneously

Patten Cat Power Rental, a division of Chicago-area Caterpillar dealer Patten Cat, will power three major sporting events attended by several hundred thousand people at the same time next weekend. Patten will be providing power to the BMW PGA Golf Championship, the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago, and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at the same time between Sept. 14 and 20.

The BMW Championship will take place in the northern suburbs of Chicago, the Triathlon in the Grant Park area of downtown Chicago and the Sprint Cup Series in Joliet, Ill., in the southwestern suburbs. The three events collectively will require at least 122 generators between 20 and 2000 kW, supplying more than 17,350 kilowatts of power, more than 22 miles of cable, 58 air conditioners providing about 1,750 tons of cooling. To make sure everything flows smoothly, Patten will supply 12 technicians with a total of 179 years of experience, more than 140 years with Patten.

“It certainly is something we’ve never done before, but we are confident in our equipment and fleet, our knowledge and expertise, and the Patten Cat people to pull this off,” said Mike Madej, manager of Patten Cat Power Rental. “We think ist says something for these three great venues to put their trust in us. We’re excited to be involved with each and every one of them.

Patten will provide at least one generator from the 17 different sizes it carries, including 31 100 kW units, 25 30kW generators and 19 60 kW machines. Patten has close to 250 generators in its fleet, Madej told RER, but because more than 175 units are currently on rent to customers, Patten will re-rent about half of the units it will require for the “trifecta” from Caterpillar dealers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.

Each venue represents a different application for Patten Cat Power Rental services. The BMW Championship is relying on Patten Cat generators to support the entire event over the 209-acre Conway Farms Golf Course with the exception of the main clubhouse facilities. Also, Patten Cat will provide air conditioning units for merchandise tents, hospitality suites, the media tent and other temporary facilities as needed. The generators will also power all of the scoreboards around the course.

At the golf course, preparations took a month or more because the course constructed actual structures around the greens for suites, constructing floors with holes in them for ductwork. “When the air-conditioning units got there, we dropped them in and we connected the units up,” Madej said. “The suites are very high profile, with carpeting and glass, like a suite you’d find at a ballpark.”

The ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago presents mixed use of equipment over the large, diversified course. As part of the power system, Patten Cat will supply a twin-pack redundant generator power system for the television feed, thus preventing against the possibility of loss of coverage in case of first-line power failure. The Triathlon is particularly challenging since there is only a few days for set-up and everything must be dismantled the day after the event because of a Chicago Bears football game.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup will rely on Patten Cat for power in spectator-focused areas critical to the event’s success. Some of the races will be held in the evening, so Patten Cat will provide backup for lighting on the racetrack to ensure safety for the drivers in the event of a power outage.

Patten Cat has worked with the BMW Championship, formerly called the Western Open, for more than 20 years and has worked with the Chicagoland Speedway for 50 NASCAR events during the past 14 years.

Equipment is being transported from Patten Cat’s five locations, including its main power rental facility in Elmhurst, Ill., to the venues spread over a 60-mile radius.

“Patten Cat Power Rental has taken on some very demanding challenges in the past and each time we’ve risen to the challenge,” Madej said. “This is no different. Our goal is to be as seamless as possible and address any power hiccups that way occur. In a way, we like being behind the scenes so people have an enjoyable experience and never think once about the power or air-conditioning going down.”

Patten Cat, founded in 1933, is a major player in power generation and equipment rental, and is No. 66 on the RER 100.