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| Ahmed Al-Bayati Ph.D., P.E. Professor Lawrence Technological University Dr. Ahmed Al-Bayati is an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering at Lawrence Technological University (LTU). Before joining LTU, Dr. Al-Bayati was an assistant professor in the Kimmel School of Construction Management at Western Carolina University (WCU). He earned his Ph.D. in Construction Engineering from Western Michigan University in 2017. His dissertation focused on managing workforce diversity at construction sites to improve safety, quality, and teamwork. He also received a master’s degree in construction management from East Carolina University (ECU) in 2013, and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from Babylon University in 2003. He actively conducts research in the field of construction safety, specializing in safety climate and safety culture, safety training, safety management, and overall process optimization. Dr. Al-Bayati also conducts research on various topics of civil engineering, such as infrastructure damage prevention process and construction material. He used a variety of qualitative and quantitative data collection, data analysis, and data mining methods. Dr. Al-Bayati research findings have been published in the American Society of Civil Engineers’ (ASCE) Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, ASCE’s Journal of Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction, and National Safety Council’s Journal of Safety Research. Dr. Al-Bayati actively serves on the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Construction Safety Committee and International Damage Incident Group (IDIP). IDIP aim is to share ideas on how to develop an international exchange standard for underground utilities' damage prevention and reporting. 919-706-6592 aalbayati@ltu.edu | |
| Paul Andersen REA, STS, CHST, OWSI, CSHO Safety Professional OSHA Compliance Services, LLC Paul A. Andersen with 27 years as a Safety Professional holds several professional certifications and is a Registered Environmental Assessor (REA) and a former Associate Safety Engineer for Cal/OSHA’s High Hazard Unit. Mr. Andersen is considered a subject matter expert with Cal/OSHA Title 8 Standards, 29 CFR 1910, 29 CFR 1926 and 49 CFR 191 & 198 regulations. Mr. Andersen assisted California’s largest utility (PG&E) with creating a Contractor Safety Program, Damage Prevention Program and On-Boarding training specific to the Pipeline Safety Enhancement Program (PSEP). Prior to coming to work at PSHA Compliance Services, Mr. Andersen was an Associate Safety Engineer for Cal/OSHA’s High Hazard Unit. Mr. Andersen is a recognized subject matter expert in Excavation Safety and has expertise in both OSHA (Federal) and Cal/OSHA regulations. Mr. Andersen served a combined 27 years in the US Army, National Guard and Army Reserves, retiring in 2002 after serving a one-year call to active duty for Freedom Endeavor. Lieutenant Colonel (CA) Andersen returned to duty in 2005, serving as the Commandant of the California State Military Reserve’s Officer Candidate School for ten years, retiring in 2015. | |
| Jim Barron MD Underground Facilities Damage Prevention Authority | |
| Benjamin Berry Head of Product Urbint Benjamin Berry is the Head of Product at Urbint, an international enterprise software company that enables utilities and infrastructure operators to manage risk and increase resiliency through AI-powered solutions. | |
| 0 | Corey Biddle T2 Utility Engineers |
| Susan Bohl Executive Director Oklahoma One-Call / OKIE811 Susan has served in her role as Executive Director for 6½ years. Before coming to OKIE811, she was the Chief Operations Officer for Girl Scouts; Information Technology Director for the State of Oklahoma – Department of Human Services; Risk Information Manager for Fleming Companies; and for First National Bank of Midwest City. She has her Green Belt Certification in Lean Six Sigma, is a Certified Public Manager, and has completed the ITIL Certification. She serves on the board of the OKC Pipeliners Club and is a member of many industry organizations. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration & Computer Science from the University of Central Oklahoma. | |
| Jose Bohorquez Sr. President Bess Utility Solutions, Inc. Mr. Bohorquez has more than 25 years of experience in the Utilities Designation and Utility Location (Potholing) field. Mr. Bohorquez has been involved with Bess Testlab, Inc. since 1985. Mr. Bohorquez then purchased Bess Testlab, Inc. in March of 1995 and was appointed as President and CEO. Mr. Bohorquez is an expert in Ground Penetrating Radar for the designation of underground utilities. Mr. Bohorquez introduced to, Northern California, the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) technology in 1998 with a GSSI GPR unit which was utilized to perform “blind” underground utilities search and to locate non- conductive utilities made of PVC & clay materials. | |
| Dennis Bott Administrator, Damage Prevention Southwest Gas Dennis Bott started in our industry in 2000 working as a line locator. Later he was promoted into management and worked his way to Nevada / California State Director working for ELM until he left in 2015. Dennis moved on to work for the City of Mesa in AZ overseeing the city's locating program which involved 11 different facilities including power and natural gas. A short year later in 2016 Dennis was selected by Southwest Gas to fill the first Damage Prevention Administrator position in Southwest Gas. Dennis was voted in as a Board Member on the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance Board of Directors and voted in as the Vice Chair in 2019. He currently chairs the Education, Silver Shovel and Line locate Rodeo Committees. 702-232-8010 Dennis.bott@swgas.com | |
| Brittny Branaman Policy and Budget Manager California Dig Safe Board I am the Board's Policy and Budget Manager, responsible for the development of regulations implementing the Dig Safe Act of 2016 as well as non-regulatory standards required by the Legislature. I have been with the Board for nearly three years. Prior to working with the Board, I held several positions with CAL FIRE and the Office of the State Fire Marshal. 916-568-2988 Brittny.Branaman@fire.ca.gov | |
| John Brix International Keynote Speaker Before getting into the oil and gas industry I was a police officer for a major metropolitan city for over 13 years. During that time, I gained training and instructor certification from the FBI and various other institutions around North America. Through direct experience and formal training, I created a very innovative and progressive set of instructional philosophies which increases the efficiency of your safety program, reducing the cost of your safety program through the workable hours it takes to educate your workforce, increase the learning potential of workers and cultivates an emotionally intelligent culture that is productive, innovative and adaptive. info@johnbrix.org www.johnbrix.org | |
| Richard Broome Managing Director LSBUD Richard Broome MRICS FAAC is committed to driving the safety and efficiency of the UK safe digging industry through learning from international best practice and efficiencies, specialising in technological mapping solutions. He is the Managing Director of the LSBUD (Linesearch BeforeUdig) service in the UK helping protect over 90 asset owners by responding to over 2.8 million third party enquiries per annum. It is the only service in the UK based on the One Call principle, now protecting over 800,000km of assets across various sectors, from buried high pressure fuel pipelines less than 100km in length to electricity distribution networks covering hundreds of thousands of kilometres. His role includes consultation and networking with a wide variety of utility asset owners as well as all types of third parties from Statutory Undertakers to private individuals and Government organisations. Duties involve business development, marketing and industry awareness, networking and technological development. Richard is a fully qualified Chartered Surveyor, with experience across a variety of utility and property projects, including cross country high pressure fuel pipeline management dealing with a wide variety of third party works and major projects. Previous awards include the Pipeline Industries Guild Sir John Parker Presentation Competition and the National Joint Utilities Group Award for Avoiding Damage to Underground Assets. He leads the Data & Reporting Group of the Utility Strike Avoidance Group, producing the annual Utility Strike Report and increasing awareness of utility strikes across the UK. Phone Number: 00447918628986 Email: richard.broome@lsbud.co.uk Website: www.lsbud.co.uk Twitter: @LSBUD Linkedin: LinesearchbeforeUdig (LSBUD) | |
| Mark H. Bruce President Cross Bore Safety Association Mark graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering and has 45 years of experience in construction, manufacturing and services industries. He currently serves as President for the Cross Bore Safety Association and the Can Clay Corporation, Vice President for Hydromax USA and the Chairman of the ASTM C-12 Committee. He is also an active member of the ASCE 36-15 Committee as well as the ASTM C-04, D-20, F-17 and F-36 Standards Committees. Other career highlights reflect on his work as the Chairman of NASTT and the President of the National Clay Pipe Institute. Mark has U.S. patents on pipe design and his products have been used on five continents. He has twenty years of ISO 9001 quality system experience. He is a principal of a pipe inspection service company for gas distribution, sewer and water utilities with a strong focus on new technologies. Mark has authored articles in numerous publications and is a frequent presenter at conferences in the U. S. and internationally. Organizations, Current: ▪ President Cross Bore Safety Association ▪ Executive Vice President Hydromax USA ▪ Chairman of the ASTM C-12 Committee ▪ Member of ASTM C-04, D-20, F-17, F-36 Standards Committees ▪ Member of the ASCE 36 Committee Notable Career Highlights: ▪ Past Chairman of NASTT - North American Society for Trenchless Technology ▪ Past President of the National Clay Pipe Institute ▪ Past President of the Midwest Society of Trenchless Technology | |
| Tracey Bryant Manager - Damage Prevention & Public Awareness Vectren Tracey has 20 years’ experience in the utility industry and is the Public Awareness Program Manager with CenterPoint Energy. Her experience in pipeline safety focuses on regulatory compliance, damage prevention and public awareness. She is actively involved with the Common Ground Alliance and is a co-chair of the API task group to rewrite RP 1162, Pipeline Public Awareness Programs. tracey.bryant@centerpointenergy.com 317-776-5530 | |
| Mike Burnett Director of Remote Sensing Barr Air Patrol Mr. Burnett has been involved in the remote sensing industry for the past 22 years. He earned his Master’s in Natural Resources Science from The University of Rhode Island with an emphasis on GIS and remote sensing. His Master’s research focused on predicting plant biodiversity from abiotic GIS data layers and his thesis was subsequently published in the Journal of Conservation Biology. He’s held numerous remote sensing positions throughout his career. Mr. Burnett is currently the Director of Remote Sensing at Barr Air Patrol where he is responsible for working with customers to integrate new technologies into their ROW monitoring plan. | |
| Annie Burns VP Business Development & Strategic Alliances UTTO | |
| Karen Byers Damage Prevention Supervisor Marathon Pipeline | |
| Cheryl Campbell Executive Director Gold Shovel Association Cheryl Campbell has spent over 35 years in the energy industry, working in the interstate pipeline, midstream and utility sectors. Much of her recent work has been focused on safety and culture change – for employees, the public and contractors. She developed risk management, integrity management and ESG programs for a fortune 250 utility and was part of a leadership team that dramatically improved employee and public safety (4th to 1st quartile). Cheryl has worked at the national level as a member of the Gas Pipeline Advisory Committee, providing guidance to the Secretary of transportation on new pipeline safety regulations. She has also testified before a congressional subcommittee on pipeline safety prior to the passage of the pipeline safety act in 2016. She retired from Xcel Energy in 2018 as the Senior Vice President for Gas. Cheryl continues to be active in safety with her current work as the Executive Director of the Gold Shovel Association, focused on reducing damages to underground infrastructure. She also sits on the board of directors for Pacific Gas & Electric Company and chairs the Safety and Operations committee. She has previously served as the chair of the AGA Operations Managing Committee, as well as the boards for the Colorado Oil & Gas Association, Public Education & Business Coalition, Engineering Advisory Council and Building Opportunity through Leadership & Diversity. Cheryl holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Business from the University of Colorado at Boulder as well as a Master of Science in Finance with a minor in Management from the University of Colorado at Denver. She enjoys sailing, scuba diving, hiking, camping, reading and walking her dogs. | |
| 0 | Cesar Castillo NRCGA |
| 0 | Deanna Centurion President & Chief Strategy Officer Cyera Strategies A self-described analytical communicator, Deanna Centurion has more than 20 years of risk communication, stakeholder engagement and regulatory compliance experience. She created Cyera Strategies in 2006 to focus specifically on her passion for pipeline safety, deep understanding of code requirements and data-centric operational excellence. During her tenure in the oil, gas, utility, energy transportation and renewable energy sectors, Deanna has developed strong regulatory relationships and deep technical knowledge regarding pipeline system assets that enable her to identify impactful strategies that improve regulatory compliance, stakeholder relationships and operational excellence. Outside of her work with clients, Deanna is the co-chair for CGA’s Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee and is leading the API RP 1162 task team charged with recommending updates to the Effective Measurement section of the standard. Deanna has degrees in Journalism and Business from Indiana University and has completed certification coursework through the Gas Technology Institute, International Association for Public Participation and Harvard/MIT’s Dispute Resolution Program. Outside of work, Deanna spends time on her paddleboard and enjoys photography, film and food. An avid traveler, she logs miles around the world exploring and learning about different cultures with her husband and two kids. |
| Randy Charland Board Member California Dig Safe Board I have been the Director of Risk Management-California for Utiliquest, LLC since 2003 where I held several positions for the past 27 years, back when the company was known as Underground Technology, Inc. (UTI), including Underground Utility Locator, Field Supervisor, Branch Manager, District Manager, and Manager of Operations. 916-568-2988 Randy.Charland@fire.ca.gov | |
| Mel Christopher Gold Shovel Association | |
| AJ Clark Founder Omni Damage Prevention Allan (A.J.) Clark founded Omni Damage Prevention in 2018. Omni specializes in mapping unknown underground infrastructure and competency based technical training. Before founding Omni, A.J. served as U.S. Damage Prevention inspector for a major Liquids Pipelines operator for 6 years. In this role, he helped develop and implement a competency-based training program, served as Damage Prevention SME, and administrated the One Call ticket management program. From 2006 to 2012, A.J held several different roles in the pipeline survey industry on a variety of projects. A.J. firmly believes that the key to any successful Damage Prevention Program is effective communication between stakeholders. | |
| 0 | Jason Corsey Chief of Investigations California Dig Safe Board I specialize in investigations for the Dig Safe Board and am responsible for planning, organizing, and directing a statewide investigations program that conducts excavation accident investigations. I have been in the industry for over a year. Prior to working for the Board, I worked as a senior investigator with the California Department of Insurance. 916-926-1786 Jason.Corsey@fire.ca.gov |
| Denis Courchesne President & CEO Info-Excavation Denis Courchesne holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems Management from HEC business school of the University of Montreal. He began his career at Bell in 1976 where he held several senior positions. In 1993, while representing Bell, Mr. Courchesne became a member of the Board of Directors of Info-Excavation, and eventually was elected as the Board’s president, until his retirement from Bell in 2011, after a 35-year career. In 2012, he was appointed president and CEO of Info-Excavation, where he has implemented many new processes as well as cutting-edge technology, making Info-Excavation a leader in North America. | |
| Wylie Davidson Motivational Speaker and Presenter DiVal Safety Equipment Wylie Davidson is the Training and Culture Specialist, as well as a motivational speaker and presenter for DiVal Safety Equipment, located in Buffalo, NY. Wylie has been the Keynote or featured presenter at numerous national and regional accounts that include John Deere, Exxon, Kellogg’s, Georgia Pacific, NASA and Toyota as well as numerous national and regional conferences throughout the United States. Throughout his 20 years of safety and management experience, he has visited and toured hundreds of manufacturing plants and job sites that include virtually every aspect of industry, construction, municipality and utility. As a motivational speaker and safety trainer, Wylie has impacted thousands and has a unique ability to effectively deliver his message so it is relevant and personal for each attendee. (716) 710-3143 wdavidson@divalsafety.com www.divalsafety.com | |
| Nancy Davis Principal Davis Planning & Consulting, LLC Nancy is a trainer and facilitator specializing in board development and strategic planning. She enjoyed a 32-year career with facility owner Georgia Power Company, including managing a team with responsibility for compliance with the dig law. She served on the board of Georgia 811 for 11 years, including chair for two years. Her early career included time in training and development. Since taking early retirement from Georgia Power, Nancy has continued to invest in damage prevention and has assisted 811 centers in 16 states with board development and strategic planning. Education
Nancy is married and has two daughters and two grandchildren. She lived most of her life in Atlanta but now resides near Clemson, SC. When she’s not providing board training and facilitating strategic planning sessions, she enjoys Clemson football, walking/hiking, water sports, reading, cooking, volunteering in her community, and time with family and friends. (404) 513-5985 nancydavis811@gmail.com www.davisplanningandconsulting.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-davis-23b1b55?trk=people-guest_profile-result-card_result-card_full-click | |
| 0 | Troy De Souza Training Manager Sensors & Software, Inc. |
| 0 | Marjorie Del Toro Board Member California Dig Safe Board I am the president and CEO of ehs International, Inc., a nationally recognized company specializing in environmental health and safety education. Since 1997, my staff and I have created innovative safety education that brings an understanding of today's multi-generational workforce and growing technological advances to the construction industry. I have served on the Board since December of 2017, and currently sit on the Education Committee. 916-568-2988 Marjorie.DelToro@fire.ca.gov |
| Rob Douglas Eastern Operating Center - Sales Manager Badger Daylighting Corporation Robert Douglas has served as Eastern Operating Center - Sales Manager for Badger Daylighting since August of 2018. Mr. Douglas joined Badger in August of 2016 as Business Development Manager for the Central and Southern Indiana/Illinois and was promoted to Strategic Account Manager in early 2017. Prior to joining Badger Daylighting, Mr. Douglas was the Regional Sales Manager for Safety-Kleen a Clean Harbors Company, covering the Central United States. Mr. Douglas resides in Brownsburg, Indiana and offices at our US Corporate Office which is also located in Brownsburg. Badger Daylighting is North America’s leader in Hydrovac excavation. | |
| Bob Edwards Supervisor Water Operations Citizens Energy Group I have been protecting the integrity of the Water system in Indianapolis and its surrounding eight counties since 1978. I have worked in many different positions with the Water Industry during that course of 40 years. Currently I am a Supervisor in the Water Distribution area of Citizens Energy Group. My everyday task involves directing my team of eight System Inspectors who do leak investigations, leak surveys, damage investigations, job planning and scheduling for six maintenance crews, back checking all critical main locations our outside contractor does for us along with oversee of the contractor that locates our Water, gas and Sewer mains and services. I am very active with the Indiana 811 Council. Phone: 317-502-1063 Email: redwards@citizensenergygroup.com Website: www.citizensenergygroup.com | |
| Innes Fisher Founder / Specialist Utility Location Services Innes is the founder and Specialist – Utility Mapping at Utility Location Services, a New Zealand based professional utility mapping company.
A latecomer to the utility location space, Innes has not only built a successful business in New Zealand, but he is also playing a key role in moving the industry towards one recognised for professionalism and technical competency.
Innes likes to be first. He was the first New Zealander to hold a NULCA Australia Accreditation and the first Kiwi to be elected to the NULCA Australia Committee. He was also the first New Zealander be certified under the Australian Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) Certified Locator programme.
Innes is now the founding President of Nulca New Zealand. He consulted for the establishment of New Zealand’s beforeUDig Certified Locator programme, has published several articles on industry issues and speaks at regional and international damage prevention and utility location conferences.
Innes is passionate about utility location and damage prevention. He continues his dedication to improving the quality of the utility location industry in New Zealand through his involvement at a national level. | |
| Ed Flowers Lead Manager, Western Region Badger Daylighting Corporation Ed Flowers has represented Badger Daylighting Corporation for over six years as a lead manager specializing in providing subsurface utility verification solutions throughout the Western Region. Ed has contributed his keen understanding of safe excavation practices to various CGA Regional Partner, Engineering, and Contractor initiatives by promoting cost-efficient solutions that address the dangers associated with underground construction. While constantly being educated with new innovative technologies to better serve the ever-changing infrastructure associated with utilities. Constantly involved in education of technology trends facing the utility industry. A strong believer in safety, in and around, utility facilities. Constant educating of contractors on the positive impact Badger delivers in mitigating risks associated with construction in and around utility assets. Responsible for delivery of quality and effective solutions involving production, and cost savings while keeping infrastructure safe. | |
| Nicole Garrett Manager - SMS & Quality Assurance MDU Nicole is the Manager of Safety Management Systems (SMS) and Quality Assurance (QA) at Montana Dakota Utilities Group (MDUG). She is responsible for the development and implementation of the SMS & QA programs for the eight-state service territory of MDUG. Nicole has spent five years in the utility industry focused on: SMS development & implementation; risk management; and process improvement. Nicole has a degree in Accounting from Butler University and is a licensed CPA. Prior to entering the utility industry, Nicole worked in public accounting with a focus on financial audit. Originally from the Midwest, Nicole and her family now live in Boise, ID. | |
| Ed George Technical Manager DigSafe Ed George has 35 years’ experience in product and business development, across the retail, agricultural and construction sectors. In 2009 he joined Australian manufacturer Tapex to create a plastics product stewardship program. In 2013, Tapex acquired Boddingtons, a manufacturer of marking tape systems. Ed headed up the new Infrastructure and Safety division, scouring the world for the best product solutions in Excavation Safety to augment the existing range. In 2018 this division was rebranded “DigSafe” and incorporated into Polyfabrics, a construction supplies business owned by the Tapex Group. He has work with utilities over the last 6 years to create solutions to prevent 3rd party strikes on buried infrastructure. The team have grown DigSafe into the leading supplier of damage prevention solutions in Australia & New Zealand.
Note: Ed is an experienced presenter and an accredited toastmaster. | |
| Brian Grim Manager of Training and Development Ditch Witch Brian Grim has more than three decades of experience working within the Ditch Witch organization. He began his career in 1988 at Ditch Witch of Central California before moving to Perry, Oklahoma, to work at the manufacturing facility as a Regional Manager in 1994. Grim is currently the Manager of Training and Development, where he is responsible for managing all the training at Ditch Witch, including Sales, and Parts and Service, as well as customer and online training. Grim was instrumental in developing Ditch Witch Certified Training and the Jet Trac Simulator, as well as several other new and innovative online training modules. | |
| Kathy Gruver PhD, LMT, CHt Speaker, Author, Coach Kathy Gruver, PhD has graced stages on four continents (including 2 TEDx), three cruise ships and a handful of islands. Her combination of humor, performance background, real life experience and formal education makes her a well-rounded, in-demand speaker. She hosts the TV show based on her first book, The Alternative Medicine Cabinet and has earned her PhD in Natural Health. Dr. Gruver is the twelve-time award-winning author of seven books including, Conquer Your Stress, Workplace Wellness, Conquer your Stress at Work, and Journey of Healing. She has studied mind/body medicine at the famed Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Harvard, and has been featured as an expert in numerous publications including Glamour, Fitness, Time, WebMD, Prevention, Huffington Post and Dr. Oz’s The Good Life, and has appeared on over 250 radio & TV shows including Lifetime, NPR, CBS Radio and SkyNews London. In 2015 she had the privilege of creating a stress reduction program for the US Military and has been studying psychology and human behavior her entire life. She is also the co-host of the new Fire and Earth Podcast. For fun and stress relief Gruver does hip hop and flying trapeze. drkathygruver@gmail.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/kathygruver http://www.twitter.com/klgruver | |
| Jonathan Gyllenram Chief App Software Developer | |
| Alan Haddy President UTTO | |
| Sam Hall Senior Program Manager Office of Pipeline Safety; PHMSA Sam Hall is a Senior Program Manager for the Office of Pipeline Safety in the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). Sam supports a variety of PHMSA initiatives, including implementation of the one-call law enforcement rule, enhancing public awareness, and the contract between PHMSA and CGA. Sam began working with PHMSA in 1998 in support of the National Pipeline Mapping System. | |
| Chapman Hancock Product Manager, Vacuum Excavators Ditch Witch Chapman Hancock has more than 10 years of experience in the construction industry and directional drilling industries. Hancock has served in a variety of roles throughout the Ditch Witch organization, including serving as a downhole tooling engineer and product and market analyst. Currently the Ditch Witch vacuum excavation product manager, he works to identify the challenges and needs of vacuum excavation customers globally and provide industry solutions. He received a degree in medical engineering from Oklahoma State University. | |
| Jim Hayes President Fiber Optic Association Jim Hayes has been involved in the fiber optic industry over 40 years. He founded the world's second fiber optic test equipment company, FOTEC, in 1980 and started training fiber techs in 1982. In the 1990s, he ran the Fiber U training conferences and was a co- founder of the Fiber Optic Association, the international professional society of fiber optics. Jim currently serves as president of the FOA, is the author of six books on fiber optics and cabling and writes for several magazines. Jim and his wife Karen manage the FOA, helping set up schools around the world to train the workers who design, build and operate today's communications networks. | |
| Kelley Heinz Damage Prevention Manager ComEd Kelley has worked with ComEd for 23 years. She started with the company as a Meter Reader and then went into SSG where she trenched and installed underground facilities. She became a New Business Supervisor overseeing the design and installation of new residential and commercial services before moving into Damage Prevention where she has been the last 17 years. She's currently the Senior Claims Case Manager and Damage Prevention Manager for ComEd and supervises as well as trains all employees new to the Claims Department. 630-333-2231 Kelley.heinz@comed.com | |
| David Heldenbrand President Bison Engineering Mr. Heldenbrand is a licensed Professional Engineer and a Certified Fire Investigator. He has a BA in Environmental Biology (1972) and a BS in Civil and Environmental Engineering (1978). He has investigated over 1700 natural gas and propane related fires and explosion related incidents in the past thirty-four years. There have been numerous fires and explosions that Mr. Heldenbrand has investigated where soil gas migration has been involved or possibly involved in the incident. He developed a particular interest in this subject matter because testing that was conducted many years ago showed inconsistencies with traditional theories. He has personally conducted numerous bar-hole surveys after an incident and has been involved in several testing programs that have revealed some very interesting results. From investigations and testing programs, Mr. Heldenbrand saw that large flow rates were possible where gas explosions were experienced and questioned the odor scrubbing capabilities of soil at these large flow rates. Mr. Heldenbrand has been a licensed Professional Engineer since 1982. He is licensed in Texas and several other states. He was district engineer for a natural gas transmission company and has conducted forensic investigations of natural gas and propane related incidents for the past thirty-four years. He has testified in both state and federal courts across the country. Mr. Heldenbrand is also a Certified Fire Investigator by the International Association of Fire Investigators (IAAI). These qualifications bring particular insight into this subject matter. Mr. Heldenbrand has given presentations on the subject of soil gas migration as it relates to gas fires and explosions. He has given presentations to the American Gas Association, Louisiana Gas Association, the Western Regional Gas Conference, International Association of Fire Investigators, the Common Ground Alliance and other groups over the past five years. Mr. Heldenbrand has also presented to the Natural Gas Odorization Conference in 2019. The subject matter being the effects of soil gas migration and odor scrub as it relates to fires and explosions. 281-787-3000 dave@bisonengineering.com | |
| Kevin Hennessy Public Utility Commisision of Oregon | |
| Richard D. Holzheimer Jr. Partner McGuireWoods LLC Rick concentrates his litigation practice in construction, commercial litigation, government contracting, financial services, and real estate. He has significant experience in business litigation matters, eminent domain, government contracting, intellectual property, products liability, healthcare, and land use. He has litigated cases throughout the United States with significant experience in the state and federal courts of Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. Rick has represented clients in all aspects of the construction industry including owners, contractors, subcontractors, and design professionals. He has represented various energy clients on their litigation matters. Rick also completed a secondment as in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 energy company where he handled litigation and real estate matters. In business, Rick has provided all level of services including advice, strategy, litigation, and settlement negotiations. In the area of business litigation, he has a broad range of experience that includes contract disputes, trade secrets, financial services disputes, employment litigation, government contracting, products liability, easement issues, successor liability, zoning issues, patent litigation, defamation, and licensing matters. Rick was recognized for helping his client obtain one of the largest settlements in Virginia for that year. Rick is an active member of the community. He is President of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia. Rick previously was chair of the Circuit Court Committee of the Fairfax Bar Association. Rick supported the business community as a board member for the Dulles Area Chamber of Commerce and for the Asian American Chamber of Commerce. He was also a board member of the University of Virginia’s Asian and Asian Pacific American Alumni Network. He is also a member of Leadership Fairfax, Inc., an organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Fairfax County through public service. Rick further served his community as a member and chairman of the Board of Directors of Second Story (previously Alternative House), an emergency shelter for run-away teens, young mothers, and at-risk youth. | |
| Jerry Hoover Director of Sales & Marketing Badger Daylighting Corporation Jerry Hoover has served as Director of Sales & Marketing for Badger Daylighting since September 2019. Mr. Hoover joined Badger in October of 2017 as Strategic Account Manager for the Rocky Mountain Region, and served as Sales Manager for Badger’s Central Operating Center from August 2018 to September 2019. Badger Daylighting is North America’s leader in Hydrovac excavation. Prior to Joining Badger, Mr. Hoover was Director of Marketing for Eagan, Minnesota based Factory Motor Parts, the nation’s largest privately held auto parts distributor. Previous to this, Mr. Hoover was Vice President of Retail Purchasing, Merchandising and Advertising for Midwest Auto Parts Distributors, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mr. Hoover resides in Denver, Colorado. | |
| Darcy Hurlock Cable Locate Support Centre Operations Telus Darcy currently manages the Cable Locate Support Centre within TELUS, covering locates of all TELUS buried facilities from British Columbia to Ontario. He is also the Chair of the Alberta Common Ground Alliance and participates in many other consortiums and associations related to damage prevention. | |
| Jack Jackson Senior Consultant SafeStart William “Jack” Jackson attended Lincoln University where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical Technology and was a 3 year letterman on the university’s football team. While attending Lincoln he completed Basic Training in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Rockbridge Seminary. Jack’s experience has given him the ability to relate to any audience. His career included working in production, operations and safety at Johnson Controls for 19 years, followed by seeing Avanzar Interior Technologies through the safety phase of new construction. In addition to developing a safety program, he also developed a conditioning program to prepare team members to become industrial athletes. Coach Jack as he is affectionately known, worked with two semi-professional football teams for 6 years and was named NAFL defensive coordinator of the year 2003. Jack used his experience on the field to develop a safety concept that teaches participants of his courses that “safety is always first.” | |
| Marshall Johnson Board Member California Dig Safe Board I have been an area manager for network process, quality compliance, and damage prevention at AT&T since 2000. Prior to that, I held several positions at Pacific Bell from 1979 to 2000, including area sales manager, area development manager, marketing center manager, revenue advisor, and account executive. I was appointed to the Board in 2018 and serve on the Education and Power Tools in the Tolerance Zone Committees. 916-568-2988 Marshall.Johnson@fire.ca.gov | |
| Greg Johnston Manager, Academic & Research Sensors & Software Greg has an honours BSc in geophysics in 1988 from the University of Western Ontario. He joined Sensors & Software in 1992 and his responsibilities have included data acquisition and post-processing software development for GPR systems, customer training, technical support, and technical sales. In more than 25 years with Sensors & Software, Greg has trained customers on GPR in more than 45 countries. He is currently Market Manager for the Academic & Research market, promoting pulseEKKO® PRO, NOGGIN®, SPIDAR® and custom systems as well as the EKKO_Project™ GPR processing software. | |
| Courtney Jordt Senior Damage Prevention Specialist Pacific Gas & Electric Company Courtney Jordt is a Senior Damage Prevention Specialist for Pacific Gas & Electric Company, working in San Ramon, California. Courtney has worked in Public Awareness for the past five years and is responsible for ensuring compliance of the company’s Pipeline Public Awareness Plan, the execution of over 20 annual gas safety outreach activities, ongoing reporting for internal and external partners and actively participates in various industry associations. Courtney received her B.S. in Business, with a management concentration, from Sonoma State University. | |
| Tony Jorgenson Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. | |
| Jai Kalayil Supervising Engineer Chicago Department of Transportation Over 20 years of combined experience in the Management of the Office of Underground Coordination (OUC), 811 Chicago/DIGGER (Chicago Utility Alert Network), One call law Enforcement and Project Coordination Office (PCO) and Construction Management of public way. Proven ability to coordinate and manage the utility involvement of public and private construction projects and their permitting process. | |
| Clint Kalfel Montana 811 | |
| Tom Karnowski VP, Environmental, Health Safety USIC Tom joined the USIC team in 2016, after eight years with Granite Services, a GE affiliate. At Granite, Tom held various leadership roles, including Global EHS Director, Global Training Director and Field Operations Leader. Prior to Granite, Tom served on active duty as a US Navy submarine officer achieving fleet excellence awards in nuclear engineering and Chief Engineer from 1998-2008. He remains in service as a drilling reservist and was awarded a Joint Meritorious Service Medal and the Military Outstanding Volunteer Medal for his service in Afghanistan Operation Enduring Freedom 2012-2013. Tom holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame. | |
| Andy Karsten Field Operations Manager McCarthy Building Companies | |
| Walt Kelly Kelly Enterprises Walt presently serves as an expert witness in underground facility damage lawsuits. He was Director of the Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety and Vice Chair of the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives before working as a consultant to PHMSA to help develop a program to protect pipelines from damage by excavation that evolved as the Common Ground Alliance. He has called 12,000 One-Call tickets in 16 states for Fiber Optic Cable installation. | |
| 0 | George Kemp VP of Safety & Quality Assurance MetroNet George Kemp is VP of Safety & Quality Assurance for MetroNet. MetroNet is a 100% Fiber Optic Company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana. It is a customer-focused company providing cutting-edge fiber optic communication services. George obtained undergraduate degrees in Electrical Engineering and Physics and a doctoral degree in Human Behavioral Studies. He is honored to serve on Indiana 811’s board of directors and serve as chairman of their Damage Prevention Committee. George is the current secretary for the NTDPC. He has also had the honor of speaking on damage prevention at gas association meetings including the AGA. When you first meet George, you come to realize he is passionate about Damage Prevention. Better communication among stakeholders and working together as a team are George’s key themes that he continues to emphasize. |
| Mike Klonsinski President Berntsen International Mike Klonsinski is president of Berntsen International. With more than two decades of executive leadership in manufacturing and tech organizations, Klonsinski focuses the company’s 50 years of boundary and infrastructure marking expertise on creating smart marking technology. Its InfraMarker® solution puts precise locating and asset management in the palm of your hand. Incorporating RFID, GPS, magnetic locating and cloud asset management, InfraMarker gives a real-time view of buried assets. | |
| Christopher Koch President ZoneOne Locating Christopher Koch is the owner and President of ZoneOne Locating. With over 20 years’ experience in damage prevention, he is frequently called to provide expert testimony in legal cases. As a member of Nulca's executive board including terms as Secretary, Vice-President, and President, he helped shape the professional competency standard for locators. He is a regular contributor to Damage Prevention Professional and co-author of the book, Locating Buried Utilities - A Professional Approach. Koch holds a BES from St. Cloud State University and a graduate certificate in Human Resource Management.
Phone: (763) 682-0206 | |
| Jason Kohll CEO Professional Sports Partners Born in Omaha, Jason developed a passion for sports & entertainment at a young age. He parlayed that passion into a career that has developed him into one of the most dynamic leaders in the sports marketing industry. Right from the opening kick of co-founding Professional Sports Partners (PSP), the company has become a dominant force in Texas, and is growing into a national brand that changes the way sports marketing is done. PSP offers clients a unique opportunity to dominate market share in their category by connecting with sports fans who are extremely loyal to their team and the brands that support them. Consequently, their roster of clients and fans has grown steadily. PSP has over 25 clients across the country including BBVA, the past three NCAA Men’s Final Four’s, Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, Mattress Firm, the Texas Rangers, Coaches vs Cancer, Protective Life, Toyota and Creighton, to name a few. Before launching PSP, Jason was VP of Corporate Development for the Houston Rockets, overseeing all aspects of contract negotiations, asset development, promotion and customer service. Jason earned his degree in Sports Management from Nebraska Wesleyan University and now resides in Houston with his wife, Stephanie, and sons, Hayden and Drew. | |
| Terri Larson APR, MBA Principal Larson Communications & Consulting Terri has nearly 30 years of experience working in public relations, media relations, internal communication, crisis communication, community engagement, pipeline public awareness programs, and in the broadcast and print news media. Formerly a member of Enbridge's senior leadership team, where she counseled business unit and corporate executives on communication- and engagement-related issues and developed and implemented an Enterprise approach for pipeline public awareness programs, she is now principal of Larson Communications & Consulting. Terri supports clients on their communication needs, crisis response programs, community engagement on new pipeline projects, and on their public awareness programs and evaluation of program effectiveness. She currently chairs the team tasked with revising API Recommended Practice 1162, which provides guidance to pipeline operators regarding their required pipeline public awareness programs. | |
| Jeff Law Vice President of Technical Services KorTerra, Inc. Jeff Law has over 20 years of software design/development and damage prevention industry experience. As Vice President of Technical Services at KorTerra, Jeff plays a vital role in continually adapting and enhancing One Call ticket management software to streamline all organizational functions. Jeff is an active member in the industry through his participation on industry committees and by providing various educational presentations on damage prevention technologies and best practices. His passion for improving utility damage prevention products and services drives him to continually expand his knowledge and expertise. Jeff Law has two degrees, a Bachelor of Accounting and a Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in Management Information Systems and Computer Science, both of which he received from the University of Minnesota. jlaw@korterra.com (952) 368-1911 | |
| Dan Lorenz Joe Knows Energy Dan is Passionate about Helping Leaders Lead.
Joe Knows provides staffing, consulting and technology services for companies who want to become High Performance, in industries where Front Line Professionalism and Leadership is essential. As founder and managing member of Joe Knows, Dan Lorenz oversees all aspects of the business.
Prior to founding Joe Knows, Dan founded and led contracting, service, training and development businesses. Over 20+ years these businesses grew to operate in 9 locations in a multi-state region. “Over the years, we have tried to grow our businesses profitably. What I have learned is that-Achieving High Performance, is Hard. We focused on developing our systems and processes. This was good, but we should have focused on our People systems and processes first, with a focus on front line professional and leadership development.”
Throughout his more than 30 years of industry experience and company ownership, Dan has exemplified his commitment to excellence, safety, on-time project completion and team success to ensure client satisfaction.
Dan has also been awarded the E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year twice and is a Cornerstone Award winner for leadership in the commercial construction industry.
Other insights
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| Mark Lyle Director of Franchise and Diversity Partnerships Badger Daylighting Mark Lyle is Director of Franchise and Diversity Partnerships with Badger Daylighting. Mr. Lyle has 27 years of oil and gas and utility related experience. He has worked with Badger for 19 years. Mark has held various operational positions including Regional Manager and Vice President Western Canada. In addition, Mark has helped grow the market for non-destructive excavation in both Canada and the US with different business development roles including Sales Manager, Director Pipeline Market Segment, and Director of Business Development. Mark has participated on various committees to develop hydrovac guidelines and best practices. Mr. Lyle holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Calgary, Alberta. | |
| Jeff Lyons Founding Partner & Director of Platform Innovations Builterra With over 25 years of experience in the municipal and land development sector, Jeff Lyons is dedicated to creating innovative software solutions for the civil and utility engineering industry. As founding partner of AEC Solutions, Inc. (Builterra.com), Jeff and his team have reinvented the traditional construction contract administration process for clients including AECOM, WSP, GHD, Cardno/T2 Utility Engineers, Wood and over 25 public sector clients in Canada. Phone Number: 289-928-8676 | |
| Scott A. Macomber Vice President, Loss Control Utility Operations AEGIS Insurance Services, Inc Scot is responsible for managing the AEGIS Loss Control Division’s Utility Operations Section, which provides utility and related energy companies with a wide variety of products, services and programs that help improve their operations and reduce their overall long-term cost of risk. Scot has worked with hundreds of US and Canadian natural gas utilities for the past 20 years, conducting operational risk assessments, providing consulting and training services on loss control and safety issues. Prior to joining AEGIS, Scot served 27 years at New Jersey Natural Gas Company with responsibilities in system engineering and operations, technical services, gas supply, and distribution field services. Scot designed NJNG's first computer-aided dispatch system, implemented cost savings and productivity improvements, operated a LNG facility, and represented the company on carbon monoxide issues and programs at both the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and local media programs. Scot is a Certified Gas Engineer (CGE). He is also a member of American Society of Safety Professionals, a member and past chairman of the AGA Utility and Field Customer Service Committee, and a past member of the Society of Gas Operators Scot graduated from Georgian Court University and holds a B.S. in Business Administration. | |
| Bruce Magee Region Product Development Manager United Rentals Trench Safety Bruce Magee is a Region Product Development Manager for United Rentals Trench Safety, specializing in training support for key customers across North America. He has held various branch, district and regional positions in his 40 years in the field of industrial equipment distribution. In the last 25 years with United Rentals, he has specialized in trench and excavation work. He has delivered more than 380 OSHA Competent Person Classes to thousands of people in the underground construction industry. He has presented on the safety requirements of both Trench/Excavation and Confined Space at more than 100 engineering conferences and seminars throughout the country and has provided training to OSHA compliance officers in numerous states. He regularly speaks on these topics to trade associations, engineering firms, construction companies, student groups and safety professionals across the US and Canada. 225-938-6228 bmagee@ur.com | |
| Diana Manteria Lead Specialist, Stakeholder Engagement New York 811 Diana Manteria is the Lead Specialist in the Stakeholder Engagement Team within Pipeline Safety Management at National Grid. With over a decade of experience Diana has successfully created new damage prevention initiatives in Downstate NY. She has presented to several stakeholder groups to spread awareness of damage prevention and safe digging practices. She is on the Board of the New York 811 CGA Regional Partner Committee and leads several sub-committees. Prior to her current position Diana was responsible for natural gas sales to commercial and industrial customers. Diana is on the Board of Directors for Hands Together New York, a Not-for-Profit organization that is dedicated to assisting the local community and focuses on helping those struggling with hunger or homelessness. In her spare time, Diana enjoys playing the piano. diana.manteria@nationalgrid.com http://linkedin.com/in/dianamarascomanteria9379222a http://twitter.com/DianaMarasco | |
| 0 | Tony Marino Executive Officer California Dig Safe Board I am responsible for directing the development of regulations implementing the Dig Safe Act of 2016 as well as non-regulatory standards required by the legislature. I have been in the industry for over three years. Prior to working for the Board, I worked for Senator Jerry Hill who drafted the Dig Safe Act of 2016, and was responsible for helping develop the language and conducting industry research prior to the bill being drafted. 916-568-2988 Tony.Marino@fire.ca.gov |
| 0 | Christopher McDermott Director, Construction & Engineering AT&T Chris McDermott is responsible for the engineering, construction, and maintenance of the AT&T National Long-Haul Fiber Network and well as AT&T’s Local Fiber Build program executing optical construction in support of the Fiber To The Building, Ethernet To The Cell Site, and DirecTV MDU initiatives in AT&T’s out of franchise regions & territories. Mr. McDermott has been with AT&T for 32 years and has extensive experience in marketing, labor relations, network engineering & operations, and center management. He is a board member of New York 811, Inc. and is Chairman of the North American Telecommunications Damage Prevention Council. Chris holds a BS from the University of Delaware and an MBA from Seton Hall University. He resides in Naperville, IL. |
| Cliff Meidl Motivational Safety Speaker, Spokesperson and 811 Ambassador Cliff Meidl Enterprises, LLC Cliff has inspired audiences across North America promoting the importance of safe digging and partnering as spokesperson with several statewide 811 Call centers and industry stakeholders. Spreading the awareness of safety and safe digging practices is a very important message Cliff shares. While working on a construction site at 20 years of age Cliff jackhammered into three live buried power lines and nearly lost his life and legs. He made a miraculous comeback battling through a strenuous rehabilitation process and went on to make two US Olympic Teams ten years after his accident. Cliff received the ultimate honor- he was chosen to be the flag bearer at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Cliff is a spokesperson for One Calls of America and the OSHA training Institute Dominguez Hills University in Southern California. Cliff earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and has an MBA from the University of Southern California. | |
| Erich Metzger Director of Safety and Quality Charge EPC Erich Metzger is the Sr. Director of Safety & Quality at Charge, an underground utility design-build construction company. In this role, it is his mission to establish a positive safety culture and implement programs that will aggressively reduce risks for job site injuries while improving the quality of the work produced. His team leads the company in the areas of safety, quality assurance, compliance, and training. | |
| Jason Montoya P.E. Pipeline Safety Bureau Chief New Mexico Public Regulation Commission Jason was born and raised in Roswell and has served as the Pipeline Safety Bureau Chief at the New Mexico Public Regulation Commission since 2010 and was recently appointed Chief of Staff in January 2019. He graduated from New Mexico State University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering and currently holds a professional engineer license in New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas. Jason is an active member of the New Mexico Regional Common Ground Alliance; New Mexico Utility Contractor’s Association; New Mexico Gas Association; currently National Past-Chair, former National Chair and Southwest Region Chair of the National Association of Pipeline Safety Representatives; and is a New Mexico 811, Inc. advisory board member. Prior to joining the Commission, Jason worked for a private consulting firm in Arizona and New Mexico. Jason is a qualified Category I Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration inspector; has provided several depositions and testimonies as a NM excavation law expert witness; and his areas of expertise are in, pipeline safety, excavation damage prevention, and utility coordination. During his “limited” spare time, Jason spends quality time with his family, coaching youth sports, playing golf, basketball and football. | |
| 0 | Michelle Moreria Polyfabrics |
| Otre Mousse Director Otrem Engineering P/L Otre worked in Telstra damage minimisation section (Network Integrity) from 1999 to 2013, investigating major damages to Telstra’s copper and optical fibre cables and is often called as an expert witness in court for many related underground network damages. Otre is a civil engineer with a honours degree from UNSW and has a complete understanding of the DBYD service and damage minimisation. He has been attending field days and trade shows with DBYD NSW/ACT since 1999. At present, Otre runs the DBYD NSW/ACT seminars and training sessions for the industry. Phone Number: 04 0827 9226 Email: otremoussa@bigpond.com | |
| 0 | Bob Nighswonger President Utility Training Academy, Inc. (UTA) |
| Sundar Paramasivan Project Manager Infrastructure Resources Sundar is a dynamic professional with 2 years of experience in the underground damage prevention industry. He is a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) with a Master’s degree in International Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Sundar joined Infrastructure Resources in 2017, and he’s currently responsible for setting up projects in MS Project, monitoring progress of projects, allocating resources, and optimizing company processes & procedures. He is also actively involved in building the Emerging Damage Prevention Leaders Group – a professional group for young professionals of utility damage prevention industry. | |
| Jordan Partlow Client Solutions Manager Blood Hound, LLC Jordan is a proud Veteran Employee at BHUG, having served 5 years as a U.S. Army Combat Engineer. His extensive history in contract public and private locating paired with gas-specific pipeline safety experience make him a unique and valuable asset to the Blood Hound team and our Gas clients. Jordan is a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and the primary point of contact for our Eastern Region. | |
| Alec Pestov CEO vGIS Alec Pestov is an accomplished productivity expert and startup specialist with interests in visualization and GIS technologies. His past experiences include 20 years of global management consulting and several senior management roles in multiple industries. At vGIS, he leads the company’s innovative augmented reality visualization platform for GIS data. vGIS’s product portfolio includes a visual GIS platform and an array of custom mixed reality applications designed for Microsoft HoloLens. Currently, vGIS is an award-winning partner of Esri and Microsoft, and a recipient of the ESRI Partner Award (2019) and Microsoft Partner of the Year Finalist two years running (2019, 2018). vGIS is currently deployed to visualize infrastructure by more than 80 clients globally. Phone Number: 416.939.5449 Email: alec.pestov@vgis.io | |
| Matthew Peterson | |
| Ron Peterson President Ron Peterson Consulting In addition to providing utility locating training services, damage prevention and investigation services as owner of Ron Peterson Consulting, LLC, Ron has held the position of Executive Director of Nulca since 2009. Ron’s background includes over 25 years of experience in the underground utility industry and he is certified as a fiber optics technician and a fiber optics specialist. Ron is dedicated to damage prevention and improving safety within the industry. He is a founding member of the Missouri Common Ground, and sits on the PHMSA Damage Prevention Roundtable. He has served on numerous committees for the CGA, as well as the Central Texas Damage Prevention Committee and the Common Ground of Iowa. He has won numerous awards for his efforts, including NUCA Associate of the Year and Most Valuable Member of the CGA. | |
| Craig Potts Public Engagement Coordinator Marathon Pipeline LLC Craig Potts is a Public Engagement Coordinator for Marathon Pipe Line LLC. In his position, Craig is responsible for communicating pipeline safety messages to various external stakeholders. He has been in his current position for 19 years. Craig previously served as the chairman of the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Public Awareness Group. He is also a member of the CGA Educational Programs Committee and Drain Tile Safety Coalition. Craig has a master’s degree in Public Policy Administration from the University of Missouri-St. Louis. | |
| Jim Proszek Shareholder Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. | |
| Dominic Puiu General Manager Dial Before You Dig NSW/ACT | |
| Tracy Pursell VP Tier 1 Sales Blood Hound, LLC Tracy Pursell is a graduate of DePauw University with a 35-year legacy in Sales, Operations and Leadership. Tracy has spent the past 6 years advocating for Private Utility Safety & Awareness with State One-Call Centers, Common Ground Alliance and National Utility Companies as Vice President for Blood Hound. Tracy is an Indiana Native and is an active Board Member for the Indiana Subcontractors Association and Construction Family Assistance Foundation as well as the Co-Chair for NIPSCO Contractor Safety Committee. | |
| Cesar Quiroga Ph.D., P.E. Texas Transportation Institute of Texas A&M University | |
| Derek Reeve General Manager, Southwest Division Future Infrastructure Services Derek Reeve is the General Manager of the Southwest Division of Future Infrastructure Services, a Horizontal Directional Drilling and Open Trenching Contractor specializing in Dry Utility Construction.
Derek has worked in the construction industry for 25 years and has a degree in Construction Management. Derek has also developed and implemented numerous programs that have assisted in the Nevada Future Infrastructure Team being awarded the NRCGA Silver Shovel Award in 2019. He believes that through innovative ideas, a strong safety culture and training, the risks of damage to existing facilities can be significantly reduced. | |
| Cheryl Ritter National Marketing Director Construction Angels Cheryl Ritter is a damage prevention and safety professional with more than 30 years’ experience in the construction and 811 industries. Cheryl held the position of Damage Prevention Manager for 21 years for Sunshine 811 with statewide responsibilities for public relations, marketing and strategy development for the Call 811 Before You Dig safety message until retiring in May 2019. Prior to working for Sunshine 811, she held the position of Executive Director for the Underground Contractors Association of South Florida for 12 years. She has served as chairperson for local, state and national committees for the Underground Utility Contractors Association of Florida, NUCA, Florida Utilities Coordinating Committee, and One Calls of America’s Mark-it! Madness Committee. Cheryl has been the catalyst behind many industry partnerships. | |
| Gil Rivas Director of Distribution Systems San Jose Water Gil Rivas is the Director of Distribution Systems at San Jose Water. He has been with the organization for 20 years, starting in the field and working his way up. He has an MBA from St. Mary’s College of California. Gil is a certified D5 Water Distribution Operator, a T2 Water Treatment Operator and a Licensed General Engineering Contractor in the state of California. Prior to working for a public utility, Gil was a heavy equipment operator in the U.S. Navy for 6 years. | |
| Gillian Robert Senior Project Manager MDA GSI Gillian is a Senior Project Manager for MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates’ Geospatial Services (MDA GSI) group in Ottawa, Canada. She has 25 years of experience in Earth observation data processing and business development, and in the past 20 years has managed more than 30 diverse projects yearly. She is currently responsible for managing all of MDA GSI’s ground surface movement monitoring projects for the Oil & Gas industry worldwide and more recently new innovative projects in the pipeline industries as well as research work in collaboration with the Pipeline Research Council International.
Gillian holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography with a concentration in remote sensing and geographic information processing. | |
| Annmarie Robertson | |
| Duane Rodgers CEO PelicanCorp As CEO of PelicanCorp and a member of the company's board of directors, Duane has over 35 years' technology industry leadership and executive management experience, with the past 25 specifically focused on damage prevention and the global One Call industry. Duane manages corporate direction and strategy at PelicanCorp and is the leading strategic head of all international deployments of the One Call solution. He is active in sharing PelicanCorp's mission and vision with clients, partners, and shareholders. | |
| Ricky Rollins President Ricky Rollins Safety Speeches Graduated from Clemson University 1980 with a B.S. in Administrative Management. Stared career in the steel industry with Nucor Steel in 1980. Held various hourly and salary job with Nucor and two refractory companies his first 14 years. The last 22 years in the steel industry were with Steel Dynamics Butler Flat Roll Division. The last 19 of those years were as the Melting Department Manager. Retired from the steel industry in January of 2017 and started his own company, Ricky Rollins Safety Speeches. Was awarded the Don B. Daily Safety Award in 2018 for the best safety presentation at an Association for Iron & Steel event. | |
| Vince Rosales Vice President Spatialitics LLC Vince believes that business drives technology. In delivering technology solutions, understanding the business problem is critical to success. Software platform decisions are driven first by alignment to the business need, then, functionally by technical enterprise architecture/standards compliance. Geospatial technology is a critical component of the enterprise information stack that enables visualization, location-based services and spatial analytics, increasing the value of business applications. Vince’s education, qualifications and experience in spatial analytics design, development, implementation and integration is based on 38+ years of hands on execution, involvement and leadership in hundreds and hundreds of projects. His industry depth includes Utilities, Transportation, Energy, Local Gov, Public Safety, Commercial, and Health. | |
| Josef Rosenberg Contact Centre Manager Alberta One-Call Josef Rosenberg is Alberta One-Call’s Contact Centre Manager, and has been working at AOC for over a decade. He has been deeply involved in many shifts in both the petroleum industry and the customer service sector and has created many custom-tailored solutions for the challenges faced in damage prevention. Josef formerly chaired the ABCGA’s Data Reporting and Evaluation Committee, and currently sits on the DREC with Canadian Common Ground Alliance. | |
| Robert Row Chief Executive Officer DBYD Certification Ltd Robert Row has a distinguished career of over 25 years as a chief executive officer of Queensland construction and training organisations.
Robert is currently Chief Executive Officer of DBYD Certification Ltd since July 2017. He is also Director of Dial Before You Dig (QLD) Ltd (where he has served for over ten years).
Robert has wide experience in developing policy issues affecting the building and construction industry; including corporate governance and the monitoring and implementation of regulatory changes at both senior management and Board Director levels.
Robert holds a Master of Business Administration, a Graduate Certificate in Training, and is a licensed builder.
He is a Fellow of the Institute of Managers and Leaders, Member of Australian Institute of Company Directors. | |
| Lauren Salinski Public Engagement Coordinator Marathon Pipeline Lauren Salinski is a Public Engagement Coordinator for Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL). In her current position, Lauren is responsible for external stakeholder research, outreach, and engagement. Lauren has worked in various roles for Marathon Pipe Line since 2011, and is an active member of MPL’s Make-A-Wish committee and a co-lead for the MPL Leadership Conference. She has a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Marketing from The University of Findlay. In her spare time, Lauren enjoys spending time with her husband, Kirk, as well as their 4-year old daughter, Braelynn, and 2-year old son, Braxton. | |
| Beth Sample Technical Project Manager LocusView Beth Sample has been a Technical Project Manager with LocusView for three years and led the design and implementation of the Blackhills as-builting solution. Beth has a BS in Environmental Science and Anthropology and a masters degree in GIS. | |
| Roger Sampson New York 811 Roger Sampson is the Executive Director of New York 811 for the past 10 years. He is a past Board Member and President of New York 811 and has been involved with the damage prevention industry for past 20 years. He comes from the utility background having spent 24 years with Verizon. His experience and knowledge have transformed damage prevention at New York 811 to be recognized with innovative and groundbreaking ideas to utilize emerging and developing technologies to the betterment of underground utility protection. He is always looking for new and improved out of the box thinking to continue to drive positive damage prevention initiatives in the New York City and Long Island region of New York 811. | |
| Lindsay Sander Founder Sander Resources, L.L.C. Lindsay Sander is the founder of Sander Resources, L.L.C., a consulting firm focused on oil, gas and utility issue management and regulatory compliance. Ms. Sander is considered a subject matter expert on damage prevention and public awareness as well as natural gas gathering and is responsible for the National Excavator Initiative. Ms. Sander has developed and implemented compliance programs, industry positions, and comprehensive communication and media plans. She has served as the chairman of key committees for major industry associations and serves on the board of the Association of Women in Energy. Ms. Sander is also the recipient of the 2018 Pink Petro Grit Award. | |
| Mark Santayana Manager, Public Safety PPL Electric Utilities Mark C. Santayana is currently PPL Electric Utilities Manager Public Safety. Prior to leading the company’s Public Safety Group, Mark served 3 years as PPL’s Lead Damage Prevention Inspector, 3 years as Damage Prevention and Underground Facilities Program Manager and 1 year as Supervisor Public Safety. PPL is an energy company headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania. It currently delivers electricity to 1.4 million customers in Pennsylvania. Before joining PPL, Mark worked for Pennsylvania One Call System, Inc. as Northeast Liaison for nearly 10 years. As a PA One Call Liaison he provided extensive Excavator, Contractor and First Responder Damage Prevention and Safety Training Programs throughout the State. Additionally, Mark is a 17-year veteran of the Telecommunications Industry holding Managerial and Supervisory positions in Regulatory Relations, Industry Affairs and New Market Development. Mark holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Baltimore. He is an active Board Member of Pennsylvania One Call System. Inc. and Chairman of their Board Development Committee. In 2018 Mark was selected as an inaugural member and Secretary of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commissions Damage Prevention Committee, holding a 3-year term. Mark is also a Member of the Accident Prevention Committee of the Energy Association of Pennsylvania, a member of the Common Ground Alliance Best Practices Committee and a committee member of One Call Systems International. | |
| Jim Schoenberg Co-Founder, President & CEO Dig-Smart, LLC Jim is co-founder and President/CEO of Dig-Smart, LLC - a software company formed in 2006 and based in Mesa, AZ which provides GIS centric one call ticket management software solutions to utilities. Prior to his tenure at Dig-Smart, LLC he was the Geospatial Division Manager for Bergmann Associates of Rochester, NY with an expertise in systems architecture and design. Jim received his BA from the University at Buffalo (NY) in 1998 with a degree in Geography and GIS. Jim continued his secondary education at Daemen College (NY) obtaining his MS in Leadership and Innovation in 2004 where his research focused on implementing system’s based transformational change. From 2008 – 2012 Jim was an active member of AMI, the Association of Managers of Innovation whose mission is to pioneer creativity and innovation in organizations and society. From 2002-2009 Jim was a member of the Esri Team Water/Wastewater Database Design Team charged with creating software data models for utility operators who run Esri GIS. Jim and Dig-Smart, LLC remain active in the Esri GIS software space - annually sponsoring the Esri Water Utilities and Esri GeoConX (Electric, Gas and Telco) industry events throughout North America. Jim was the owner of CrossFit Sandstorm, an official CrossFit, Inc affiliate from 2011-2017 and is a certified CrossFit L-2 and CrossFit Kids trainer. He lives in Arizona with his wife and 3 kids and supports their individual passions for cross country running, ice hockey and gymnastics. | |
| Brandon Schroeder Motivational Speaker Believe in Safety Believe In Safety is quickly becoming a top ranked motivational safety presentation that is changing the landscape of safety presentations nationwide. Brandon Schroeder takes his audience on a journey from his quintessential life the day of the accident through his agonizing recovery, unavoidable depression, and ultimately accepting his situation and persevering. Brandon’s raw emotion and relatable nature commands resonance of his message, Believe In Safety. One of the most valued aspects of Brandon’s story is the full disclosure of his pre-accident mindset; he discusses the realities of the safety culture on the job and how this led him to that fateful day. He vividly describes how this accident changed not only his life, but the lives of those that love him. Through his 20 years of electrical and safety experience, Brandon has worked on and toured hundreds of job sites through every aspect of industry, construction, and municipality and utility. We look forward to working with you to compel your company to live by Brandon’s mission that we all must Believe In Safety. 319-533-4163 brandon@believeinsafety.com | |
| Amit Shankar Chief Information Officer USIC Prior to joining USIC, Amit served as the CIO of Granite Services, a GE Company. Granite is a leading services provider for rotating equipment in Power Generation and Oil & Gas industry. Amit was the strategic leader for digitization and integration across applications and business process that support 6,000 field service employees at over 2,000 job sites in 90 countries. Prior to his tenure at Granite, Amit worked in various roles at ADP, a global payroll provider in Atlanta. At ADP, Amit managed the global payroll solutions team. Amit has a degree in both Computer Science and Economics from Rutgers University and has been actively involved with various local charities and community events - his latest as local Chair for March for Babies event supporting March of Dimes. | |
| Colette Shelly Sr. Environmental Health & Safety Specialist East Bay Municipal Utility District Colette Shelly is a Sr. Environmental Health & Safety Specialist at East Bay Municipal Utility District, where she has been working for almost 25 years. EBMUD provides high-quality drinking water for 1.4 million customers in the Bay Area, and their award-winning wastewater treatment facility protects San Francisco Bay and serves 685,000 customers. At EBMUD, Colette strives to fulfill the company policy: minimize injury and illness, promote public safety, prevent property damage, and comply with pertinent regulations. Part of her responsibilities is supporting the Pipeline Rebuild team, who replaced 17 miles of water main in 2019. Over the past several years she has provided in-house training on CA Govt. Code 4216 requirements and underground damage prevention techniques. She has conducted numerous DIRT investigations and helped create new field practices to assist in accurate location of utilities and prevention of damages during excavation. Colette has been an active member of the California Regional CGA since 2004. She currently serves as the co-chair and participates on the Subsurface Safety & Incident Prevention Committee, as well as the Legislative/Regulatory Committee. | |
| Chris Sherrick Product Manager UTTO A passionate thought leader undaunted by challenging the status quo, Chris Sherrick seeks to enact positive change whenever possible as Product Manager for UTTO, a leading digital services platform. He plays an instrumental role developing strategy, creating actionable road maps and improving processes related to ensuring quality, on-time delivery, marketing and customer service for the company.
Chris and his team operate with the needs of customers first—focused on providing real-world solutions to problems today and into the future. They remain committed to excellence and are not afraid to flip the damage prevention industry on its head with an innovative product designed to reduce human risk in high-stakes situations.
In his career thus far, Chris has managed relationships with Fortune 500 companies and helped take a tech startup product to market. He speaks regularly at conferences and events about where he thinks the industry is headed and how we can use technology to better communities as a whole.
When he’s not working, Chris Sherrick enjoys golfing, travelling and growing his social network. He loves his work and welcomes every opportunities to connect with people from all walks of life. | |
| Aaron Smith Community Safety Manager Energy Queensland Aaron Smith is the HSE Community Safety Manager for Energy Queensland. Aaron started his career as a tradesman and has worked across multiple areas of the Electrical Distribution industry over a 27-year period. He has spent the last 13 years in Community and Operational Safety roles within Ergon Energy and now Energy Queensland. Aaron’s current role is focused on the proactive outworking of Energy Queensland’s Community Powerline Safety Program that engages, educates and enables ‘at risk’ industry groups and the general community to reduce incidents involving injury and damage as a result of contact with overhead and underground electrical assets. Aaron is also a current Director of Dial Before You Dig Queensland (DBYD), a position he has held for 8 years and for the past 24 months he has Chaired the DBYD Certified Locator Organisation. Energy Queensland has placed increased priority on the protection of both overhead and underground assets with a focus on incident data collation used to target messaging in and improve work practices. Phone Number: 0417752278 Email: aaron.smith@energyq.com.au | |
| Brent Smith Manager of Public Awareness and Damage Prevention Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. Brent Smith currently serves as the Manager of Public Awareness and Damage Prevention for Plains All American Pipeline. He has been involved in the pipeline industry for more than 6 years and has served in various capacities within the Plains organization. In addition to co-chairing the task group charged with writing RP 1162, 3rd. Ed., Brent is a member of the API Public Awareness Group and has participated in several local and regional Damage Prevention and Public Awareness initiatives. A native of central Oklahoma, Brent is a graduate of the University of Houston with degrees in Finance and Accounting. | |
| Howard J. Somers P.E. CSP Senior Vice President, Loss Control AEGIS Insurance Services, Inc Howard has been with AEGIS for the past eight years, of which five of those years he led the Loss Control Division, which provides AEGIS members with products and services to improve their operations and reduce long-term cost of risk. He currently serves in the role as the Chief Technical Officer for the company. Howard has more than 30 years’ experience in the electric utility industry. Prior to joining AEGIS, he held numerous management positions with Consolidated Edison, a major electric, natural gas, steam and generation company located in NYC, which included: General Manager of Electric Operations responsible for Electric Construction for overhead and underground distribution facilities, technical services, unit substations and line clearance activities; Director of Environmental, Health and Safety; served as a Bulk Power Senior System Operator for the entire New York City electric and steam systems; Engineering Manager for Fossil Generating Stations; and worked as an I&C and Electrical Systems Engineer at the Indian Point Nuclear Generating Station. Howard has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering, Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Operations Research; completed a two-year course of study by PTI in “Electric Power Systems Engineering”; Certified as a Safety Professional (CSP); and a Licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.) in New York State. | |
| Andrea Stainback Network Cost Recovery-Damages Manager CenturyLink The North American Telecommunications Damage Prevention Council (NTDPC), is a non-competitive forum dedicated to promoting the protection of underground facilities, subsurface facility awareness and the use of One Call notification systems. Andrea Stainback has worked in the telecommunications field, with Sprint, Cox Communications, Embarq, and now CenturyLink for the last 25 years. For the last 15 years, Andrea has managed the outside plant damage recovery process, while focusing efforts on damage prevention at CenturyLink. She is an active member of CGA’s Data Reporting Committee (DIRT) and is a Co-Chair for the 2020 year. She also served as Chair for the North American Damage Prevention Council (NTDPC) for 2017 & 2018. In 2018, Andrea was nominated as 1st Quarter Damage Prevention Hero by the Damage Prevention Professional Magazine. This is Andrea’s 3rd year participating in the Fiber Optic Symposium.
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| 0 | Darin Stalbaum VP, Sales USIC Darin has been with USIC for over 8 years with a focus on underground utility damage prevention solutions. Darin managed USIC’s locating operations in Wisconsin from 2008 – 2010 while sitting on the state’s 811 Digger’s Hotline Operating Committee. Since that time, Darin has played a key role in supporting USIC’s nationwide growth. In addition, Darin’s background includes over 11 years of operations and business development roles with Fortune 500 companies and completion of a nationally recognized leadership development program. Darin holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from ISU, with minor studies in Safety Management. |
| Bill Stephens Manager, Codes & Standards Black Hills Energy Bill Stephens is currently the Compliance, Manager of Codes & Standards at Black Hills Energy and has been in the natural gas industry for over 32 years. Prior to the acquisition of SourceGas in Feb of 2016 Bill has held a variety of positions with Rockwell Gas Products Division, Equimeter, KN Energy, Kinder Morgan and SourceGas. Bills experiences and management include many areas and disciplines. Some of these are Measurement, Integrity Management (TIMP, DIMP and SIMP), OQ, PHMSA Compliance, Public Awareness, Damage Prevention, Emergency Response, Welding, PE Fusion, Control Room Management, Engineering Construction and O&M Manuals, Share Point administration, LNG, Underground Storage and Project Management. Bill currently serves as the Chair of the Black Hills Gas Engineering Standards Committee (GESC) and is the manager/administrator of the Public Awareness program. Bill was the co-lead of the start of the PA program at Kinder Morgan and managed the PA program for SourceGas. Bill has an Education BS degree from the University of Rochester and has an Associate Degree in Computer Programing from ICM School of Business. Bill was on the AGA rewrite committee for the revised Odorant Manual released in April 2017 and serves on these committees currently; AGA Gas Quality, AGA Peer Process, AGA PSMS Workgroup, API RP1162 Rewrite, MEA Codes & Standards, SGA Codes & Standards, DPAC, PAPA, POAS, DTSC, serves on the board of Colorado811, CGA Education and Marketing Committee and is a member of ASME. Bill has presented papers, hands on training and roundtable discussions on a variety of compliance/engineering subjects at CGA, MEA, SGA, ISHM, AMST, AGA and various state pipeline safety seminars. | |
| Mike Sullivan President Alberta One-Call Corporation Mike Sullivan is the President of Alberta One-Call Corporation and Executive Director of the Canadian Common Ground Alliance (CCGA). Mike's damage prevention experience stems from a 25 year career with the National Energy Board, Canada’s federal regulatory agency governing interprovincial and international transmission pipelines, Alliance Pipeline Ltd., and Vice-President and General Manager with HMA Land Services, one of Canada’s leading transmission pipeline project management and land services. With his dedicated and best-in-class Team at Alberta One-Call, Mike championed and Trademarked ‘ClickBeforeYouDig’ and successfully transitioned the Corporation’s services towards web-based locate requests. Mike and his Team are now working with western Canada's One-Call leaders to implement new technology that will improve the integrity, efficiency and effectiveness of the damage prevention process. As Executive Director of the CCGA, Mike represents the collective damage prevention voice of Canada's Regional CGA Partners with a mandate to simplify access to the damage prevention process in Canada, realize a One-Call Notification System serving every province and territory, enable effective damage prevention legislation and harmonize damage prevention best practices across Canada. | |
| Grey M. Tarkenton Cartacoustics, LLC | |
| 0 | Nick Temple Damage Prevention Consultant Rhino Marking & Protection Systems |
| Robert Terjesen Manager - Damage Prevention National Grid Robert Terjesen, Damage Prevention Manager for National Grid, brings more than 30 years of field operations experience and more than a decade managing the company’s Damage Prevention group in New York City and Long Island. His responsibilities include continuously promoting excavation safety awareness among municipalities, business allies, excavators, and other stakeholders in Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Robert serves as the Board of Directors VP for New York 811 and the chairperson of the CGA Regional Partner committees in New York City and Long Island. In addition, Robert has served numerous terms as co-chair of CGA’s Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee, which publishes the annual DIRT Report. | |
| Mishal Thadani Director of Market Development and Policy Urbint Mishal Thadani is the Director of Market Development and Policy at Urbint, an international enterprise software company that enables utilities and infrastructure operators to manage risk and increase resiliency through AI-powered solutions. | |
| Chris Thome Damage Prevention Consultant Rhino Marking & Protection Systems Chris Thome is a Damage Prevention Consultant for Rhino Marking and Protection Systems. Chris is an active member of the Common Ground Alliance where he serves as the co-chair of the Education Committee. In his role at Rhino, Chris has worked countless hours in the field developing new technologies and applications to prevent damage to buried facilities. For Infrastructure Resources, Chris leads the Agricultural Outreach program and steers an Advisory Board of over 30 industry experts in developing better ways for the pipeline industry to communicate with stakeholders. He is an active member of the American Petroleum Institute’s Task Group 1162, rewriting the pipeline industry’s recommended practice for Public Awareness. Chris is the founder of the Pipeline-Ag Safety Alliance, an industry group of over 20 pipeline operators with a mission to transform communications with the agricultural community. He has spoken at numerous state, regional, and national conferences, written articles for industry publications, and has been involved with dozens of Damage Prevention Councils. Phone: 952.428.7968 Email: cthome@RhinoMarkers.com | |
| Tim Thrift Safety Management Consultant TNT Safety Enterprises Tim Thrift has over thirty years of experience in safety, construction, maintenance and operations of mobile equipment and shop repair facilities. He has acted as the service or maintenance manager as well as a first aid and/or safety officer for several companies. Tim is an experienced certified instructor for over twenty years, teaching various safety and operator training courses such as Industrial Truck, Backhoe, Skid-steer, Front End Loader, Scissors lift, Boom lift, Aerial bucket truck, Traffic control, Flagging, Utility Locator, Trench safety, Confined space awareness, First aid/CPR/AED, Excavation, Fall Protection, etc. Additionally, he has taught safety awareness classes in basic electricity, hydraulics, power generation and repair shop.
Tim is an authorized federal and California OSHA trainer for both general industry and construction. He is an instructor for the OSHA Training Institute based in Dublin as part of the Chabot-Las Positas Community College District. Tim has taught more than 125 classes for them since 2010.
Tim is a graduate of the Professional Safety Institute, Sacramento and is certified as an Occupational Health and Safety Technologist & as a Certified Safety and Health Official (Construction & General Industry). He has been a member of the American Society of Safety Professionals since 2005.
916-771-8268 | |
| Matt Tomanek T2 Utility Engineers | |
| Kerstin Tomlinson California Dig Safe Board I specialize in education and outreach for the Dig Safe Board and am responsible for developing and implementing statewide excavation safety education sessions, materials, and marketing campaigns. I have been in the industry for over a year. Prior to working for the Board, I was an Emmy-award winning news producer for local news stations in Sacrament, Portland, Eugene, and Missoula. 916-568-2988 Kerstin.Lock@fire.ca.gov | |
| Brian Tooley Outside Plant Engineer and Project Manager Mitchell Engineering Brian Tooley is an Outside Plant Engineer and Project Manager with Mitchell Engineering responsible for all aspects of FTTP projects serving rural America in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. Prior to joining Mitchell Engineering, Mr. Tooley served as a Damage Prevention Manager with One Call Concepts, Inc. promoting the use of 811 and other safe excavation best practices in Texas through business development, outreach, public speaking and training. He also held various management and staff positions with Verizon (formerly MCI) including OSP Damage Prevention and Recovery manager, responsible for collecting data, determining liability and pursuing recovery of monetary damages for 3rd party damage to the outside plant network as well as representing the company on national forums. In 2006, Mr. Tooley received the Ron Olitsky Award, presented by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) for dedication and service above and beyond the call of duty in a given year (CGA’s ‘MVP’ award) regarding his work as Co-Chair of the Data Reporting and Evaluation Committee and his efforts promoting DIRT (Damage Information Reporting Tool). In 2013, the North American Telecommunications Damage Prevention Council (NTDPC) presented Mr. Tooley with the Jim Farrell Award of Excellence for over 10 years of service, leadership and partnership with other industries in damage prevention. Mr. Tooley received his Bachelor of Science degree in Construction Engineering Technology from Louisiana Tech University in 1987. | |
| Tom Turner Product Management & Marketing Director Radiodetection | |
| Michael Twohig Subsurface Utility Mapping Consultant DGT Associates Michael A. Twohig is a Subject Matter Expert in the field of Subsurface Utility Mapping (SUM). Michael has more than 35 years of industry experience across the US, Australia, India, and Europe with a focus on the integration of traditional utility locating procedures with land survey best practices. As head of SUM at DGT, Michael spearheads the firm’s subsurface utility locating, 3D utility mapping and subsurface utility damage prevention programs. Michael is currently developing Multi-Sensor Mobile Mapping platforms using the next generation of multi-channel, multi-frequency Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) systems for the SUM and void detection industry. In the span of his career, Michael has authored more than 40 articles relating to utility mapping, underground damage prevention, and utility industry best practices, and he is a frequent speaker at international conferences such as the Common Ground Alliance CGA, SPAR, Hexagon and the international Lidar conference ILMF and most recently GEOBIM in Amsterdam. Michael has also presented SUM best practices at military, transportation, commercial and GITA conferences. One of Michael’s greatest achievements is the advancement and development and implementation of new 3D deliverables for geospatial projects, integrating LiDAR, utility locating systems, GPR, infrared, land surveying, and multi-sensor platforms to provide high quality, reliable and accurate data for CAD, GIS and BIM delivery format. | |
| Levi Valdois Planning Manager Subsite Electronics Levi Valdois is the Product Planning Manager at Subsite Electronics in Perry, Oklahoma. In his current role Levi has the privilege of being part of a team that is leading the industry in product innovation with an intense focus on our customer needs and support of frontline sales staff. Throughout his years in the industry, he has held multiple roles in Product Management and Sales. Levi possesses a uniquely diverse perspective gained through his experience with business, technology, product management and training in multiple sectors of business around the globe.
580-572-3036 Levi.Valdois@subsite.com | |
| Steve Verbeski Vice President / Managing Director-Power & Utilities Hays Companies Steve Verbeski is Executive Vice President & Managing Director of the Hays Power & Utility specialty practice. He has 20 years of utility insurance brokerage experience, and prior to that he spent 14 years in the utility industry as director of risk & insurance of what is now known as Berkshire Hathaway Energy. As a utility risk manager, Steve served on the inaugural AEGIS Claims Task Force, the Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited Executive Insurance Advisory Committees and the Energy Insurance Mutual Insurance Advisory Committee. He is a past member of the EEI Risk Management & Claims Committees and AGA Risk Management & Claims Committees. Steve holds the Associate in Risk Management (“ARM”) and Associate in Claims (“AIC”) professional designations. He is a member of the London Mining Insurance Group, a frequent presenter to utility companies and utility industry insurance and risk management organizations and has served as a guest lecturer at the Creighton University School of Law.
Phone: 515-802-3006 Email: SVerbeski@HaysCompanies.com
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| Katie Wagner Associate Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. Katie began her legal career with Hall Estill after graduating from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 2017. Katie assists primarily in the Litigation practice group. During law school she was a member of the Oklahoma City Law Review and a member of the Phi Delta Phi International Legal Honor Society. | |
| Jemmie Wang Partner BizMetrix, LLC Jemmie worked for 12 years as a senior Executive at USIC. He led different groups like sales, IT, M&A, new product development, financial planning & analysis, strategic development, and Six Sigma / performance improvement. Jemmie is intimately knowledgeable about the high level strategic dynamics of damage prevention as well as the day to day details and was a member of the Executive team that successfully grew and sold USIC three times in six years. Jemmie has been involved with Common Ground Alliance (CGA) for more than ten years, serving as a Co-Chair of the Data Reporting and Evaluation Committee as well as the Lead of the Reporting Task Team, which is responsible for writing the annual CGA DIRT Report. Jemmie also consults with leading companies inside and outside the damage prevention industry on operational improvement, corporate strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. Jemmie earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering and M.B.A. from the University of Michigan. He is also an ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt.
Phone Number: 317.506.4374 Email: jemmie@bizmetrix.biz Website: www.bizmetrix.biz Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jemmiewang/ Instagram: JEMMIE WANG | |
| Lori Warner Public Safety Coordinator Xcel Energy Lori Warner is a Public Safety Coordinator for Xcel Energy. With over 30 years in the utility industry, her background and experience are diverse. She is a native of Colorado and received her BSBA and Master of Communications from the University of Denver. Lori also serves as the president of Distribution Public Awareness Council (DPAC) organization and serves on the board of directors representing distribution operators for Pipeline Association for Public Awareness (PAPA). Lori is also serving as a commissioner representing pipeline operators on the Colorado Underground Safety Commission. | |
| Lee Westerlind Manager - Stakeholder Engagement Pipeline Safety Management Lee Westerlind, Manager of Stakeholder Engagement Pipeline Safety Management at National Grid, brings more than 20 years of direct field experience working with major accounts, community leaders, municipal leaders, business associations and other industry stakeholders in Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island. Lee assumed leadership responsibility for National Grid’s enterprise-wide Pipeline Public Awareness initiatives in 2017. Previously, Lee provided natural gas public safety awareness, business development, and economic development expertise to the National Grid’s customers and business partners in New York City and Long Island. Lee is a Registered Commercial Gas Consultant, is an Advisory Member for the Nassau County Police Department Foundation and works with the United Way of Long Island Project Warmth Committee. 516-238-1655 Lee.westerlind@nationalgrid.com | |
| John D. Wilburn Partner McGuireWoods LLC John Wilburn is an experienced first-chair trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in construction, land use and eminent domain litigation around the country. John represents all major constituencies in building-related projects, and private owners, engineering and design firms, construction managers, prime contractors and subcontractors, material and equipment suppliers, design professionals and sureties and financiers. He litigates a variety of construction matters before all tiers of the state and federal court system, including bid protests, design defects, and acceleration and delay claims. John also regularly advises clients on a variety of complex and challenging projects involving energy plants, hospitals, prisons, industrial infrastructure, shopping centers, and residential developments. Representative projects include industrial facilities such as the Maersk APM Terminal in Portsmouth, VA; the Richmond Conference Center; Home Depot Facilities; and the Alexandria Sanitation Authority Water and Wastewater Treatment Facility. In addition, John regularly litigates complex and challenging land use and development issues for a variety of clients, including private developers, lenders, and several municipalities and government entities. He has litigated hundreds of eminent domain matters for utility companies, municipalities, and landowners in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. John also has substantial experience in a wide range of complex business litigation matters. He has served as lead counsel to defend several high-stakes commercial claims for business and financial services clients. John is a frequent speaker and author on various topics in the areas of construction and land use litigation. | |
| Abbey Will Public Engagement Coordinator Marathon Pipe Line LLC Abbey Will is a Public Engagement Coordinator for Marathon Pipe Line LLC. In her current position, which she has occupied for five years, Abbey is responsible for external stakeholder research, outreach, and engagement. She is currently the vice chairman of the American Petroleum Institute’s (API) Public Awareness Group and is also a member of the Association of Oil Pipelines Communications Team. Abbey has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from The Ohio State University. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their three young children. | |
| Jim Willis M.Sc, CMAS, CHS-I President InDev Specialists, Inc. Mr. Jim Willis is President of InDev Specialists, Inc. (InDev) and its security divisions InDev Tactical and IMMC. Jim is an engineer, development specialist, and security expert. He has 40 years technical and professional experience in electric power, international development, and security. Prior to forming InDev, he was director of a major international foundation for 10 years. Jim is a Certified Master Anti-terrorism Specialist with expertise in homeland security, counterterrorism, planning, training, security operations, and violence prevention. Conflict & Post Conflict Assessments, Crisis & Disaster Response: Mr. Willis has extensive experience in power systems development and security, conflict/post-conflict field operations, disaster damage assessments and response, and recovery, and restoration operations. He has worked in more than 37 countries for corporate and government clients including the DOD, USAID, WB, UNDP, and ADB. He has participated in conflict and post-conflict operations in Cambodia, Ethiopia and South Sudan, and disaster recovery and reconstruction in El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, the Philippines, and the United States. Security Operations: Since 2006, Mr. Willis has led InDev’s security operations in Afghanistan as Theater Operations Manager. His is responsible for static and dynamic security guard operations, PSD teams, route/convoy security, intelligence monitoring, situational analysis, site assessments, planning and implementation. His work has carried him throughout Afghanistan including Kabul, Kandahar, Uruzgan, Logar, and Sar-I-Pul. Mr. Willis has more than 40 years of experience in electric power systems and engineering. Starting as an Electricians Mate (EM) in the Navy, he has experience as a electric power system lineman, engineer, and operations manager. He spent 10 years with NRECA’s International Programs helping establish electric systems in developing countries around the world. Mr. Willis is an expert in church security and crisis management. He provides training and advisory services that help clients identify and deal with violent situations and manage crisis. Mr. Willis developed the ASSIST training series to provide an effective non-intrusive security program that can fit into any organizational framework. Education: Masters of Science (MSc) in International Development (Security emphasis), Bachelors in Electrical Engineering (BS) (Electric power focus), Associates Degrees (AA & AAT) in Pre-engineering and Electrical Power U.S. Navy veteran – Electricians Mate Certifications: Mr. Willis is a Certified Master Anti-terrorism Specialist (CMAS) and a Certified Homeland Security Expert with accreditations from the Anti-Terrorism Accreditation Board and the American Board of Certification in Homeland Security. He is certified as a METT Expert by the Ekman Institute. He has over 30 security and anti-terrorism training certificates from the Dep of Defense (DOD), Dep of Homeland Security (DHS), Defense Security Service (DSS), and the UN. Membership: Mr. Willis is a member of a number of professional organizations including: • Society for International Development (SID-Washington) • The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) • International Executive Security Association (IESA) • International NGO Safety and Security Association (INSSA) • International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals (IACSP) He is a registered associate/affilate member of: • Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) • The Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) | |
| Joe Wise Regional Customer Training Manager United Rentals Trench Safety Joe Wise is the Regional Customer Training Manager for the Trench Safety business unit of United Rentals. In his role, he provides strategic oversight to competent person training programs in confined space, excavation safety and others. With a team of safety training professionals who deliver training across North America, he oversees design and development to existing programs to enhance classroom and online learning experiences for worker safety education. Joe has been with United Rentals for 15 years and during this time has served in various leadership positions to educate contractors on compliance and protective system solutions for trench/excavation and confined space operations. 314-608-8090 jwise@ur.com | |
| Matthew Wolf President ImpulseRadar US | |
| Greg Wolfe Director of Training Ditch Witch Greg Wolfe is a 30-year veteran of Ditch Witch. He began his career with Ditch Witch in 1986 as a factory representative and has held many roles within the sales and marketing departments – helping to build and strengthen Ditch Witch customer relations. Wolfe also spent several years at the Ditch Witch Intermountain dealership as general sales manager where he was responsible for selling, servicing and training Ditch Witch equipment owners across Utah, Idaho and Nevada. As the director of training, Wolfe currently helps reinforce all facets of supplier, dealer and customer relationships, and works to support and strengthen Ditch Witch training initiatives globally. | |
| Michael Worster Senior Manager Damage Prevention & Compliance AT&T Finding an uncompromising solution between high-level safety and profit has been the underlying focus that has led Michael’s career mission in damage prevention. He tirelessly worked throughout the west region managing contract cable locate operations for AT&T, conducting damage investigations, and managed the damage restoration process, while searching for ways to increase safety, every step of the way. Michael added to his mission by constantly working closely with California’s State regulators to help define best practices and investigation principles. His mission was enhanced by partnering with corporate attorneys and regulatory affairs to coordinate the permitting process and regulatory compliance of AT&T. Michael was honored to put in the overtime to lead the annual CARCGA Mock Utility Strike Events displayed throughout California. These high-profile public events demonstrated to the community and to the media, the hidden dangers and necessary best practices that must be respected while excavating near gas utilities. He stayed in contact with the ever-changing publics needs through operating AT&T’s California & Nevada damage hotline. Combined with CARCGA and AT&T Damage Prevention, Michael Worster successfully partnered with industry stakeholders across California and Nevada, to effectively enhance the best practices, lower damages, while increasing public safety. Michael is now leading efforts to create a Big-Data solution to maximize both safety and profits for the entirety of the excavation and utility industry, through the application of advance machine learning and Artificial Intelligence software.
College: San Jose State University, Bachelors Business Management, B2BMarketing
20 years AT&T
CARCGA California Regional Common Ground Alliance
CEO, Founder: Worster Construction Management, LLC. Damage Prevention Software and Analytics. | |
| Drew Youpel Assistant Vice President Lockton Companies Drew is a dedicated Safety Professional with 13 years of relevant work experience in private and public sector. Drew demonstrates commitment in delivering comprehensive safety and health services to his clients. Drew’s safety consulting services and responsibilities include, but are not limited to, developing client-specific service plans; generating recommendations to assist clients with the reduction of losses; interpreting compliance with mandated state, federal, and local safety and health regulations. As a former Federal OSHA Compliance Officer and Investigator, his experience brings a wealth of knowledge to our loss control consultants. Since leaving OSHA, Drew has been hired as an Expert witness in litigated worker injury cases and has conducted in depth investigations of large-scale accidents and fatalities. As a Corporate Safety Director for the largest Steel Erection company in Chicago, Drew oversaw large scale projects from the ground up, and is an expert in crane use in the field. Designations | CRIS, STSC https://www.linkedin.com/in/drew-youpel-stsc-cris-55859016/ | |
