Douglas Sherwood, a data center team lead with CBRE, took home the championship after a multiple-day skills competition held during the BICSI Winter Conference and Exhibition.
BICSI
At BICSI's Annual Awards Banquet held February 5, Doug Sherwood, second from right, poses with his trophy and a check signifying his $5,000 prize for winning the 2025 BICSI Cabling Skills Challenge and being named Installer of the Year. Presenting the award to Sherwood are, from left, BICSI Board President-Elect William Foy, BICSI Board President David Richards, and BICSI Chief Executive Officer John Daniels.
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.
Douglas Sherwood
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.”
