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2009 Dig Smart and Locator Achievement Awards

Contractors and Locators Honored for Commitment to Safe Digging

Miss Utility presents Maryland and Washington, D.C. excavators and utility locating technicians with 2009 Locator Achievement Awards and Dig Smart Awards

HANOVER, Md. – (April 29, 2010) – Miss Utility is proud to announce the winners of its annual Locator Achievement Awards and Dig Smart Awards. These awards honor the crucial people who have gone above and beyond to ensure the underground infrastructure of Maryland and Washington, D.C., remains damage free.

The Miss Utility Maryland/D.C. Damage Prevention Committee established the programs to recognize excavating companies that make strides to ensure workplace safety, and locators who have zero at-fault damages and exemplify outstanding safety practices.

Locator Achievement Awards
Winners of the 2009 Locator Achievement Awards were nominated by their respective supervisors for being damage-free in 2009. The Miss Utility Maryland/D.C. Damage Prevention Committee is proud to recognize following locators as 2009 Locator Achievement Award winners:

• Region 1 – Harford and Cecil County
• Polly Weber – AGL Elkton Gas
• Tom Barton – Harford County Water & Sewer
• Kevin Kimmel – Harford County Water & Sewer
• Dan Heiles – Harford County Water & Sewer
• Chris Braun – OCC Locating Services
• Dennis Simms – UtiliQuest
• Wayne Sargent – City of Aberdeen

• Region 2 – Washington, D.C.
• David Bronson – UtiliQuest
• Charles Christie – UtiliQuest

• Region 3 – Montgomery County
• George Daffan IV – UtiliQuest

• Region 4 – Baltimore City and Baltimore County
• Jermaine Street – OCC Locating Services
• Steven O’Neill – OCC Locating Services
• Rodney Brown – OCC Locating Services
• Eric Doering – UtiliQuest
• Leroy Carter – LAI Construction Services

• Region 5 – Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s County
• Jamie Parker – OCC Locating Services
• Tom Carpenito – UtiliQuest
• Neil Dieudonne – UtiliQuest
• Jim Boothe – UtiliQuest

• Region 6 – Allegany, Carroll, Frederick, Garrett and Washington County
• Allen Billman – City of Hagerstown Light Dept.

• Region 7 – Anne Arundel and Howard County
• Adam Dove – Anne Arundel County Dept. of Public Works
• Ben Cahall – OCC Locating Services
• Tim Hoyer – OCC Locating Services
• Jon Watson – OCC Locating Services
• Donald Schurman – UtiliQuest
• John Preis – UtiliQuest
• Tim Mone – UtiliQuest
• Kyle Roberts – Howard County Utilities
• Mike Pittman – Howard County Utilities
• Ray King – Howard County Utilities
• Charlie Russell – LAI Construction
• Robert Brown – Just Locating
• James Washington – Just Locating

• Region 8 – Prince George’s County
• Justin Lowthert – UtiliQuest
• Michael Fisher – UtiliQuest

All of the 2009 winners received certificates, personalized jackets and overnight bags courtesy of the Miss Utility Maryland/D.C. Damage Prevention Committee.

Dig Smart Awards
The 2009 Dig Smart winners are NPL Construction Co. for Maryland and Parsons Corporation for Washington, D.C. These two outstanding organizations were chosen from among hundreds of contractors across Maryland and the District of Columbia for these prestigious awards, which are determined after a review of each company’s damage prevention practices by other industry professionals.


NPL Construction Co., a three-time Dig Smart Award winner, provides a full-service menu of high quality, safe, reliable, best-cost solutions with integrity and stability to meet the changing challenges of energy distribution companies, such as BGE, Washington Gas and Columbia Gas.


A first-time Dig Smart Award winner, Parsons Corporation is one of the largest contractors in the region. Parsons Corporation is an engineering and construction firm that conquers the toughest logistical challenges and delivers landmark design-build projects to private industrial customers worldwide as well as federal, regional and local government agencies.
The two Dig Smart winning companies were invited to attend an awards banquet in Columbia with 10 of their employees, and received the Miss Utility “Silver Shovel” Award.


Dig Smart Excellence Awards
Miss Utility introduced a new category at this year’s banquet, the Dig Smart Excellence Award. This new award recognizes companies that have been awarded the Dig Smart Award on three different occasions. This year, Iacoboni Site Specialists, Inc., B. Frank Joy and NPL were awarded the first-ever Dig Smart Excellence Award for their continued commitment to damage prevention.


Awards Night
Awards were presented at a dinner banquet at Kahler Hall in Columbia on April 15, 2010. Dereck Davis, Maryland State Delegate, 25th District, Prince George’s County, and the Chairman of the House Economic Matters Committee, delivered a speech about the recently passed Maryland Utilities Law, Title 12, and the effects it will have on Maryland excavators.
Also at this year’s awards, Miss Utility was presented Gov. Martin O’Malley’s proclamation identifying April 12-18, 2010 as Underground Excavation Safety Week. In an effort to promote safe digging practices, the proclamation reminds citizens to contact Miss Utility before starting any outdoor digging project to prevent damages to underground facilities and property.


“Throughout 2009, all of our winners from the Dig Smart Awards, Dig Smart Excellence Awards, and Locator Achievement Awards have demonstrated exceptional safe digging practices and have taken a leadership role within the damage prevention community,” said Wayne Gilmer, Maryland/D.C. Damage Prevention Committee Chairman. “We congratulate these companies and individual locators who devote their career to ensure a safe working environment for their colleagues, as well as Maryland and Washington D.C. residents.”
Solicitation for 2010 Dig Smart Award and Locator Achievement Award entries will begin this fall.

Click here to see photos on Flickr.