Live @ The Common Ground Alliance Conference + Expo

[00:00:23] Speaker A: It's live at five. [00:00:24] Speaker B: We are live. Oh, hit it. [00:00:27] Speaker C: Mine's back there. [00:00:31] Speaker D: It's the most craziest thing I've done all day. [00:00:33] Speaker C: There's nothing in that mug planking about that time. [00:00:37] Speaker D: My mug is full, folks. We. We have just. [00:00:42] Speaker B: You want me to put yours up? Are you good? I'm good. [00:00:45] Speaker D: Just. Just in case I need it again. [00:00:48] Speaker C: Sure enough. [00:00:53] Speaker D: Do I see the doors open? Are the people walking in? [00:00:56] Speaker C: It's time. [00:00:57] Speaker B: Showtime. [00:00:57] Speaker D: I see a bevy. A plethora of people walking in. The wheel of fortune is being spun. [00:01:02] Speaker B: Next door by no other than Sam Hall. [00:01:06] Speaker D: Sam is running that side of the booth for us. [00:01:09] Speaker B: I know the question. A lot of people. [00:01:10] Speaker D: Oh, my gosh. [00:01:11] Speaker E: What is that? [00:01:12] Speaker B: What does. [00:01:14] Speaker F: What is that? [00:01:17] Speaker B: I hope they'll come over here getting a picture. [00:01:19] Speaker C: What in the world? [00:01:21] Speaker B: What are we looking so, Sam. Whoa, whoa. All right. [00:01:32] Speaker C: Is it gonna be in the shot? [00:01:33] Speaker B: We're here. [00:01:34] Speaker C: Are you gonna see it so you can see what we're talking about? [00:01:37] Speaker B: Surely they'll come up behind us. I just open. They're coming in and in droves now. [00:01:42] Speaker D: 1300 plus people are walking in. [00:01:45] Speaker B: This is moment number one here at CGA exhibit hall. Prize is just over our. Our shoulder. Over Ashley's shoulder here. This is Jonathan Kenwell. [00:01:56] Speaker D: What's up, brother? [00:01:57] Speaker B: Good, we're live. Shout out from Alabama. [00:02:01] Speaker D: Alabama. [00:02:02] Speaker B: In the house. [00:02:03] Speaker A: In my house. [00:02:05] Speaker B: Yes, sir. We were saying Sam Hall's over here giving out prizes. [00:02:11] Speaker D: Won the grand prize already. [00:02:14] Speaker C: No, CGA slippers. I don't know about grand prize. [00:02:16] Speaker B: Speaking of grand prize, I believe that obviously we're live. I believe that they're gonna announce the golf winners, too, which that will not be, James? Well, I've given it for, like, 11th place, which is kind of cool. [00:02:31] Speaker D: And you were in 14th place or 15th. [00:02:33] Speaker B: No, I'm not a good 11th. [00:02:36] Speaker C: There's so much coming on. [00:02:37] Speaker B: It's coming in. It reminds me of Aga when we were live there. When they opened the hall, we got flooded. Yeah, very similar. People pop up. People are calling me on my phone. Steve Allen, I bet you a million dollars. [00:02:51] Speaker C: No, no. [00:02:53] Speaker B: Good thing we didn't bet. Did y'all catch any sessions this morning? [00:03:02] Speaker C: The speaker earlier, during lunch, was really good. [00:03:05] Speaker D: Yeah, that was very good. I caught that. [00:03:06] Speaker B: Or chocolate was even better. [00:03:08] Speaker D: I didn't get the chocolate out. [00:03:09] Speaker C: I got you chocolate. [00:03:10] Speaker D: I'm abstaining, though. I'm trying to. Oh, I got chocolate. I'm happy about that. [00:03:15] Speaker B: We've had the scoop all day here in the exhibit hall. Everyone was not allowed in, so just exhibitors. And we went around and peeked around. There's a lot of big equipment in here. I took a lot of pictures. I can't wait to share. Everybody likes to look for big equipment. [00:03:32] Speaker G: Well, yeah. [00:03:33] Speaker D: And it's hard to see a kid. I don't think it's in the shot, but we have some back trucks right behind us. That's always fun. That's a cool technology. You guys have all seen those in action. Back trucks, right? [00:03:45] Speaker B: Oh, for sure. For sure. I played golf with Badger yesterday. We made a lot of divots. I'm just saying. [00:03:53] Speaker D: So did you wet it down and then vacuum it up to clear it or did you just replace the divot? [00:03:59] Speaker B: It was very bad. Very bad. We got a full two days after this, right? Tuesday, Wednesday. [00:04:08] Speaker A: Well, a day and a half. [00:04:12] Speaker B: What day is this? [00:04:15] Speaker D: It is day two is what? A shout out to anybody on the camera. [00:04:33] Speaker H: Camera. [00:04:34] Speaker D: Shout out to everybody on the camera. We're at the CGA conference, so pretty. [00:04:38] Speaker B: Much if you're watching this because you're awesome. If you're not watching this, you'll need you. And on that note, I love it. [00:04:51] Speaker H: I know. [00:04:52] Speaker B: I think we do need to drop the mic. So we're gonna get started here, start grabbing some people to come on. You know what we do. [00:04:59] Speaker D: What's happen? [00:04:59] Speaker B: It's showtime. [00:05:00] Speaker D: It's showtime. You know what? This is when the adrenaline is going. [00:05:04] Speaker B: Let's go. Yeah. Hey, we'll be back. We're live. [00:05:10] Speaker E: Awesome. [00:05:11] Speaker B: How excited are you right now? [00:05:13] Speaker F: It's pretty awesome. [00:05:14] Speaker E: Guys. [00:05:14] Speaker H: How are you? [00:05:14] Speaker A: We're wonderful. [00:05:16] Speaker E: Thanks for being here. [00:05:17] Speaker D: Thank you for having us again. [00:05:19] Speaker B: Anybody can. Anyone can get invited once, right? But when you're invited back, it means something. [00:05:26] Speaker D: It was either a mistake that they just duplicated it from last year or. [00:05:30] Speaker E: No, no. [00:05:31] Speaker D: We had a great time. Last year was wonderful. And we've been looking forward to this. We've been talking about this for months. [00:05:36] Speaker E: Awesome. Honestly, I'm glad. [00:05:37] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:05:38] Speaker B: And it looks like a great turnout. The haul just opened. [00:05:42] Speaker D: Oh, yeah. [00:05:42] Speaker B: Place is packed. I saw everybody pouring. So we've been in here all day watching it all come together, and so we've already kind of poked around. I'm sure you have to. There's a lot of tech. There's a lot of big equipment. There's a lot of great people. I remember sitting with you last year and we asked you how we were going to achieve 55, and you said all of it. [00:06:06] Speaker E: That's right. [00:06:07] Speaker B: And here we are doing all of it. [00:06:10] Speaker E: It is, it is amazing. I mean, this is almost a hundred thousand square feet of exhibit space and it's full. [00:06:16] Speaker D: Packed. [00:06:17] Speaker E: It is packed. [00:06:17] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:18] Speaker E: We have record breaking attendance. We have 1400 people here. [00:06:22] Speaker D: That's tremendous. [00:06:23] Speaker E: It's amazing. And everybody has really coalesced around that challenge and it's really taken on a life of its own. And our committees are talking about it, companies are talking about it, other meetings are talking about it. It's great. It's great. [00:06:38] Speaker D: And I'll add to that. You know, the line this year is rising to the challenge. Okay. And I, James and I as well as Ashley, we've been talking to folks about that coming on here and they're like, this is great because we can tell our story, what we have seen in the industry and what we're doing to rise up to 55, reduce damages by 50% in five years. And they want to tell those stories because they not just a shout out for them, but also to help other people understand what they're doing that somebody else could maybe do the same thing. [00:07:09] Speaker E: That's right. And it's amazing because the mentality around being able to do it has really changed. We really evolved as a damage prevention industry. Yes, we can. We can do it. It might be hard, but it's not insurmountable. We can do it. [00:07:25] Speaker D: We can. And again, you said it best. Like you said last year as this, as an industry, all of it. [00:07:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:07:33] Speaker D: Every asset, every. [00:07:34] Speaker B: So in the spirit of that, I'll ask you the same question we're asking everyone else. And that's what, what have you done in this past year to rise to the challenge? [00:07:46] Speaker E: I mean, we've just been hanging out, twiddling our thumbs at CGA. You know, just hanging out. You know, we have really taken on a lot of efforts that are really foundational to helping us get there. We have updated our damage information reporting tool. We have started doing some innovative research. We've really been capturing case studies. We have really been focused on technology and getting to the. Yes, we can. I don't know if you saw our speaker this morning or this afternoon. Sean Lyon. Right. Get to yes. Yeah, we have to get to yes. And you know, it hasn't always been that way. Historically as we haven't done that. We've never done that before. We can't. Yes, we can. [00:08:30] Speaker B: It's not my problem. [00:08:32] Speaker I: That's right. [00:08:32] Speaker E: It's not my problem. And you know, the why is a big one. And it is. It is to ultimately save lives. [00:08:40] Speaker B: Yep. [00:08:40] Speaker E: Right. [00:08:40] Speaker D: I will say the other thing that I just. On a personal notice, and a lot of kudos to you in the organization. I have run into your folks out in the organization, giving presentations, giving talks, leading panels. You know, Sam hall and myself, I think we ran into each other at mutual conferences, I think three times, maybe four times in the last year. And just getting that message out is wonderful. So you guys are doing a great job with that. [00:09:06] Speaker E: Thank you. And, you know, the damage prevention institute is really. We have to have good data to drive our message and to drive our goal. If we don't have good data, then we don't know what to focus on. Right. And we don't know what we're doing well, and we don't know what we need to work on. [00:09:21] Speaker D: Good point. [00:09:22] Speaker B: Sarah, while we got you, I'd be remiss not to ask how. I know a lot of work goes into these things. Y'all are planning the next one already, right? [00:09:32] Speaker E: We are. [00:09:32] Speaker B: So how proud of you. Are you of this staff? [00:09:38] Speaker E: They are. And the committees, they are amazing. I mean, our. You know, we have a staff of 14, and you can look around and see what they've done. I mean, it is amazing. And next year, and I'm inviting you now, it'll be our 25th anniversary. [00:09:55] Speaker D: Wait, are you talking three years in a row? [00:09:57] Speaker E: I mean, three's a charm. [00:09:59] Speaker I: Okay. [00:10:00] Speaker B: That's a big deal. [00:10:01] Speaker E: It will be 25 years old next year. [00:10:03] Speaker D: That's fantastic. Wow. [00:10:06] Speaker B: Sarah, thank you so much for everything you're doing for the industry. [00:10:09] Speaker E: Absolutely. [00:10:10] Speaker B: And for having us out. [00:10:12] Speaker E: Absolutely. [00:10:13] Speaker B: We'll be back. [00:10:14] Speaker D: That's. I might use that one, too. Purportedly. [00:10:20] Speaker F: It's a real word. I'm a communications professional. [00:10:24] Speaker B: So is she. You know, he has a marketing degree. [00:10:31] Speaker D: Public relations. [00:10:32] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:10:33] Speaker F: I don't find that hard to believe. [00:10:34] Speaker B: I know. Who would have thought you used it all these years later? [00:10:38] Speaker D: Well, that's true, actually. Yeah. I have a degree in that and then a minor in sociology and business. So I like people. I like communicating. I like relations, public relations, strategic relations. [00:10:52] Speaker F: So changing hearts and minds. [00:10:55] Speaker D: Yeah, Dad, I did you proud. I actually used my degree. Finally, after all these years. [00:10:59] Speaker B: Investment. What are we doing? [00:11:02] Speaker D: I don't give a sign. [00:11:03] Speaker B: I mean, the party just started. This hall. Open it. You had to be proud. Which side were you on? Were you on the other side? [00:11:10] Speaker F: I was on the other side. [00:11:11] Speaker B: So we were on this side. And it was like, you know, when they stocked upon, you know, I'm from Texas. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Without all the fish. And they just go, it was. It was a madhouse in here. And then someone came by and stilts and danced behind us. I mean, don't walk. [00:11:27] Speaker F: Life is good on the other side. We had two gigantic rust oleum paint cans that sprayed paint at us. There was a laser ribbon cutting. [00:11:38] Speaker D: I got my oxygen. [00:11:39] Speaker F: You got your oxygen. You're ready. [00:11:41] Speaker D: And just so everybody's aware, because we talked about this before, Cortera's giving out lemonade. This lemonade is just plain lemonade. Some lemonades like that have a lemon in it. Might have something else. [00:11:53] Speaker B: Allegedly. [00:11:54] Speaker D: Allegedly, purportedly. Well, all my friends out there know I've been sober. It'll be 13 years this July, 10, and sobriety continues on with a beautiful lemonade. [00:12:03] Speaker B: And I've been drunk that whole time. Kelly, there's a few people that don't know you. Do us a favor and introduce you, please. [00:12:11] Speaker F: Absolutely. Hello, I'm Kelly Cahill. I'm the communications director for the common Ground alliance. [00:12:16] Speaker B: Second time guest return. [00:12:20] Speaker F: Well, it was a different format. [00:12:22] Speaker B: Really. Let's do. [00:12:23] Speaker F: I never sat at the table with you. [00:12:26] Speaker D: You didn't sit last year in Orlando. [00:12:28] Speaker F: I don't think I did. I think I just brought on when. [00:12:31] Speaker D: Sam with you and sam was the first. [00:12:34] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. We were just best friends, that's all. So I told Sarah earlier, you know, y'all invited us back this year, which. Thank you. But you can do a lot of things once, but when they invite you back a second time, it means something. So this means something. [00:12:53] Speaker F: Kelly, thank you very much for being here. We really appreciate you all. You have such great energy. And I think CGA expo is. We learn a lot, we network a lot. The energy and the inspiration, I think that it brings folks that to bring back home and make things happen is what it's all about to me. [00:13:18] Speaker B: You've got to be proud. Looking at this hall and everything getting really started today. Heavy with the sessions and keynote today, and then to come in here and experience this, there's a lot of work that goes into all this. How proud of you are. How proud of you. Nope, almost got it. How proud of this team are you? It's my first time. [00:13:40] Speaker F: The very most proud. And we've grown. We've grown tremendously as an organization in the last few years, staff size wise. [00:13:48] Speaker D: Sarah's saying you're up to 14 right now. [00:13:50] Speaker F: We're up to 14. So it's really amazing to have what feels like a full contingent to make things happen. Sometimes our vision exceeds our ability to execute. I speak as a human being. There. And so it's really lovely to have to be firing on all cylinders. It feels like. [00:14:08] Speaker D: Well, and it shows, too. And I will give you feedback. We've heard, as well as Ashley has heard from just friends in the industry, how great this conference is, how much it's grown. We're at 1400 attendees this year, which is phenomenal. And everybody keeps saying that it's a highly polished conference, you know, from the beginning, the end, whether it's a beginning day, day one, where we have a lot of team building, where we really got to meet a lot of folks, you know, and really. And then, you know, we see them today and now it's like old friends. And we really did a good job of trying to pair up with people we didn't know, you know? And again, kudos to you all for doing that. That's a great way to break the ice because now today, everybody's just chattering and talking and again rising to the challenge of reducing damages by 50% in five years. That's what we're hearing out there, those little conversations where people are out by the benches and whatever, we're talking about that. And that's exciting that the CGA is promoting that. [00:15:06] Speaker F: It is super exciting. And I'm really happy that we have a lot of content at conference this year showcasing organizations that have been able to not just reduce their damages by 50% over five years, but make larger reductions than that in even shorter periods of time. I think we all know it's an extremely ambitious goal for the country, for the industry, but the folks who are really dedicated to making it happen have made it happen within their organizations. So I am thrilled about being able to kind of in this year timeline between announcing 55 this time last year and here, be able to showcase a lot of folks who have done this and hopefully provide roadmaps for others who are eager to do the same. [00:15:53] Speaker B: So you're not off the hook here. Oh, you're still at work. We're asking everybody how they've moved the needle over this past year, right? How they're rising. And so you're no different. What have you done? [00:16:08] Speaker F: Thank you so much for the question. My proudest accomplishment over the last year has been the transformation of CGA's dirt report. Dirt is the damage information reporting tool. It's the only we've heard of national accounting of damages in the US, and without that data, we don't know what we're doing. We can always improve the quality of that data and the quality of the insights that we get from that data. But our dirt report that we issued last fall, focus, had a laser focus on 55. As with everything we're trying to produce in general, and again, having a kind of a case study element in there and having very pointed strategic recommendations, we took a lot of a stronger stance than we ever have previously, I think, you know, and that's what this moment requires of us. I don't think we can keep, can keep, you know, just everybody patting each other on the back. We've got a really, pardon the pun, dig into these entrenched. Oh, my God. So many puns. [00:17:15] Speaker D: This is good. This is good. [00:17:17] Speaker F: We're in a common trench together. [00:17:19] Speaker D: Oh, and wait, is that 2025? Did you just let it out of the bag? [00:17:24] Speaker C: I wish. [00:17:25] Speaker B: That's. [00:17:25] Speaker F: Looking forward to looking back. [00:17:26] Speaker B: Our 25th year, I've heard, and you weren't over here. Oh, yeah. [00:17:31] Speaker D: Please go ahead. [00:17:32] Speaker B: Sarah Magruder Lowell invited us back. Back on camera. [00:17:36] Speaker I: Breaking news. [00:17:37] Speaker F: She can't get out of that one. [00:17:39] Speaker B: It was here. And I'm like, you sure you want to see, no matter what, no matter how we perform today. Beautiful. [00:17:45] Speaker F: And now for one of my tried and true media training tactics that I always teach you. Turn the interview on the interviewers. [00:17:55] Speaker B: So y'all know you both are trained professionals. [00:18:00] Speaker F: So what has been the highlight of your brief? Because we are just kicking off. We're just kicking off conference. But what's been the highlight for you. [00:18:08] Speaker D: All so far for the conference? You want to go first? [00:18:12] Speaker B: Sure. Go ahead. I'm always down. I played golf at the Broadmoor yesterday. I mean, I've driven by. I told Jimmy, I've been up here in Colorado so many times, and I know the history behind it and everything, so be able to do that with a bunch of friends and colleagues within the industry. Amazing. But also just the energy here, the networking, the kickoff reception last night, one of the best. Some of the best networking I've had all year. And. And it's. It's in all different ways. All the ways. And so, I mean, really, I've been impressed with everything. And we just started, like you said. Yay. [00:18:55] Speaker F: Awesome. [00:18:55] Speaker D: For me, I'm going to say it's the length of the conference, that it's a good length, where I know that I'm going to have enough days to see as many people as I can. I'm about. I'm about relationships. Our industry is about relationships. Things happen because of relationships. And having that first day, day one, yesterday, kind of be that relationship building. Break down the walls. Let's start to communicate. Because now we're on day two, then we have day three, then day four, and then day five. It's like, that's a great way to. [00:19:25] Speaker B: Kick off a conference. [00:19:26] Speaker D: So kudos to you for that, because that's my. That's my love language, where I can spend time and talk to people. Now, today, it's all relaxed and we're like, you know, coming over. Dusty's coming over. He's driving a mercedes. He got upgraded. [00:19:38] Speaker F: Oh, my word. [00:19:40] Speaker D: Anyways, it's adrenaline. Okay, well, we're light on camera. [00:19:50] Speaker F: I'm so glad to hear that. [00:19:52] Speaker B: So proud for you. [00:19:53] Speaker F: Thank you. [00:19:54] Speaker B: Thank you for all the work you do. [00:19:58] Speaker F: We really appreciate. That is the name of the game, right? Relationships, partnerships. Nothing happens in a silo and damage prevention or in the world. So that is the name of the game. [00:20:08] Speaker B: Allegedly. [00:20:09] Speaker F: Allegedly. [00:20:10] Speaker B: Hey, we'll be back. [00:20:11] Speaker F: Cahill out. [00:20:14] Speaker A: Why don't we talk about my first time here to CGA, how we're excited about the new first CGA we never went with. [00:20:24] Speaker B: Governor, are you okay? Yeah. You're doing good here. [00:20:27] Speaker A: Hey, we only focus. [00:20:28] Speaker B: There's a lot to take in. [00:20:29] Speaker A: Mea, sga, aga. Never done this. [00:20:32] Speaker B: Okay, well, you're a new one. So what do you think? [00:20:36] Speaker A: First of all, what a great city. [00:20:39] Speaker B: Oh, what a great view. [00:20:40] Speaker A: When you walk out and see these beautiful mountains. And then also, too. You know, we've been around the block a lot where we've been to conferences, and you look at the content of what people can learn. [00:20:51] Speaker D: Yes. [00:20:52] Speaker A: The sharing of ideas. [00:20:54] Speaker D: You know, sharing sessions. I call them knowledge sharing. [00:20:57] Speaker A: And it gives people the ability to go back with a new idea. [00:21:02] Speaker D: Yeah. [00:21:02] Speaker A: Because to me, if your company is going to send you to a conference, come back with three ideas, better your company, make something safe, and maybe bring a new technology back. And that's why, hey, we're excited to be here at CGA because EGW is bringing new technology. [00:21:20] Speaker D: What may that be? Tell us, Wade. [00:21:24] Speaker A: You know, we're always looking, you know, because you got to think about it. Things are progressing. But the whole bottom line, whether it's natural gas, whether it's water, whether it's telemarking or telemarking tele fiber. [00:21:38] Speaker B: Hey, did y'all get into a new territory? [00:21:40] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. It's safety. But how can we do it more efficient? [00:21:45] Speaker D: Yes. [00:21:46] Speaker A: And how can we just kind of round it out where it's a good feeling? Because, let's face it, with environmental impacts, with regulations, the old way of just going out, digging it up. If you hit something, just put something around it. Go, it's over. Yeah, I mean, you know, think about from the natural gas side. We're talking about natural gas emissions. Look at that. Ruling the great impact on all companies, for sure. [00:22:11] Speaker D: Definitely. [00:22:12] Speaker A: So I think the challenge for all industries is how can we do it better? And, you know, like I said, circling back, we went out and took a look. Europe has some great manufacturing capabilities, some great technology, and we were very fortunate that we were able to work with a company called Gourmet and bring the. [00:22:33] Speaker D: Nanodril, the nano drill. Tell us more. [00:22:38] Speaker A: I do. I think it's one of those that if you take a look, we take hdd drilling on a nano level, where we focus on the environmental impact, and we also look at those tough areas that normally you couldn't get. So four inch and below. And what sets it apart. It's a flexible drilling rod. So we, we'd be able to go under a street and not take out a block of concrete. We'd be able to go under a fountain that normally they'd have to reroute and so forth. It's giving people the opportunity to do projects that maybe were a little bit tougher, and this is a new way to do it. [00:23:16] Speaker D: So, again, if I was hearing you correctly, what was the size of the pipe that the nano drilled? [00:23:21] Speaker A: We go four inch and below. [00:23:23] Speaker D: Four inch diameter and below? [00:23:24] Speaker A: Yes. [00:23:24] Speaker D: Okay, so we're not talking the big hdd ones. We're talking now residential areas. [00:23:29] Speaker A: Residential. You know, we've had the privilege of talking to a lot of companies across North America, and when they look at it, they say, oh, my gosh, I can run a service line, I can run a water line, I can run a fiber optic where maybe instead of telemarketing. Telemarketing. After today, I may be going into that. Give me your numbers. No, I got them. But this is exciting because it does give the capability that maybe some projects that you couldn't do, or you were going to be tearing up a bunch of ground, tearing up a bunch of concrete. Now you can do it right there. [00:24:05] Speaker B: Okay, interesting. Well, I was going to ask the question, but it sounds like I already got the answer. [00:24:10] Speaker D: Well, then I think the question. [00:24:13] Speaker B: So last year, this time, you weren't here, but they announced the 55 initiative. Right. Reducing damages by 50% over the next five years. And so this year we're checking in on people. So we'll give you a pass since you weren't here. But is there anything that you guys have been doing or you personally, to move that number. [00:24:36] Speaker A: You know, I think that one of the great things from EGW is we do take a look at what is going on in the industry. [00:24:42] Speaker D: Yes. You guys do. [00:24:44] Speaker A: Oh, and I mean, it's from new, new products. It's from new. Bringing in new ideas, new concepts. To say specifically, I'm still kind of a new guy. I could not tell you for sure, but knowing Phil and Donnie and Alan and his team, I believe it's probably been on the board. [00:25:03] Speaker D: So wait, what was the name of the product, though, again? The nano. What? [00:25:06] Speaker A: The nano drill. Nanu Nano. [00:25:08] Speaker D: Okay, you heard it here. [00:25:11] Speaker B: Is this first, is this the first. [00:25:13] Speaker A: 2Nd day in North America? [00:25:14] Speaker D: Seriously? So this is almost like a. [00:25:17] Speaker A: This is the christening. [00:25:19] Speaker B: This is the one now, because we've. [00:25:23] Speaker A: Had the, had this kind of, since last September. So we've been doing some testing, been doing national lunch. [00:25:32] Speaker D: Okay, we'll take that. Thanks, brother. [00:25:34] Speaker A: Always keep doing me. [00:25:36] Speaker B: Keep being you. All right, wait. [00:25:38] Speaker D: Far, right here. [00:25:39] Speaker B: Hey, we'll be back. [00:25:40] Speaker A: Nanny, nanny. [00:25:42] Speaker B: A little oxygen. Keep you moving. Keep the blood flowing. Have y'all ever met? Oh, yeah, we all do. Global. [00:25:52] Speaker C: Can we say that here? [00:25:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:25:54] Speaker I: Oh, in passing it globally. [00:25:56] Speaker F: In New Orleans. [00:25:57] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:25:57] Speaker D: Yes. [00:25:58] Speaker B: That's better. [00:25:59] Speaker I: Steve Cleaver. Nice to meet you. [00:26:01] Speaker B: James Cross. [00:26:01] Speaker D: James Cross. [00:26:02] Speaker C: Have y'all met? [00:26:03] Speaker B: I've heard once or twice. [00:26:05] Speaker I: So, in Orlando, I sat down with you guys. [00:26:07] Speaker C: So before we get too far, we introduce yourself and check in who you're with. [00:26:11] Speaker B: Or we can get way too far into it. [00:26:14] Speaker I: So I'm Steve Cleaver. I'm the manager of Pacific Gas and electric company's damage prevention and compliance. [00:26:20] Speaker B: Heard of them? You've heard of them? [00:26:22] Speaker C: I don't think I heard of them. [00:26:23] Speaker B: Maybe once you join, we might. We can't scoop that. We can say that we might be headed to your area soon to record with some of your colleagues. [00:26:34] Speaker I: Fantastic. [00:26:35] Speaker B: Very excited. If you need any. [00:26:38] Speaker I: If you need any intel on folks, let me know. I can give you some dirt. So I'm not too proud to spill on folks. [00:26:46] Speaker B: I see what you did there. We just had Kelly on. Kelly Cahill, and she, she dropped, like, five dirt puns, you know? You dig it? [00:26:54] Speaker I: I. Oh, my goodness. I can't. [00:26:57] Speaker B: Gym's not here. It's just kind of what you have to do. [00:27:00] Speaker I: That's fair. [00:27:01] Speaker B: So how's it been? [00:27:02] Speaker I: It's been good. It's been good. It's coming off the hills of another conference not too long ago. Being able to see people that weren't at the other one that I was expecting to see rebuild old relationships. It's been a lot of fun. [00:27:19] Speaker B: Like eating ice. Obviously we've loosened up our standards here. 1400 people here. [00:27:28] Speaker I: It's a lot. This is the biggest expo that I remember seeing coming to one of these and then having the large room where everybody's in one spot. Anaheim was nice, but they had the expo in two different locations and it made it kind of difficult. Getting everybody back in one spot's been really nice. [00:27:45] Speaker C: See, he kind of stole my question. Cause I was gonna ask, how often have you been coming? Cause this is my first. [00:27:50] Speaker I: So my first one was in 2016 in Vegas and then I spent a year off and then I've been coming to most of them ever since. [00:28:01] Speaker B: Any advice for a first time attendant? [00:28:04] Speaker I: Don't trust your co host. [00:28:08] Speaker B: He means Jim. [00:28:11] Speaker I: Is that what it meant? [00:28:12] Speaker B: A lot of chaos over here. They're giving away prizes like crazy and every time someone wins, they beat something. [00:28:20] Speaker I: Have you had a chance to go over and spin the wheel and hang out with the guys? [00:28:24] Speaker B: No, they won't let us. [00:28:25] Speaker C: I didn't spin the wheel. [00:28:26] Speaker B: They said we signed some kind of agreement. [00:28:29] Speaker I: You, you told me he was not going to show up. [00:28:32] Speaker D: I had to go get some popcorn, some snacks. You guys have fun. [00:28:37] Speaker C: I actually do have some CGA slippers in my bag now. [00:28:40] Speaker B: Oh, really? You went to it? Oh, you just took them. [00:28:43] Speaker I: Are this gonna get used at home? [00:28:46] Speaker C: Allegedly. [00:28:47] Speaker B: So we're asking everybody this year. So last year, 55. Right. And then now here we are. And we're asking people in this past year, how have you risen to that challenge? Right. So what are, what's the biggest thing pops out when you think that? [00:29:07] Speaker I: So last year, in 2022 or so, in 2022, we had best ever performance. We had 148 less damages than we did the year before and the lowest number of damages ever. And I felt like, how are we going to top that? So in 2023 we had a little over 200 less damages than the year before, which was the best every year. So just in the last two years, we've seen a reduction of 350 damages, almost 400 damages over the course of two years. And we've seen fantastic success by engaging people immediately after a damage and saying, hey, let's talk about what happened. What are the lessons learned that we can pull out of this? How can we partner with you to not just train the people that are here, but prevent this from happening? And we saw over a 50% reduction in contractors that had two or more damages with us. It just dropped off and we saw a huge reduction, mainly from repeat offenders. And seeing that kind of benefit just through personal engagement and spending some one on one time with folks, that's the thing I think has been the most successful for us. [00:30:18] Speaker B: I love that you said that because I was just at a conference actually, and they were talking about that very thing and they were saying, listen, our guys know to call before you dig. Put in a ticket to work. You know what the tolerance level. Every one of us know that we can recite it, but those details of what happened in those moments when they're fresh so that we can learn and go, okay, well, you knew all those things. Why did you choose x, y, z, right? And it's so simple, but so enlightening when you dig into that. [00:30:55] Speaker C: It's interesting that you use the word engagement too, because the speaker at lunch was talking about and that was the first thing, you know, to start the process is engagement. So it sounds like you are ahead. [00:31:06] Speaker I: Of the game a little bit on that. I feel really blessed to be working with a bunch of people that really care about what we do. And we're not looking at this by, hey, how do we prevent damages for utility company, but how do we improve public safety? How can we make this safer being a gas and electric company? Anytime somebody damages our stuff, there's a risk to their life. And we've really been incorporating human performance tools internally and now we're looking for the opportunities for my teams, my damage investigation team, our dirt team, digging reduction team, really looking for opportunities for that group to engage people with understanding what the human performance factors were that contributed to this. What are the error precursors that they were experiencing that maybe you can help mitigate or reduce for them to help them be safer at their job? And what are the long term benefits for your company on work comp issues that you can reduce there and also reduce damages. And look at it from a holistic picture. Not just how do we prevent people from damaging stuff, but how do we make improvements on multiple phases just by addressing one thing. [00:32:11] Speaker B: Huge, huge brother. Always good to see you, James. [00:32:15] Speaker I: Good to see you. [00:32:16] Speaker C: Nice to meet you. [00:32:16] Speaker I: It's nice to meet you as well. [00:32:18] Speaker B: Hey, keep doing good stuff too. Even past this year. Just continue. [00:32:23] Speaker I: We're looking for that 55. [00:32:25] Speaker B: Yeah. Hey, we'll be back. Edit. It's always a treat to sit down with you, sir. No matter where I go, you're there. We've been chasing. [00:32:36] Speaker H: A rainbow twins here, something like that. [00:32:40] Speaker B: Two real highlighters. And then like the one yeah. Skittles crew. Skittles. [00:32:46] Speaker H: Skittles crew. [00:32:47] Speaker B: Where's Kessler? Tweed? Remember? From Papa? The whole set, the whole thing. [00:32:54] Speaker H: I think I saw her around. [00:32:57] Speaker B: I did too. She's doing the walks in the morning. Did you see that? The wellness walks. Yeah. You can go at 07:00 a.m. and walk around the grounds and talk about mental health. [00:33:06] Speaker H: Really? [00:33:06] Speaker B: Yeah. CGA has it all. [00:33:09] Speaker H: They do have it all. [00:33:10] Speaker C: So I actually wanted to get Ed on because this is your. I think this is fascinating, but I saw you were mentioned in an article on LinkedIn recently about the cargo ship. [00:33:22] Speaker H: Yes. [00:33:23] Speaker C: In the Baltimore area. So curious how you came to get involved with all that. [00:33:27] Speaker B: Oh, my cargo ship. [00:33:29] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:33:30] Speaker H: Right. So, yeah. Yep. It was all over the news. Still in the news. Very tragic accident that occurred. You know, this container ship is over 900ft long. So it's hard for me to imagine three football fields floating on the water almost 200ft wide. And, you know, it's just a massive piece of machinery. But, you know, that's what the facilitates world commerce. Right. And so getting goods from other parts of the world and shipping our goods out to other parts of the world. So this whole shipping industry, you know, is very valuable to the nation's economy and our economic security. [00:34:25] Speaker B: Three football fields long. So those things and that. I know what you do for a living, sir. So this is very close to home. But those things have huge anchors, I would guess. Yeah. [00:34:39] Speaker H: Oh, yeah. And as we've talked before, you know, and to back up for folks who may not know exactly what I do is, you know, I concentrate on marine infrastructure and pipeline safety and more importantly, damage prevention. Right. Some of the most impactful accidents are when vessels or boats have actually hit or contacted underwater infrastructure. And when that happens, the outcomes are not good. They could cause maybe an oil spill, they could cause a gas release that could be ignited and there have been fatalities. So it's a serious, serious business. And, you know, y'all have heard me before is, you know, they're not making cupcakes out there, right? It's energy security through the pipelines and other utilities that provide those goods and services, telecom, you know, water, you know, those type of things. Especially in, you know, places that have a lot of waterways. You're going to have utilities that run under those waterways, lakes, bays, rivers, out into the gulf and into the ocean. So. And go ahead, I was gonna say. [00:35:53] Speaker C: So back to the ship, though. You're sitting at home sipping your coffee. [00:35:57] Speaker H: Yeah, yeah. [00:35:58] Speaker C: And it's on the news. Then what yeah. [00:36:01] Speaker H: And so, you know, that was what, March 26, just a few weeks ago. And, you know, I woke up and I'm like, look at this on the news, right? And many people saw this, you know, the actual ship hitting the bridge, the front of the Francisco key Bridge. Right. And. And the thing just crumbling. An amazing site. Very tragic. And, you know, just because the business that I'm in, infrastructure protection and safety, I got online and looked at some of my databases and found a 24 inch active natural gas pipeline that appeared to be running right under the bow of the ship, running parallel to the bridge from bank to bank and is resting or is positioned underneath the bow of the ship. And so what's even more interesting is the weight of the bridge that has collapsed onto the ship is pushing the ship down into the mud, getting closer to that pipeline. But that morning I alerted some professional contacts I have at NTSB and I told them, I said, don't know if anybody has realized this, but there's an active natural gas pipeline under the ship and the ship has dropped anchor. And if this thing has been damaged and it can't move and you've got a gas cloud coming up from that pipeline now you've got a gas cloud around the ship, it's very easy to find an ignition source. And unfortunately, that's the role I'm in. Unfortunately, I've had to do investigations and participate in these type of accidents when they've occurred. And they're not that, they're just at least really unfortunate. Right. And so they were able to go identify the pipeline, close the valves and start bleeding off the pipeline. And to eliminate that threat, it took. [00:38:15] Speaker C: Like several days, right? [00:38:16] Speaker H: Oh, yeah. It took four days, I believe, to bleed the pipeline down and basically gas free the line. Now, during the days after the dolly, you know, it's trapped under the bridge. The weight of the bridge is on the bow. It's settling further and further in the mud. And I don't think we really know whether the pipeline was damaged or if it was, how much damage. But back to your question. I think you mentioned anchors earlier. So a ship that is 935ft, three football fields may have been a little less than that, but in that 900 foot area, the anchors are estimated about at 30 tons, give or take, probably about 20ft wide by 15ft, something like that. And an anchor that heavy, depending on the water bottom, can easily dig in, you know, with the anchor, dig into the water bottom when it's deployed, 15ft into the mud. So that's almost. Yeah, so it's almost like excavating 15ft. [00:39:32] Speaker B: Into the mud every time. [00:39:33] Speaker H: So you've got to understand that any utilities, infrastructure pipelines, you know, can be easily damaged. [00:39:44] Speaker B: Wow. [00:39:45] Speaker H: It's fascinating. [00:39:47] Speaker C: Obviously a horrible event, but just the. [00:39:49] Speaker F: Work that you do is. [00:39:50] Speaker B: Sure. Well, and we've sat down with you a bunch of times. We hear about what you're doing. Right. But something so applicable like that, being able to talk about it, what it's topical. And time, you know, it helps you wrap your head around the work that you're out there doing. [00:40:06] Speaker H: Yeah. Thank you. And, you know, we found also that there's a 72 inch water line that crosses in the same area. There's a telecommunication line that runs in the same area, although I don't think that those are in use at this time. But the natural gas pipeline, you know, it was active at the time. So, you know, definitely kind of hits home to me because I, unfortunately, I've seen these accidents. I know what that particular potential is and, you know, just reinforces why we do what we do. We've started our marine safe 811 program. We're enlisting members to that program just to help fund some of the educational materials. Everything is free, the training is free, the resources and, you know, hopefully we're trying to do our part, you know, to keep the community safe, to keep the environment safe from spills, and, you know, provide infrastructure integrity for your fiber optic phone lines, water lines, you know, electrical lines. There's a lot more stuff that runs under a waterway than what one might think. [00:41:27] Speaker B: Edward CGA here in Colorado Springs at the Broadmoor, and last year, this time in Orlando, 55 everybody heard it. You know, really for that first time this year, we're asking folks, you know, we're kind of checking in on it. It's been a, been a year. How are we rising to that challenge? And so same question to you. What have you done over this past year to really move that needle? [00:41:53] Speaker H: Yeah, so actually we've, we've come out with some different types of awareness material, especially with our marine Safe 811 program that's brand new within the last year. That's an awareness program that can be used by anyone who may have waterways within their state, that may have utilities pipelines crossing those waterways, any type of excavators that might impact a waterway. So we're really trying to do our part on the underwater marine side to contribute to that. 55 now, obviously, indicators like that are lagging, so it's going to take us a little while longer to understand how well we're doing, but I am hopeful that, you know, this tragic bridge collapse of the key bridge in Baltimore, we can actually get some learnings off of that. Right. And be better prepared, be situational, situationally aware. Right. And what risks may be out there. And I think that once we start reducing these risks, we're gonna see those damages go down. [00:43:11] Speaker B: Awesome, brother. [00:43:12] Speaker H: Okay. [00:43:13] Speaker B: Appreciate the super important work you do, sir. [00:43:16] Speaker H: Okay. [00:43:17] Speaker B: Hey, we'll be back. [00:43:19] Speaker G: Yeah, we're on LinkedIn. [00:43:20] Speaker B: LinkedIn. Best friends. [00:43:22] Speaker D: Everybody's best friends on LinkedIn. Yeah. You know, you're much more handsome in person than you are on LinkedIn. [00:43:29] Speaker G: I agree. And that picture is like 80 years old. [00:43:32] Speaker B: That's everybody's LinkedIn. [00:43:33] Speaker G: I need to change it because I look like a baby. [00:43:37] Speaker B: Oh, God. We are live at the CGA here in Colorado Springs, at the Broadmoor. [00:43:43] Speaker D: We are. [00:43:44] Speaker B: And we're wrapping up here some of the last interviews he snuck in before. And Jim sales pitch was what? Now or never. [00:43:52] Speaker D: Now or never. This is the time. That's how we, Adam and I got to spend time together last night. Um, and we were like, I'm like, if we're gonna do it, we're gonna do it in the morning because they, you know, the afternoon is off to the races. [00:44:05] Speaker G: That was probably around midnight, so a. [00:44:08] Speaker D: Little bit before that for me, but. [00:44:09] Speaker B: Yeah, we're being heckled and bombed in the back background. [00:44:13] Speaker G: Oh, yeah. [00:44:13] Speaker B: Love it. That's my favorite. Adam, before we get too far down the road, do us a favor. Introduce yourself and who you're with. [00:44:20] Speaker G: Hey, guys, I'm Adam Zachary with locating dynamics. We do utility locator training certifications based in Rancho Cordova, California. [00:44:28] Speaker B: California. Don't you do a California bit? [00:44:31] Speaker D: I. [00:44:32] Speaker G: Sometimes I do, yeah. [00:44:33] Speaker B: Yeah, we're live here. You guys been to the CGA before? Yeah. [00:44:40] Speaker G: So actually I've spoke at CGA when I used to work for sense of technologies with the acoustic pipe locator. That's actually how we originally met. Years ago, probably at me. [00:44:48] Speaker D: Yeah, years ago, I think, up in Rochester, Minnesota, if I'm not mistaken. Yeah. With Jay and the whole crew. Yeah. [00:44:55] Speaker G: Great guys. [00:44:57] Speaker B: I didn't know you all had all the. [00:44:59] Speaker D: Well, we have a little bit of his. You know what? As we know, I know a few people in the industry, allegedly. [00:45:08] Speaker B: It's a great show this week. Over 1400 people. How's it been for you? [00:45:13] Speaker G: It's been great. Honestly, guys, it's been the best cg I've been to and I've been to a few. [00:45:17] Speaker D: That's awesome. [00:45:17] Speaker G: Pre Covid obviously kind of took a break and. Yeah, reset. Now we're back. [00:45:22] Speaker D: Hey, you know this week, last year, you know, the challenge was given 55, reducing damages by 50% in five years, which is a huge challenge, huge goal. Everybody's behind it now. This year, a year later, CGA has said, hey, everybody. Okay, how are we rising to that challenge? What are we doing? What have you seen in the industry, either yourself, your company, or what you've seen in the industry that is helping to achieve that goal? [00:45:46] Speaker G: I've seen. So probably the biggest thing is the recommendation for starting to map things when it's exposed. And I say regulation loosely, it's a guideline, it's a recommendation of that practice. Yeah, I think that's helping a lot and it's helping to drive this RTK to the forefront for the mapping side. And I'm sure surveyors may have a point of contention, you know, with, with the term mapping and I use mapping and not sue. Right. Subsurface utility engineering is very specific. [00:46:13] Speaker B: I think they're okay. Safety concern there. [00:46:17] Speaker I: Yeah. [00:46:17] Speaker G: But you know, the mapping side, you know. [00:46:19] Speaker B: Okay. [00:46:19] Speaker G: How do we get there? So that's a whole other conversation. But the technology and the training has been improving dramatically over the past few years. [00:46:26] Speaker D: And you echo what we've heard a lot this week. Again, technology and training, education, awareness, all those keep going and going and growing. [00:46:33] Speaker G: And getting them better. [00:46:34] Speaker B: So brother. [00:46:36] Speaker G: Yeah. [00:46:36] Speaker B: Fast podcast superstar. [00:46:39] Speaker G: Appreciate it guys. [00:46:40] Speaker D: Awesome. [00:46:41] Speaker G: Yeah, glad I made it. Thanks. [00:46:49] Speaker C: I wonder how much you'll be able to hear it. [00:46:50] Speaker B: Oh, no clue I hope. But it's kind of funny. We like this. We are in shutdown mode. We are CGA. They're kicking us out. It's a wrap. Just like. [00:47:02] Speaker C: Well it's kind of a pseudo wrap. [00:47:05] Speaker D: It's a. It's a wrap of the exhibit. [00:47:07] Speaker C: All that setup. [00:47:08] Speaker D: We still have a full day. [00:47:09] Speaker B: On to the next one. [00:47:10] Speaker C: This setup is a wrap. [00:47:12] Speaker D: We have still another 11 hours mobile now. [00:47:15] Speaker C: So there might be some impromptu to road mic. [00:47:18] Speaker H: Actually no. [00:47:20] Speaker B: I'm going to clip one on you. [00:47:22] Speaker C: On the top of pike speak. Pike speak here we come. [00:47:25] Speaker B: Yeah, we're going to go up pike speak here in a bit. Me and Jimmy speak in about 45 minutes. We'll be ready. No worries. [00:47:32] Speaker D: We'll be ready. [00:47:33] Speaker B: So we got to go find out where we're going and make sure everything's working. But great week this week. I think I can speak for all three of us. No, no. Being here right in the mix with CGA, them having this out in their booth, plugging us in with. With the right people here. Always amazing. We can't appreciate. Can't tell them how much we appreciate them. It's just invaluable to be able to talk and have the endorsement, you know, of CGA saying, come talk to these. [00:48:02] Speaker D: Absolutely. [00:48:03] Speaker B: We talked to. Any highlight episodes for you? I think we did this. [00:48:09] Speaker D: We already did it. [00:48:10] Speaker C: I, like, I had to. I enjoyed the go digging with me episode with JJ Harris. [00:48:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I didn't get to do that, but I think that was my favorite as well. [00:48:21] Speaker D: Well, if you don't know, JJ Harrison is a icon in the damage prevention. He is, by trade, a rodeo clown. As a profession. He keeps the riders safe by being that clown. Clown is uber important. But he's been doing this since, I think, for the last twelve years. So super spokesperson for the industry and such like that. So that was a highlight for me. I tell you what I've already learned. I counted. I've counted five important things that I've learned this week. How many have you learned? [00:48:54] Speaker C: Oh, man, you're putting me on the spot. I haven't. I haven't got my fingers out to count yet. [00:48:58] Speaker B: No. Okay. That many. All of mine has been around, around networking, and we still have the night of networking tonight. Tonight, which is the big. The biggest part of this event. So I've just met so many people, validated people that I'm just friends with on LinkedIn. Like, they are real. I thought you were an AI bot. There's a lot of folks out here, you know, so it's. [00:49:27] Speaker D: Here. [00:49:28] Speaker B: Yeah. Me and him. Me and him have AI bots that talk to each other. [00:49:33] Speaker D: He is. I turn around, he's like, hi, Jim. [00:49:37] Speaker B: I'm like, Philip. [00:49:38] Speaker D: So anyways, yeah, tons. I mean, we can go on a. [00:49:41] Speaker C: Free shout out there. [00:49:42] Speaker B: Yeah. It was neat to meet the fems of folks and learn from them. All of them are so passionate about keeping our industry safe. [00:49:50] Speaker D: Oh, they are. [00:49:51] Speaker B: And I think it shows the commitment of the team that they set out here. All of those folks, man, tons of friends. Forterra. Oh. I mean, they're shutting down. [00:50:00] Speaker H: Yeah. [00:50:01] Speaker B: We gotta get out of here. Appreciate being with you, too. [00:50:05] Speaker D: Yeah, absolutely. [00:50:06] Speaker B: And again, many, many more. [00:50:07] Speaker D: And again, let's, again, sincere thanks to the common ground alliance, CGA, for having us. And we will see you next year in Orlando, 2025. [00:50:16] Speaker B: Hey, we'll see you next time.