Live @ Common Ground Alliance Annual Conference

[00:00:16] Speaker A: Three years in a row, Jimmy, we've been invited back to spread the gospel of damage prevention at the biggest show. [00:00:24] Speaker B: And damage prevention, the biggest Common Ground Alliance 2025. We are here in my home state of Florida. [00:00:33] Speaker A: We are. We are. That's what I heard. [00:00:36] Speaker B: We got Shane over here. [00:00:38] Speaker A: Shane's watching from afar. [00:00:39] Speaker B: I've spent more time with Shane this week than you know. It's been wonderful. [00:00:43] Speaker A: Too soon, Too soon, Too soon. [00:00:45] Speaker B: We won't share. [00:00:46] Speaker A: Yes. I see next door one of our. Our good friends and. [00:00:50] Speaker B: And customers and our clients. [00:00:51] Speaker A: Absolutely. How are you? Lots of friends already. We are, what, 20 minutes away. Probably 30 minutes away from grand opening. The grand opening of the exhibit hall. There's been a lot of work going on behind us. I don't know if you can see. Let's spread the curtain. Look at that right there. Vermeer, you're welcome. Thank you. For the Internet as well. [00:01:14] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Yeah. There is free plugs in, because that. [00:01:17] Speaker A: Is the Internet, for sure. No, but there's a lot of work that's been going on this week already to prepare for this haul, and we're about to open the thing up. [00:01:25] Speaker B: Yeah, no, it's. [00:01:26] Speaker A: We're right here in the CGA booth. [00:01:28] Speaker B: Once again, third year in a row. We are very blessed to be invited back by the cga. Thank you, CGA folks. It's an honor to be here. [00:01:35] Speaker A: Absolutely. [00:01:36] Speaker B: Also, it is the 25th anniversary of the CGA this year, so we're going to pump that up and talk to a lot of folks about what that means to them. And also, we're on the 50 and five reduced damages by 50% in five years. [00:01:48] Speaker A: Starting our third year of that commitment. [00:01:51] Speaker C: Yes. [00:01:51] Speaker A: Which is about halfway. [00:01:52] Speaker B: Halfway Mark. [00:01:53] Speaker A: So we're going to be checking in with folks and seeing how we're moving that needle. Continue to move that needle. [00:01:58] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:01:58] Speaker A: Very important stuff. And then tomorrow, I think I got a speaking slot, but then I pulled you into it as well. But we're Speaking tomorrow on PSMs and safety culture. Very important. [00:02:09] Speaker B: You're speaking. I am the color person. [00:02:11] Speaker A: Here's my Flavor Flav. [00:02:13] Speaker B: I'm going to give a little bit of pizzazz to it. So. [00:02:15] Speaker A: Yeah. So, you know, we. We were blessed last year in season five of the podcast to be able to travel all over to hear the stories really directly from the people doing it. And one of the neat wrinkles last year was getting out in the field and visiting job sites and talking to people with shovels in their hands. [00:02:34] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:02:35] Speaker A: And through that really came A story about safety culture that we heard so many different ways that people were being safe out there and really creating a culture in our industry that's unlike anywhere else. And so we're going to pull the. Peel the curtain back and show everybody what that looked like. It's a really neat story. [00:02:53] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I can't wait. It's a lot of excitement and a lot of information. And again, James, as you and I always say, if we could help just one person do one thing that's a little bit maybe more productive, but most importantly, safer. We've done our job, sir. [00:03:08] Speaker A: Absolutely. So we're going to be here all week bringing people on. We appreciate you joining us. Let us know who you want out there. [00:03:14] Speaker B: Come on. Well, let's hear it. [00:03:15] Speaker A: We'll be back. We're coming in all the doors. [00:03:19] Speaker B: Jimmy, James. We are a go. We can hear the music. We are a go. Maybe the mobile. Did you see the AI piano moving around with the person playing it? Technology here is fantastic. James. 15, 1400. 1500 people are coming through the door. [00:03:36] Speaker A: We're going to confirm that later. I'm sure we'll have somebody on who could give us a little bit more. But we're watching them pour in now. I like how CGA does this, because a lot for those that have never been here, they. They kind of funnel everybody down one hall, and they don't let anybody come in. [00:03:52] Speaker E: No, no. [00:03:53] Speaker B: Until they cut the ribbon. [00:03:55] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So there's a big show. They usually have a DJ out front. You can kind of hear the music now. And that's all going on just outside the doors, and people are just pouring in. [00:04:03] Speaker B: I feel like sportscasters, I'm telling you. And look at the people are. We're in the CGA booth, which is great. And CGA has a lot of great swag. There's slippers up there. I need a pair of slippers. [00:04:14] Speaker A: Nothing says pipeliner like a pair of slippers. [00:04:16] Speaker B: I don't. [00:04:16] Speaker A: You know. Yeah. Underground utilities. There's Texas811. [00:04:20] Speaker B: Texas811 is in the house. [00:04:21] Speaker A: Awesome. I flew over here with Texas811. [00:04:24] Speaker B: Did you? [00:04:25] Speaker A: We're good friends, all of the good people. That's awesome. [00:04:31] Speaker B: James. We should turn the camera around to actually see all the people. [00:04:34] Speaker A: I know they're missing out. But we do have a feature that we've never had before, and that's behind the curtain, which you can see all the way back. We're not telling a soul about it because they might take it away. [00:04:46] Speaker B: No, we're Going to keep that under wraps for right now. We'll let them know on Friday. James, how does that sound? [00:04:50] Speaker A: We'll tell them all about it. Here's our good friends over at USA North, Mr. Ryan White. Good friend, been on the show. Everybody's coming and swarming the swag. I love it. [00:05:01] Speaker B: I. I talked to Ryan. He's going to be on the podcast. He said he is looking forward to it. He and I met, you know, when he. He and I met in Anaheim at cga, I think. When was that? Four years ago, Five years ago, Something like that. [00:05:15] Speaker A: Which brings up a great point. We're at CGA on the 25th year. [00:05:20] Speaker B: 25Th anniversary. [00:05:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:05:21] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:21] Speaker A: 25 years of the CGA, which, listen, do 25 years of anything. It's hard, right? It is neat to be here. When you walk in. I was talking about the entrance in the hall. As you walk down the hall before the exhibit hall, on each side, there's frames of. Of 25 years of stuff. Is USA North, Mr. Matt Dodd. Oh, almost did it. [00:05:48] Speaker B: No, that's just what we do. You know what I thought. [00:05:53] Speaker F: I'm the executive assistant. [00:05:55] Speaker A: Yeah, a little bit. Glad. [00:05:56] Speaker B: So many folks in line. Come on, hop on. [00:05:59] Speaker F: Oh, AB. [00:06:00] Speaker A: Well, you know, we're live a lot of things poorly. No, I'm just kidding. Coffee would probably be one of them. Yeah. [00:06:08] Speaker B: Let's just say hi real quick. [00:06:09] Speaker A: We're all on. Just come on, Matt. Just say hello. We'll say north right there. Come on in. [00:06:16] Speaker B: Tell us who you are. [00:06:17] Speaker G: I'm Matt Dodd. [00:06:17] Speaker C: Marketing, education. [00:06:20] Speaker B: Come on in a little bit. [00:06:21] Speaker A: There I am. [00:06:22] Speaker G: First time on the show. [00:06:23] Speaker A: First time. First time caller, long time listener. Yeah. I'm just kidding. Probably never watch. [00:06:28] Speaker G: Third CGA Expo. [00:06:29] Speaker A: Third. [00:06:30] Speaker G: Third. [00:06:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:06:31] Speaker B: Here. [00:06:33] Speaker G: It's not good when the media guy doesn't handle the mic. Right, Right. We were just talking publicist over there. [00:06:39] Speaker B: Ryan and I met in Anaheim. Was that. [00:06:41] Speaker G: That was my very first CGA show. [00:06:43] Speaker B: Was that your. Was that 21? [00:06:45] Speaker G: I believe so. [00:06:46] Speaker B: Right? [00:06:46] Speaker G: Yeah, 21. [00:06:47] Speaker B: Yeah. That's where you and I bet. [00:06:49] Speaker G: Correct. [00:06:49] Speaker A: That's awesome. [00:06:50] Speaker B: I still have that pin, too. Just so you know. [00:06:53] Speaker A: So the hall just opened. It's a bed. Did y' all come in with the wave of folks? [00:06:58] Speaker G: Yeah, you were my first stop the wave, so. [00:07:00] Speaker A: Well, thank you. [00:07:01] Speaker G: First stop on the tour right here. [00:07:02] Speaker A: It's awesome. [00:07:03] Speaker B: Wait, I need a tissue because I'm starting to well up a little bit over that. [00:07:06] Speaker A: So. 25 years of the CGA. We're asking people are, do you have Any memories? You say three and it's got to be work appropriate. [00:07:16] Speaker G: Three memories of the cga. Yeah. [00:07:18] Speaker A: Any memory. [00:07:19] Speaker B: Wait, meeting me in Anaheim, was that one of them? [00:07:21] Speaker G: That's gotta be one of them. [00:07:22] Speaker B: Okay, that's number one. [00:07:23] Speaker G: You guys seen you guys do the interview with Ryan White from our center, which was always nice. That was a good one. Getting B roll footage with Chris An Kerr and the media team hitting out some job sites, man, I've only been, I've only got three years under my belt, so I'm sure they're more. How about this? Driving the 7 foot 811 wheel all the way to Colorado Springs last year from California. [00:07:47] Speaker B: That's a big deal. [00:07:48] Speaker G: That was a memorable trip. [00:07:50] Speaker B: I bet that was a memorable job. [00:07:51] Speaker A: So cool. Well, one, one other question we're asking people is we're. This is starting the third year of fifty and five. Third year. [00:07:59] Speaker B: Yep, yep, yep. This is the third year. [00:08:01] Speaker A: So we're, we're asking people, how's that going? Is there, you know, is there light at the end of the tunnel? What's that look like for y' all? [00:08:08] Speaker G: I think it's going well. I think there's definitely light of the tunnel. It's going to be hard work, but if we all work together and you know, do a collective group effort on this thing, I think we can definitely get there. [00:08:18] Speaker B: So that's the key right there. Excuse me. [00:08:20] Speaker A: I get excited. [00:08:21] Speaker B: I was excited. But you just hit on it. And that was a talk over the last couple days. Here was collaboration, working together as teams, even working with teams again outside of your normal team. But working with the industry as a team was a message a lot of people were saying. So you were right on spot with that ads. [00:08:37] Speaker C: Yep. [00:08:37] Speaker A: Matt, we'll let you get to it. [00:08:39] Speaker G: Thanks guys. [00:08:39] Speaker A: We got a lot of stack. Appreciate you. [00:08:41] Speaker C: See you around. [00:08:42] Speaker G: Goodbye, everyone. Nice seeing you. [00:08:44] Speaker A: What a pearl. We'll see you guys. It's awesome. Friends like that, Jimmy, every day. That's what this industry is about. If you've taught me anything, it's the relationships. [00:08:54] Speaker B: It's what, it's what drives us. It really is what drives us. And I, and I was not joking that so many people were saying the only way we could hit 50 in 5 is by working together as a team. And that's a team of the industries. So all aspects of, from the line locators to people, you know, helping run the call centers, to everything to being safe, to taking our due diligence, it begins with what we can do right here. [00:09:19] Speaker A: I remember standing here a couple of years ago. Yeah. In Orlando. [00:09:25] Speaker B: Orlando. Yeah. [00:09:26] Speaker A: When. When we got the charge of 50 and 5 and kind of everybody taking that in and the passionate conversations we had that time. I'm excited to check back in with all those people. Yeah, yeah. Over the next couple of days. So we're going to keep bringing people on. The hall is officially open. It is. And this season's officially open of coffee with Jim and James. We're at it. We're missing Ashley. Oh, yeah. Somewhere there sometimes. Ashley, but won't be long. We'll be at AGA in no time and she's going to be out there with us. So stay tuned. We're going to grab some folks. [00:10:04] Speaker B: James, I have to tell you, I have a, I have a feel right now. Do you ever get those feelings like somebody special is going to come into the booth? [00:10:12] Speaker A: Like the incoming chair? [00:10:13] Speaker B: Like an incoming chair, maybe or so. Oh, whoa, whoa. [00:10:17] Speaker A: It's like we planned this, John. [00:10:19] Speaker C: It seems that way. [00:10:20] Speaker A: You make quite an introduction. [00:10:22] Speaker B: You don't mess around, do you? [00:10:23] Speaker C: Well, you know, besides being a sharp dresser, I have a, you know, kind of an important role in this association. [00:10:30] Speaker B: He looks marvelous. [00:10:32] Speaker A: I want that jacket. We are live here at CGA in Orlando. Twice in three years, I think, wasn't it? We were just here a couple years. [00:10:40] Speaker C: We were here two years ago. [00:10:41] Speaker B: Two years ago. [00:10:42] Speaker C: I am a Floridian by. So I live in Naples, Florida. [00:10:45] Speaker B: Okay. I'm West Palm Beach. [00:10:47] Speaker C: Nice. [00:10:48] Speaker B: Yeah. So we're like practically neighbors by 200 miles. [00:10:51] Speaker C: 80 miles or so. Yeah. [00:10:52] Speaker B: I don't know. [00:10:52] Speaker C: It's not that much. [00:10:53] Speaker B: No, it's not really. When you go straight across. No, it's, it's not that bad. [00:10:57] Speaker C: Absolutely. Absolutely. [00:10:58] Speaker B: John, please introduce yourself. [00:10:59] Speaker C: So I'm John Fluhardy. I'm with Troy Construction. [00:11:02] Speaker B: We know you guys. [00:11:03] Speaker C: Yeah, we're big pipeline contracting company. I'm the incoming chair of the Common Ground Alliance. I also am on the dpac. We're dpac member, founding member of dpac, which is the advocacy arm of, of the Common Ground Alliance. [00:11:20] Speaker A: That's right. So we're, we're here 20, 25 years of CGA. We're celebrating. We walked through, you know, memory lane, just right through here. And to be able to see all the faces and folks that have impacted this, you know, organization must be amazing. How long have you been involved with cga? [00:11:41] Speaker C: So I've been involved with CGA for seven years. But I'm third generation contractor, utility contractor. I called my first one call in to Ms. Dig In Michigan, where I grew up. [00:11:52] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:53] Speaker C: In about 1978. Ish. [00:11:55] Speaker B: You were 4 years old. [00:11:56] Speaker C: I was 16. I could drive illegally. And the old guys didn't want to do the paperwork project. So you got to do make the calls and do all the stuff they didn't want to do. You chase parts, you know, all of all the stuff the old guys didn't. [00:12:08] Speaker A: Want to do any career. I love it. So we're asking people 25 years. You know, we. There's got to be some memories and we're trying to keep it where we can air it. Right? [00:12:18] Speaker B: Sure. [00:12:19] Speaker A: So they got to be the right ones. You've got to have some of those in there. Some of those moments over the years. [00:12:24] Speaker C: Yeah. So I will tell you that when I. I came into CGA about a year after Sarah was hired. So that's my only reference point of the organization is Sarah being the head of it. I also went to a couple of the meetings and spoke up. We didn't have much excavations excavator participation at that time and I immediately got put on the board. So I have a real strange route on CGA because I kind of. I kind of came in and literally six months later I'm on the board. And a year late, a year after that, the excavator rep hadn't showed up for a couple three years. So I became the excavator rep. Then I got on the executive committee actually right off the bat in that. And now I. My term is up at this meeting for the. As the excavator rep and because you're. [00:13:15] Speaker B: Going to be the chair. [00:13:16] Speaker C: Well, no, I'm. It's six year term. [00:13:18] Speaker B: Oh, okay. [00:13:19] Speaker C: So my six years are up and so I become at large and the chair. So my history has been. Honestly, when this was really, I, I, you know, when I came at the time, it really had a different feel and a different vibe. You know, they really weren't confronting the issues like they do now. The thing I'm most proud of over the last seven years of the CGA is just how they really take on the issues in the industry. Now we have the tough conversations. We have a lot more tough conversation to have if we're going to meet the 50 and 5 initiative. But we really are. We've really brought a lot of clarity to the process. Staff and Sarah have done a great job telling. But. But to be true to the process, one of the early things was everybody blamed the excavators because they damaged everything. Well, of course they do they're the only ones who dig. [00:14:07] Speaker A: Right. [00:14:07] Speaker C: That doesn't necessarily mean they were at fault. They. We have our days in the sun where we are at fault and we don't do our part. But I think what we all started to come to realize early on in this, this adventure that I've been on is that you know, we've got to be honest to the system. We got to really look at who's doing their part. We've got to make sure this locate world is really, you know, doing what they need to do. But on the other side the contractors have to put pothole. We've got to know if that utility is there. [00:14:34] Speaker B: So. Okay, let me ask you a question then. So do you think the collaboration and communication between the entities that might have been siloed before has now been increased? [00:14:44] Speaker C: It's massively increased. There's, there's no doubt it was very adversarial. One of the things that I think we as, as excavators and locators did wrong was you know, the industry kind of pitted us against each other. Sure, that was a bad idea. There was nothing to be gained from that. Yeah, exactly. I mean we need them to do their job and do it well. We also need to support them and get ourselves in a position where they can be successful so we can be successful. You know, we're, we're in the largest build out of our time. I like I said, I'm third generation contractor. No one in my family history is, has dealt with the volume of work that's going on right now ever in the history of, of my family. And so we really need to make sure that we're looking at these problems and really starting to engage the owner. And you know we've done a great job of building the teams, both the staff and the programs that they need like DPI and you know, next practices, best practices, all these things. Now we've got to really start working at grabbing the people who aren't in the tent. The on call it and you know the two men in a truck crews that are really, really struggling for us. The you know, help. You know one of the things you saw the first night here is we got an agreement with Migrant Learning alliance to help bring vets and other people into the locate industry. That's just a, that you know, every time we add a locator that's a better day in our life. Right. And our world gets better. Especially with that type of person who we know is diligent and trained to be safe and Understands that if you skip a step, people die. And yeah, they already know that before they show up at the door. Right. So that's a great, that's a great thing for us. So to, so to get ourselves to keep moving these things along and engage the broadband industry better, you know, the electric industry better. We've got a real opportunity now that we built these platforms to go to them and say, hey, you need to get under the tent, you need to be a part of this and together we can work further on this 55 initiative. [00:16:41] Speaker B: And I love that idea, the, the words you said there. Together we can do this, we can do together. [00:16:47] Speaker C: That's correct. [00:16:48] Speaker A: Yeah. All right, well, you kind of answered the last question, but I'm going to let you foot stomp it. [00:16:52] Speaker C: All right. [00:16:53] Speaker A: Because 50 and 5, we're what, kicking off year three of it. We're right in the middle. [00:16:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:16:58] Speaker A: You know, that messy middle part of project what, how's it looking? Are we on track? Are we doing good things? You know, is there anything out there that, that's inspiring you and what's that look like in your term? [00:17:10] Speaker C: So one of the things that I've witnessed, and we see this more and more in dpi, is there is contractors, owners and locators that are succeeding at it. [00:17:19] Speaker B: Sure. [00:17:19] Speaker C: And one of the things I think we need to do a little better job is to highlight those, you know, I've often said things like we need almost like, you know, like a frequent flyer program, like the people that have made it to that spot, we need, we need to recognize them. Right, That's a good point. [00:17:34] Speaker B: Spotlight them. [00:17:34] Speaker C: Spotlight them. [00:17:35] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:35] Speaker C: And how'd you get there in that? But if you look in this room, there's so much technology and so much opportunity to integrate that and work towards that. I, I still think at our core we, we struggle as an industry because, you know, we still are a risk transfer and insurance based backup firm. We need to, we need to stay focused on fixing the process, not focus on the legal aspect of, of our world. And the only way we'll get to be successful at 50 and 5 is to work it on the what we do side of it. [00:18:07] Speaker B: And with that, I need a copy of this jacket. [00:18:10] Speaker C: This jacket is so, again, I think they thought it was a joke. I'm going to make sure the joke is on them by the end of the week. [00:18:17] Speaker E: That's, I love it. [00:18:19] Speaker C: It's Chris Ann right there. Anybody that would wear a baseball cap like that would come up with a jacket like this. [00:18:26] Speaker A: Guys, so much for joining us. [00:18:28] Speaker C: Anytime, guys. [00:18:29] Speaker A: Thank you in advance for your service. [00:18:31] Speaker B: We're going to have a lot more talks. [00:18:32] Speaker C: Appreciate that. [00:18:33] Speaker A: Hey, we'll be back, Jimmy. It's like Club cg. [00:18:41] Speaker B: It is like Club cga. [00:18:42] Speaker A: Chris saying it's like Club CGA in here. [00:18:46] Speaker B: We're looking for our next guest to be on the podcast. [00:18:48] Speaker A: Getting into a hacky side session later. Come on. [00:18:51] Speaker B: We're live right now. Chris Ann's coming on. Chris Ann is in the house. [00:18:59] Speaker A: You know what I don't like about Chrisann is she has such a big, big head. [00:19:03] Speaker B: Oh, geez. Do you see what he did there? [00:19:05] Speaker D: Bigger head, bigger challenges. [00:19:07] Speaker B: Do you see what he did? [00:19:09] Speaker A: It's all right. [00:19:09] Speaker D: I got things again, man. [00:19:10] Speaker B: You had the best hats. This is day three, and this is the third separate hat I've seen. [00:19:16] Speaker C: I think. [00:19:16] Speaker B: Is it the third or second? [00:19:17] Speaker D: Second. [00:19:18] Speaker B: Second. [00:19:18] Speaker D: Okay, second. [00:19:19] Speaker A: But recycle. [00:19:20] Speaker D: You got to be accessible. You got 1537 people registered for your show. [00:19:25] Speaker A: Yeah. That's why we won the Scoopon. Yes. [00:19:28] Speaker B: Last year, which was a record. This is a new record this year here. [00:19:31] Speaker D: Yeah, it is. [00:19:31] Speaker A: Love it. [00:19:32] Speaker D: This is fantastic. So do we. It's. And we're excited for the first time, too, to be hosting. Sunshine State is doing a statewide damage prevention meeting on Thursday morning. Excavators coming in on Thursday, have breakfast with y' all and then have a state specific session. [00:19:46] Speaker B: And this is our home state. So, you know. [00:19:49] Speaker D: Yeah, let's. We gotta. We gotta educate them. Keep our community safe and connected. [00:19:53] Speaker A: Right. [00:19:54] Speaker B: Well, one thing that we've been talking to folks about and they've been mentioning 25 years, CGA. That is fantastic. It has gone by 2000 fast. The other thing people are very excited to share about 50 and 5 and the progress we're making. And the biggest thing, Chris, and I'm going to tell you, people say that we are now talking more and more to counterparts and other companies to work as a team together. And that's great. [00:20:17] Speaker D: It is. You know, I think communication is the root of all of our future success. You know, the low hanging fruit's gone. We reduced damages by 50% in the first 10 years that we launched 811. A phone number doesn't stop damages, but put a shiny light on the process. It made us new and fresh and got the information out there and it was easier. So now it's time to dig in. You know, the hard work is starting. But I'm back on the exhibit floor and, you know, companies are talking and we're headquartered in Paris. So yes, we have a French division and you know, we've got six different countries represented here and probably 17 new exhibitors, almost 300 first time attendees. [00:20:56] Speaker B: That's wonderful. [00:20:57] Speaker D: It is. I mean the data shows people want to learn. [00:20:59] Speaker A: Louis Panzer also got Mars involved. I think if somebody. [00:21:03] Speaker D: Yeah, Mars A1 1. [00:21:04] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah. So when we were walking in, I was trying to describe to the people who aren't here. As we were walking in, it was like going down our grandmother's hall. You know, all these pictures on both sides that were really what I understood to be the last 25 years of CGA and the commitment that, that so many people made to this got cold chills. That's so cool. [00:21:26] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:21:27] Speaker A: So talking to someone who's been here and put on shows like this, I know it's probably tough to find a moment, but what's, what's a moment that sticks out so much for you? [00:21:38] Speaker D: You know what, There are so many. The memory lane was my idea. [00:21:41] Speaker A: Was it? Yeah. [00:21:42] Speaker B: It's beautiful. [00:21:43] Speaker F: You know, it's great. [00:21:44] Speaker D: And it was, it was amazing to reflect on the people that have made a difference. You know, we can talk about regulation, we can talk about documents, we can talk about research, but there's a person behind every one of those success stories. And walking down and looking at that, you remember who they were. We were a lot younger, a lot thinner and some a lot taller than we are now. [00:22:05] Speaker B: Let's, let's stand up everybody's posture. [00:22:08] Speaker D: But you know, I looked at that and one of the things that always stands out to me is I was a contract employee to see CGA to create the 811 call. Before you did campaign, I was hired to manage, execute and launch that campaign. And you know, 5-1-2007 we did that. And we're on the national mall in D.C. and I was looking at the photos there and all I can remember thinking is almost 20 years ago, almost 20 years ago, we have arrived. We have a national three digit number. We're on the Mall in D.C. cNN wants to interview us. Like this is. We're going to go. Yeah, shift it into high gear. So there's been many Hallmark moments, many things I'm proud to be associated with. But if I look back in time, like the light switch. That was it, that was it. Now we can go. [00:22:54] Speaker B: That's, that is great. [00:22:55] Speaker A: A swore she would say being on with us, but I can see what happens. [00:23:00] Speaker B: Second. [00:23:02] Speaker A: Well, amazing event as always. We wanted that count, you know, because we saw people pouring in and such an awesome one. [00:23:10] Speaker D: Your team is amazing as always and thank you all for being here and help spread the good work and the message that you do. And, you know, we're excited for Colorado Springs next year. Tampa the year after. Colorado Springs the year after. [00:23:23] Speaker B: Let's go. [00:23:23] Speaker D: It's on. [00:23:24] Speaker B: Let's go. [00:23:24] Speaker D: It's on. We're nationwide. I love it worldwide. [00:23:27] Speaker A: Thank you. [00:23:27] Speaker F: Thanks. [00:23:28] Speaker A: Hey, we'll be back. Jimbo. Jim. [00:23:33] Speaker B: James, I'm gonna tell you, day two is excited. I am on day one and day zero in your world. Day two, it just keeps building, building. [00:23:42] Speaker A: And building, you know, and sometimes when you really want something, you have to manifest it. Right? Every year. [00:23:50] Speaker B: Okay. [00:23:50] Speaker A: We have had a guest on that has just blown us away. Okay. This year's no different. I think we should bring Sarah. [00:23:57] Speaker F: We're giving those away through gig. [00:23:58] Speaker B: Do you think she would. Oh, look at that. [00:24:01] Speaker A: Excellent. [00:24:02] Speaker B: We thought it and it happened. [00:24:04] Speaker F: How's it going? [00:24:06] Speaker A: Something about who showed up. [00:24:09] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:24:10] Speaker F: Yeah, thanks for being here. [00:24:13] Speaker C: Three for us. [00:24:14] Speaker F: Yeah, it's pretty wild. [00:24:17] Speaker A: I've been watching you from afar. Not like a creeper, but just like you are the most popular person here and you don't ever stop. That's what I was going to say. Every time I watch you, you're talking whoopers and leaving for. Enough. [00:24:31] Speaker F: I'm trying. [00:24:34] Speaker B: Have you been checking your steps every day? [00:24:36] Speaker F: It's. It's been a pretty good number. [00:24:37] Speaker B: Yeah. I get 14,000, 18,000. I'm not sure the latest one. [00:24:42] Speaker F: I think I did 12 yesterday. Yeah. That includes sitting in a few meetings. [00:24:46] Speaker A: Yeah. Love this location. [00:24:48] Speaker F: Yeah, it's great. [00:24:49] Speaker A: As always. We got to bring someone new this year, Crystal Stroudmet from our team. And she, she's. It's, it's the biggest thing. [00:25:01] Speaker F: It's been great. [00:25:02] Speaker A: We're thrilled. [00:25:03] Speaker F: We're, I think 15 over 15, 50 in attendance. So another record breaking last year was 1400. [00:25:12] Speaker B: That was record breaking. [00:25:13] Speaker A: Yes. [00:25:13] Speaker F: Yes. We are continuing on the upward trajectory and we're so excited that we have so many damage prevention professionals here, including some of our founding members, some of the original Common Ground staff members. [00:25:27] Speaker B: That's wonderful, isn't it? [00:25:28] Speaker F: Hall of famers from, from years past. Yeah, it's great. [00:25:32] Speaker B: Can I, can I tell you another aspect that I noticed too, is the next generation. My daughter is now in the industry, 25 years old, and I'm like, yes, we're, we're capturing those younger people coming into the industry and they're extending, they bring in different, know, just a different mindset. Not A bad mindset. It's a good mindset. I mean as far as technology, that generation, they do things that I'm like. [00:25:54] Speaker A: How do you do that from that generation? [00:25:56] Speaker B: Oh, oh boy, here we go. Yeah, I find that exciting. [00:26:01] Speaker F: They look at the cake from the side like our speaker said today. [00:26:04] Speaker B: Oh yeah, that was fantastic. [00:26:07] Speaker A: Shane Snow drink just on the other side of this wall. Signing books for everybody. You've got to be Paul 25 years from celebrating this 25 years of the CGA with everybody here. When we were walking down memory lane. [00:26:23] Speaker F: Down memory lane. [00:26:24] Speaker A: I, I made the joke that it felt like walking down grandma's, you know, and you're like, oh, remember that time? You have gotta have incredible memories in your. Do you have any that stick out for you? [00:26:41] Speaker F: You know what's interesting is I've been here a little over eight years and I was actually teasing the staff for filling in a few duplicates of my pictures because many of them have been here the entire 25 years. One of the biggest memories I have is the first time we did our own show. It's right after Covid and it was a little nerve wracking if bubbly did it. And we've been on an upward trajectory ever since and it's been great. [00:27:09] Speaker B: Well, I'm going to tell you, it has been great. [00:27:11] Speaker A: And I, I. [00:27:13] Speaker B: The thing that we're talking to a lot of folks about and it's chatter in the highways. The 15 5. [00:27:18] Speaker F: Yes. [00:27:18] Speaker B: Now you remember now it was two years ago right here in Orlando that was announced. What did a lot of people say? [00:27:25] Speaker A: Wow. I remember interviewing people that week, you know, they still had kind of the shocking on of hearing and some people were going to work. You could tell your brains were turning checking in with them last year. It's amazing to see progress. [00:27:39] Speaker B: Yep, it's doable. [00:27:41] Speaker F: I mean it's absolutely doable. And that's, you know, part of the reason I said what I said on Tuesday was it's tons to walk the walk. You gotta just quit talking to talk. And we gotta think about what happens when we don't do what we know we need to do with it. Quicker, easier or cost less. You cannot the price on somebody's life. [00:28:01] Speaker B: No, you can't. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And I'll tell you, you know, the challenge being thrown out there, some of the things I've heard is now people are tearing down the silos. You know, it's not just us and you all, it's we together. [00:28:13] Speaker F: That's right. [00:28:14] Speaker B: And how can we Tackle this together. And the other thing is innovation and, you know, new technologies and people are like, tell me how that works. [00:28:21] Speaker A: We just talked to Jimmy Wang. Yes. [00:28:26] Speaker F: Absolutely. [00:28:27] Speaker A: There's a lot of things going on. [00:28:28] Speaker F: They're the ones that are moving the needle. I mean, the technology that's here around us is. Is why we have 100,000 square feet of exhibit space of people who want to move the needle. [00:28:38] Speaker A: Say that again. How much? [00:28:39] Speaker F: A hundred thousand. It's kind of tiny. [00:28:42] Speaker B: It's kind of tiny. [00:28:43] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:28:43] Speaker A: Right. [00:28:44] Speaker B: We need maps to get around here, which is wonderful. [00:28:47] Speaker F: It's great. [00:28:47] Speaker B: You know, you go on trips and you take stuff in and then you come back and I'm like, okay, I got to write that down because. Because that's really me. And you go out again. Then you go out again. [00:28:55] Speaker A: So we ask you, almost give you a platform to do so. [00:29:00] Speaker B: We think it's super important, too. [00:29:02] Speaker A: We know what it takes like this. We get to frequently a lot of events and so to see it in action, the little moments, the little things are the big things. Is there anything you want to say about the staff? I know they're incredible. [00:29:16] Speaker F: They are amazing. [00:29:17] Speaker A: Just hearing straight through you, you know, in. [00:29:19] Speaker F: In a lot of business groups. Oh, you've done a great job on the conference. [00:29:22] Speaker A: This. [00:29:23] Speaker F: This is the word staff. [00:29:24] Speaker D: This is. [00:29:25] Speaker F: I cannot take credit for this. This is, you know, Erica and Trish and Sarah and Megan and the whole team, everybody gets together, all 15 of us. [00:29:39] Speaker E: Wow. [00:29:39] Speaker F: Yes. There were four women that started. [00:29:41] Speaker B: It's amazing. [00:29:42] Speaker F: It's making. Yeah, yeah. It's a lot of work. [00:29:51] Speaker A: It is. [00:29:53] Speaker B: Trust me. We know. Especially that gentleman right there. [00:29:55] Speaker A: I love it and I see it. I see it on action. He's literally crawling around doing whatever it's going to be done. [00:30:01] Speaker F: That's right. [00:30:02] Speaker A: It's good. And seeing the keep up this morning. [00:30:05] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:30:05] Speaker A: I didn't expect, I'm sure, a lot, but I'm. I'm a former designer. Binder took that. Still took that. [00:30:14] Speaker F: Yeah, he's great. I mean, he's great in that. You know, we had the administrator here in Kosman yesterday. You know, there's a lot going on in D.C. oh, yes, there is. He took time to come down and talk to us and talk about how important safety is. And laying that marker down is really important. One of the other things that we've been talking about here is part of the walking walk is changing the laws so that we enable our stakeholders to cross the law. And that's why, you know, we established the damage Prevention Action Center. And we're really trying to implement what we say are the best practices. Why do we have extensions? Why are we doing these things? There was the National Transportation Safety Board put out this final report yesterday on the former chocolate installation Pennsylvania in 2023. Like with all incidents, there was a series of issues there, but one of them was exemptions from belonging to work. And that was a big contributing factor in South. [00:31:18] Speaker A: Great. [00:31:18] Speaker F: When. When you think it's not costing you money, but some people diagnos. [00:31:22] Speaker A: Yeah. Upstairs there's Kentucky, Kentucky and Alaska. One of the ones to, you know, really kind of moving to, you know, having to be a party when. Ocean, you mean? [00:31:36] Speaker F: Yeah. Kentucky. Kentucky is my homeland. Yes. Tim and I have. Have been pushing that, you know, mandatory reporting doesn't mean anything if you don't have mandatory membership. I mean it's. It, it's. [00:31:50] Speaker A: It's not. [00:31:51] Speaker F: So those are the things we have to fix. Strictly. Sure we can keep everybody safe. [00:31:56] Speaker A: No, I speak for a lot of folks. [00:31:58] Speaker B: Thank you for building with the needy. [00:32:01] Speaker F: Fun to have you guys. [00:32:03] Speaker A: We. We blessed and thankful. Yes. We'll be back. Great. [00:32:07] Speaker F: Thank you. [00:32:09] Speaker A: It's 10:00am Eastern Time and we are opening the exhibit hall right next to us, we're in the CGA booth right up front. Right next to us, on the other side of this wall hall is the keynote speaker, Shane Snow, who we met last night. [00:32:24] Speaker B: We did. [00:32:25] Speaker A: We happen to be in the lobby waiting to head to a reception and Sam hall showed up and he said I'm meeting Shane Snow down here, the keynote, if y' all want to hang out and just walk up with us. So we did and we pushed the button, if you know what that means, you know, on his website, it's funny enough, go check it out. But this morning he kicked off the CGA with the big keynote. And it was amazing. I mean, somebody who's a tech guy. Recovering tech guy, someone who's a recovering designer, you know, to be in a room full of utility people and feel more comfortable and seen than ever before was something wild. I. I mentioned it on LinkedIn. I didn't have the black square on my bingo card to talk about this year, but man, did we but signed book. [00:33:18] Speaker B: I didn't get one. [00:33:19] Speaker A: I did. I made sure to go by and pick it up. I'm gonna go find one. No free sponsors, Shane. You know the routine. [00:33:26] Speaker B: But no, it was a very motivated. One of the biggest things that I, I took away from that keynote this morning was to think of things from a different vision or different viewpoint. And he hit it really at a very, you know, micro level at versus, you know, or maybe macro is the right term for that. But really to take a look at things from, you know, take a step back and, and look at things from a different view. And he also really fed into what's going on here at the CGA where different industries are getting together. Y so even though we may be in one industry like line locating, we need to talk to also people in the excavation industry and we in the excavation innovation industry need to talk to people in this industry. [00:34:08] Speaker A: Yeah. Stakeholder management. Yeah, we've been doing it a long time here. But what he was saying was don't forget about those perspectives. Yeah. You know, when you invite a new perspective into the room it changes the questions we ask and are we asking the right questions. And I think Sarah told us last night and then he foot stomped it in. The keynote is we all the low hanging fruit is gone in 50 and five. It was gone in the first three, four months of 50 and five. [00:34:35] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:34:36] Speaker A: You know, definitely by year two. And so as we're entering year three and four and five of this it the questions have to be more intentional. They've got to be more pointed and we've, we've got to think differently to get it done. [00:34:49] Speaker B: Yep. [00:34:50] Speaker A: So all good man. Excited to be here for day two. We got a loaded card, man. [00:34:55] Speaker B: Oh we do. [00:34:56] Speaker A: It is a full day. [00:34:57] Speaker B: This is one the of those 14, 16 hour days today. [00:35:01] Speaker A: So following a couple others. I'll be on stage later today. Jimmy's going to join me. We're going to be talking PSMs and safety culture. Excited about that on the distribution track. So we're going to see some of our guest friends there. And the show continues on. I expect to see Sarah and others through here. We saw Chris sand last night. [00:35:19] Speaker B: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:35:20] Speaker A: And I saw Sarah this morning. [00:35:22] Speaker B: She was like I'm going to stop by Sarah so. But she's running a million miles an hour right now. [00:35:26] Speaker A: She always finds time at the end. So we'll, we'll sync up. But hey, stick with us. We appreciate you coming along for this ride. [00:35:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:35:33] Speaker A: We'll be back come our good friends Jimmy W. I think me and Jimmy probably met at Orlando three years ago. I don't know that he guys mind. [00:35:48] Speaker B: I can't remember. [00:35:49] Speaker A: Two years old. Yeah. [00:35:50] Speaker B: But well, I'm sorry, we'd like to say experience season. Yes, yes. [00:35:56] Speaker A: Cast iron skill. Jimmy, for those that don't know you, you want to introduce yourself. How do we do this left. [00:36:02] Speaker E: Yeah. [00:36:02] Speaker B: Yeah. Jimmy Wang a creative partners consultant investor in space and help companies get better get ready for a transaction or whatever they want to and I'm going to say an underlying damage prevention. You are an icon in the industry. [00:36:18] Speaker A: Yeah Faithful you are. [00:36:20] Speaker B: You're seriously honest. [00:36:22] Speaker A: So I'm sure you saw it just like everybody else yesterday as we were all kind of packing ready to come into the hall. You walk down what Chris told us yesterday. Memory, right? Yeah, yeah I I kind of jumped yesterday that it felt like walking down grandma's hall. You know that was cool. You're like remember, remember, remember. So we're asking people to get there because that think you know I'm only building for three years. Right. So those have been around a little longer. You have any memories yourself and we have a lot of memories. [00:36:56] Speaker B: Yeah. You know this industry has come a long way. 25 years ago there was no A1. It took a lot of work. Pioneers, drivers, mystery class and we. And I didn't want reminded guys what we have right now is it's not far short. It's far far short of perfect. So the standard should not be perfect because material path iterate. [00:37:22] Speaker A: Right. [00:37:23] Speaker B: Let's iterate and fast. [00:37:26] Speaker A: Right. [00:37:26] Speaker B: And the answer usually is yes but it's not perfect. And but this a lot better what we cast better than we have. [00:37:35] Speaker A: Yes. [00:37:36] Speaker B: And I think a lot of stakeholders are resisting or afraid to that pulls us back. [00:37:46] Speaker A: Reflection is hard. I think it's a hard environment to work. [00:37:49] Speaker B: Well I think it is too because the other mindset is if you think you're perfect or you think you've gone as far as you can go, you kind of quit like saying I can't. [00:37:57] Speaker A: Get any better still in the wrong mountain. Yeah. That's Shane's. [00:38:00] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. And it gets also to 50 and 5. You know it was two years ago that we were all together and the announce of reducing damages by 50% five years and everybody said well it never happened. But then a lot of people said well wait a minute, let's work on this. [00:38:14] Speaker A: Yeah, let's have a. [00:38:15] Speaker B: Let's have a stretch goal but let's see how we get there. We're now about two and a half years into it. What's your impression? You mentioned a little bit about maybe we're at a plateau. Do you see you mentioned AI now. I mean do you see this something else coming in to help us get us. You know I was just talking with one of the co chairs tech committee. I think the available technologies are not Barrier down. There are a lot of available technologies. It's not for lack of technologies, but the barrier is more resistant to docting, testing, piloting these technologies. Okay, so if you go back to 55, there are people problems. [00:38:54] Speaker A: Yes. [00:38:54] Speaker B: It's a change management problem. It's a risk averseness problem. If you think about 55, 85, it's not 105. We're, we're not chasing perfection. We're not saying we're going to reduce 100% of the damage. 55. [00:39:08] Speaker A: So continuous improvement. [00:39:11] Speaker B: Are these available technologies and methods better than what we have right now? In many cases that they are not just in terms of damages, but also in terms of total cost ownership. People are. There are a lot of people who are risk. It's not perfect. So there's less risk for my company and for me personally at this company. I keep doing what I'm doing versus using one of these technologies that are not perfect. Areas of what I'm doing is there's still some risk. [00:39:47] Speaker A: Right. [00:39:48] Speaker B: Few people, unfortunately, maybe too soon. People get retired or terminated because they're doing the same thing in this industry. [00:39:56] Speaker A: Right, right. I'm excited because I know we got people asking the right questions out there. Kind like it gives a lot of us confidence, know. [00:40:10] Speaker B: You guys, putting, putting the message and, well, you know, probing. And it gets to that point this morning about the team effort, that it's all of us working together for what we do, our purpose and our passions, bringing those together and then moving forward, getting a message. [00:40:26] Speaker A: We will, Jimmy. Yesterday the hall opened. A big wave of people came in. [00:40:35] Speaker B: 1700. [00:40:35] Speaker A: Yeah, we're day two of the hall and we're just kicking off interviews today. We're getting pumped about it and we get to talk to Josh at Utilisource. Josh, no pressure, but I've been talking to your marketing folks, talking with your team for weeks now, so no pressure. How you doing, sir? Welcome to the show. [00:40:54] Speaker H: Thank you. I'm doing great. I'm doing great. [00:40:56] Speaker A: Awesome. Well, for those back home that maybe don't know who you are, people here as well, do us a favor, introduce yourself and how you're involved here. [00:41:03] Speaker B: Certainly. [00:41:04] Speaker G: Yeah. [00:41:04] Speaker H: Well, my name is Josh Heinrichs. I am the president of Utilisource. We are a member of CGA. I personally have been associated with CGA for about 20 years. [00:41:14] Speaker B: Have you really? [00:41:15] Speaker H: Yeah. [00:41:15] Speaker B: So it's the 25th anniversary. Say you were in the very beginning years. [00:41:19] Speaker H: Yeah, I remember when the team was Bob and Erica and Chris Ann way back in the day. [00:41:26] Speaker B: That's a memory lane right there. [00:41:28] Speaker H: Yeah. It's been a good, long journey. I'm so impressed with what these guys have been able to do over the years. They've done a pretty spectacular job of growing this, and the industry's really embraced what they've done. I had the honor of serving on the Board of directors for a number of years and ultimately became chairman of the board. Served there for three years when Damage Prevention Institute was formed. I also was the chairman of the board for one of the other old entities that was out there that ultimately became dpi. Got you all that together. And so I've been working with these guys for a long time. Been, you know, with Sarah along, you know, since she came, and it's. It's been a. It's been a really interesting journey to watch people embrace what we're doing in the industry. [00:42:16] Speaker A: It really has. I've only been here three years myself, but I know this is 20. You mentioned it. Such a pro podcaster. Right. Transition right into it. [00:42:24] Speaker B: Right into it. [00:42:25] Speaker A: 25 years of the CGA. As we were walking through yesterday, I'm just like everybody else down memory lane. [00:42:31] Speaker H: Yeah. [00:42:32] Speaker A: As Chrisan called it. We saw all the pictures and all the people that have really made impacts over the years. Yeah. And we're asking people today, you know, are there any memories that stick out to you that are so appropriate, obviously, that we can share with some folks today? [00:42:49] Speaker H: You know, probably one of the best memories I think that I have of this whole show is the passing of the torch when Bob decided that he was going to be done and retire, and Sarah came on board. You know, Bob and the team had done such a fantastic job with what they were doing, and when Sarah came on, that was a really. It's a neat memory for me because it was. It was additional life or. Or new life into the organization, kind of a. A little bit different direction, and just some energy that was injected into this thing was. Was pretty cool. That's a. That was a good memory. When the passing of the torch happened and. And Sarah came on and she was embraced by the people here at CGA so quickly. It's a great memory. [00:43:33] Speaker B: There is a lot of energy. I will absolutely foot stomp that. I've been coming pro probably for eight, 10 years maybe to the CGA, and I want to advance us a little bit to about two and a half years ago when we started in Orlando. We were in Orlando. Yeah. With the 50 and five. [00:43:49] Speaker H: Oh, yeah. [00:43:50] Speaker B: And I remember being at ground zero. James and I were and we're all of a sudden, we're like, wow. And people are like, that's a big number. 50% reduction in, in underground damages, you know, over the next five years. And now we are about halfway through your impression. [00:44:04] Speaker A: Give me. [00:44:05] Speaker B: Let's walk back a little memory lane. What did you think a couple years back when that was announced and where do you think we are today, being about halfway there? [00:44:12] Speaker H: I was chairman of the board at the time when that was announced, and that was an idea that the board brought to Sarah. I remember John Fluharty and I sitting in her office. We interviewed yesterday and having that conversation with her. And really the idea was, let's give the industry something that is very aspirational as a goal. And people embraced that and ran with it. I think at the time we were a little concerned that CGA personnel would be like, oh my gosh, what are we going to do with this? And it was the exact opposite. They were excited about the challenge. The people in the committees were excited about the challenge. And since then, we've made quite a bit of progress. I think we, we've dropped damages 6 or 7% already. And I think we'll have a lot more momentum over the next few years to, to get there. [00:45:01] Speaker A: Is there one thing that's exciting you more than others that you're seeing, or is it just. We've heard collaboration just amongst everyone and you know, we heard in Shane's keynote just a minute ago about thinking differently. Is there anything you're seeing that you're just like, man, this is exciting. [00:45:17] Speaker H: Well, what's exciting to me is to see, see the, the excavator contractor community collaborating with the locator community. You know, that is something that had not happened early on in this journey through 25 years, but it's happening now. And it excites me to see those two stakeholder groups coming together and thinking about these problems differently. [00:45:39] Speaker A: Yeah, that's huge. We were sitting at a breakfast table with two of them, right? [00:45:42] Speaker H: Yeah. [00:45:42] Speaker A: And they were having the same conversations. And that day, it didn't happen before. Josh, great speaking with you, brother. Absolutely appreciate you the time you put in here. Absolutely. Maybe 25 years later, we'll be talking about this again. Hey, we'll be back. Jason Montoya joining us today. Do us a favor, my friend. Introduce yourself to people back home. [00:46:05] Speaker E: Hello, everybody. Jason Montoya, New Mexico Public Regulation Commission, Pipeline Pipeline Safety Bureau Chief. Been in this position now. Just celebrated my 15th year and super excited to be here. Mr. James, Mr. Jim. And the whole CGA environment, great opportunity. [00:46:21] Speaker A: Yeah, it's great event. 25 years of CGA, but more importantly, today, how many years of marriage? It's your anniversary today, right? [00:46:31] Speaker E: It is. It is. We are celebrating our 20th anniversary. So I, I just posted on my social media, media, and I had recognized, you know, I was still pulling those pedals. If she loves me, she loves me not. I finally decided she must love me because 20 years later, we're still. [00:46:47] Speaker A: A lot of petals. [00:46:48] Speaker E: Yeah, a lot of petals, A lot of roses. [00:46:49] Speaker A: That's good stuff. So. So I have to ask, is there any correlation and damage prevention and marriage? You know, can you make a tie for us? [00:46:58] Speaker E: I can make a lot of them, but one I'm going to share with you. I probably should keep the rest to ourselves. But one thing I will say is, and I, I preach this effective communication. There can be rules and regulations, there's prenups, there's all this other stuff that people talk about in our, that other industry. But like effective communication, I mean, when you're wrong, you're wrong. When you're right, you're right. And if you guys can figure out a mutual ground, it's success stories all day. [00:47:24] Speaker A: That's awesome. [00:47:24] Speaker B: Good point. [00:47:25] Speaker A: How long you've been involved with cga? You've been coming here long. [00:47:28] Speaker E: So cga, let's see. So I started as a director in New Mexico about 15 years, but I was involved with CGA prior to that. Just damage prevention in general. I was a utility coordinator manager for a company called Brown and Caldwell out of Phoenix, Arizona. And so that's when I was more in the water wastewater industry, doing designs and being project managers and whatnot. And so then I moved back to New Mexico and a friend of mine, an elected official, reached out and said, hey, we need your expertise in state government. And so I took on the challenge not knowing anything in the great people like you all that I was going to meet. I had no idea what I was up against. But as a person that is honest, loyal and sincere to my friends, my family first, my friends second, I told him, I'll do it. [00:48:14] Speaker A: Good for you. [00:48:14] Speaker E: And so it required a professional engineering, my job qualifications. We are more stringent than the President of the United States, it feels like, right? [00:48:25] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:48:25] Speaker E: But they gave me the opportunity and it's been great. It's been such a great experience. So CGA overall, you know, as a board member representing state programs for a while, I've been a committee member. I've always tried. I tried to influence decisions, make recommendations, and Feedback only based on realistic experiences. You know, we can. We can shoot everything we want about what it should be or if that. Or if this. But when it actually happens, you can learn from it and prevent recurrence is where I'm about. [00:48:55] Speaker A: And those that don't know, we work closely together. EWN and New Mexico as well, for the enforcement side of business. Make sure people get trained, you know, when there is an incident. Absolutely. So you want to hit them with. [00:49:08] Speaker B: Yeah, I want to. We were talking about 50 and 5. You know, we're actually two years into it, and we started it with the CGA two years ago here in Orlando. And we've made some progress. You know, we still have a ways to go. Your thoughts on that? Where do you think we should be focusing on to really hit that objective, that stretch goal of reducing damages by 50%? [00:49:29] Speaker A: Are you guys doing anything there that are moving the needle? [00:49:32] Speaker E: So we've beefed up our enforcement. I mean, we started at holding individuals by first and last name accountable rather than appealing company. [00:49:39] Speaker B: Oh, really? [00:49:40] Speaker E: And so what happens is reputation. And if you're a bad contractor, you're a bad person that operates a backhoe. Why would another one want to hire you when you're already on our radar? [00:49:50] Speaker B: We were. [00:49:51] Speaker E: We were kind of BSing is okay, I hope, but we were kind of BSing around a fire pit last night, and I was talking to some people, I said, listen, I'm going to implement a dad ticket. And it's a dumb damage. And so that's what I want to name it. So now you're on our radar for just not using common sense. [00:50:07] Speaker A: Yeah. Right. [00:50:08] Speaker E: And I'm thinking common sense will decrease 50 by itself. I believe in them. It just did a little bit of more due diligence. [00:50:15] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:50:16] Speaker E: A little more contractors be a little more patient with utilities. Utilities be a little more. More prompt in response. And you guys start communicating because, you know, the handshake deal in the field doesn't exist anymore, unfortunately. And I grew up on that. [00:50:29] Speaker B: Sure. [00:50:30] Speaker E: And so when I shake hands, your hand, I'm looking at your eye like that's my commitment. [00:50:34] Speaker B: Sure. [00:50:34] Speaker E: Right. It doesn't exist anymore, unfortunately. And so what I've encouraged people to do is y' all figure it out. Because once I get involved as a regulator, there's consequences. And I'm not here to put anybody out of business. I'm here to do the right thing. And so. [00:50:46] Speaker B: And have us all be better, safer, and everybody goes home at the end. [00:50:49] Speaker E: Of the day, I think about them and Their people first. [00:50:51] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:50:51] Speaker E: As a contractor that's going through their due diligence is prudent. I'm like, can you tell the other contractor that says they've been doing it for 20, 30 years, but then they got this knowingly gas damage. I'm like, well, you've been doing it for so long, why now? I struggle with that a little bit personally. You know, my passion is damage wrenching. I have. I have pipeline safety, and I have damage prevention under my umbrella. But my passion has always been utility coordination and safety. Now, overall, my industry years with 20, 24 years. About. Celebrate 25 years in the industry. [00:51:25] Speaker A: God, you start when you're six. Yeah. [00:51:27] Speaker E: You know what? Over there, where I'm from, they let you do whatever you want whenever you want. [00:51:32] Speaker B: You got to be careful. [00:51:34] Speaker A: Everybody. I love it. Hey, I didn't ask you one question that I'd love to get some input. Is there one memory from CGA that sticks out to the others that you can talk about on camera? [00:51:46] Speaker E: The motivation speeches from guest speaker. Realistically. Realistically living and dreaming like the individual that was buried alive, for somebody to come and tell you, this is what I did wrong and I died and came back to life or whatever. Yeah, that. That should hit home. [00:52:05] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:52:06] Speaker E: I mean that in my opinion. So that. And honestly, just the interaction, networking with friends and family. [00:52:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:12] Speaker E: This is awesome. [00:52:13] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:52:14] Speaker E: Like, I don't have a lot of opportunity back home. We're a small community in New Mexico. [00:52:17] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:52:17] Speaker E: It's always the Jason story or. Or, hey, Jason's meeting. I don't want it like that. I want it to be a family affair. Like, we're. We're all in together. We do accept New Mexico pipeline safety. On behalf of the director, I'm telling you, we accept a shared responsibility. We do. [00:52:32] Speaker A: Yeah. That's big. [00:52:33] Speaker E: And so not a lot of people will say that. And I challenge my counterparts in every other state to do the same. [00:52:37] Speaker A: Beautiful. Like family. One of them. [00:52:40] Speaker B: Thank you for sharing the time. [00:52:41] Speaker A: We know you have a lot on. [00:52:42] Speaker B: Your plate today, so. [00:52:43] Speaker E: I do. I've been eating it. I've been eating it. [00:52:46] Speaker A: Happy anniversary also. [00:52:47] Speaker E: Thank you. [00:52:48] Speaker A: Hey, we'll be back, Jimmy. It's good to be with you, sir. [00:52:53] Speaker B: Brother. It's great to be with you. [00:52:55] Speaker A: It's been a great show. Had so many people join us that I really wasn't expecting. We got hammered yesterday with so many. Good to be around this group here in damage prevention, doing awesome things. 25 years. Yeah. [00:53:09] Speaker B: It's incredible. [00:53:10] Speaker A: It really is. And to hear all the stories straight from the people as they're breaking down behind us. You know, Legend sat down. Current shares past chairs there. Magruder Lal sat down with us. [00:53:22] Speaker B: Chris Ann did. And you know what though? It goes to the idea of what the CGA is really helping the industry do is collaborate and talk. And just as much as we're a micro example of that is that we're here and really collaborating and talking with folks and connecting those dots. Which has been absolutely a pleasure. [00:53:43] Speaker A: Yeah, we've been blessed. I also like to thank CGA for having us be a part of this and also for inviting us to the VIP dinner last night. [00:53:51] Speaker B: Very nice. Wonderful. [00:53:52] Speaker A: Again to be able to see who made this thing. [00:53:55] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:53:55] Speaker A: You know, and the core people that were involved, the hall of Famers, the lifelong members that have been there. It was a neat group last night. [00:54:02] Speaker B: 100. [00:54:03] Speaker A: I wasn't joking with all the people we rubbed doubles with to be a part of that group and accepted and it's humbling. [00:54:12] Speaker B: It's humbling and it's energizing. Yeah, absolutely too. [00:54:15] Speaker A: Doing good stuff. We're weeks away from aga. Another big show. We saw Karen last night. Thanked her for having us involved. They seem super pumped ready for that. [00:54:24] Speaker B: Yeah, they are ready. Manson was there too last night. That we're already. He already has our space carved out. [00:54:30] Speaker A: So like we. We have a spot. So we are blessed to be here. Thank you everybody who stopped by. All those. Didn't. All that stopped by and just said thank you for what we're doing and sharing the messages. Season six is underway. Jimmy. Always. We're going to have Ashley with us. We will sometimes Ashley event. The crew is going to be all back together for aga. We can't wait for you. Yeah, I hope you'll stop by. [00:54:52] Speaker B: Have a great day. Stay safe. [00:54:54] Speaker A: Take care.