BICSI Crowns Installer of the Year
BICSI named Douglas Sherwood its Installer of the Year for 2025, a title he earned by winning the Cabling Skills Challenge, an annual event held during BICSI’s Winter Conference and Exhibition. BICSI announced his victory as part of its awards banquet on Wednesday, February 5.
Sherwood is a data center team lead with CBRE. He beat 14 other competitors in the skills competition to win a $5,000 prize, a trophy, and a lifetime of bragging rights. Participants in the Cabling Skills Challenge must have earned one of BICSI’s Cabling Installation credentials—Installer 1, Installer 2, and/or Technician. Sherwood holds the Technician credential.
In a LinkedIn post on February 6, Sherwood recalled some of his strongest motivation heading into this year’s event. “Competing last year … and not being able to complete some events motivated me,” he said. “I studied, I bought materials, and I practiced events timing myself. My employers supported me and most of all, my family was there all the way as well.”
The Cabling Skills Challenge comprises 8 events:
- Structured cabling system installation
- Copper cable terminations/firestopping/grounding and bonding
- Fusion and mechanical splicing
- Cable assembly
- Cable troubleshooting/OTDR troubleshooting
- Fiber link testing
- Professionalism/orientation
- Competency exam
In his February 6 post, Sherwood added, “I again want to thank BICSI for this amazing conference. I thank David Richards for creating this event so installers and technicians can showcase their talents. A big thanks as well goes out to every judge that makes this event possible.”
