A humorous and animated speaker, Jackson regaled the audience with stories from his days on the field, first at the University of Oklahoma under Coach Barry Switzer and then in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers.

Jackson shared life lessons he learned both on and off the football field. Born in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jackson was raised in a single-parent home filled with love and discipline. While he began playing football at the early age of nine for his hometown, his mother also stressed the importance of education.

His athletic skills earned him the attention of several Division 1 colleges and eventually a scholarship as a tight end for the Oklahoma Sooners. However, it is not his skills in football that shine through when Jackson speaks, but his notable pride in completing his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication in three and a half years.

Quoting from great speakers and writers such as Shakespeare and Martin Luther King, Jr., Jackson told the crowd of damage prevention professionals that they are here to make a difference.
“It is important that when people go to bed at night they know they are safe, not just for today, but for tomorrow,” Jackson said. “I cannot do that, but you can.”

As Jackson talked about the heroes in his life, his mom, his coaches and his fellow players, he reminded the crowd that they too are heroes. Their grassroots movement makes a difference in the lives of others. “Tomorrow is a day we plan and live for. We want to make Ohio a safe place to live for tomorrow,” he said driving home his point. “You do not know whose life you may be saving and what that person may grow up to be or do. What you do here every day is making a difference.”

Jackson talked about embracing change and learning from it. He recalled the day he found out he was being transferred to the Green Bay Packers. He was in London’s Heathrow airport waiting for a flight home when he heard the news.

He had begun his career as the thirteenth pick of the first round draft in 1988 with the Philadelphia Eagles before moving to play for three years in Miami. In Green Bay, the temperatures were much different, Jackson said. He remembered his first day driving into Michigan and looking at a bank sign where it was so cold, the temperatures did not even show. “See, even the sign knew it was too cold to be there,” Jackson said with a laugh. With the help of his friend and former Eagles teammate Reggie White, he was convinced that Green Bay was the place for him.

During his two years with the Packers, Keith recorded 53 receptions thrown by Brett Favre for 647 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 1996, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI, giving Jackson his first Super Bowl ring. His ring was a huge hit with those sitting at his table during the Summit, as he allowed each of them to try it on during dinner and take a few snapshots with it.

Jackson, who was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1996 and retired from the Packers in 1997, joked with the crowd that no one should get accustomed to the ring, as it was something he treasured and wanted back.

Jackson continued with stories about his life on and off the field. He used his football stories to teach life lessons. It is his mission to use his experiences to motivate and inspire people of all ages. His easy going manner and good-natured spirit helped motivate all in attendance.

Whether it was his football stories, Shakespearean quotes, tales of growing up in Arkansas or his crowd-pleasing Buckeyes chant of O-H-I-O, those who heard Jackson speak at the Summit were inspired to go out and make a difference in the lives of others and help create new tomorrows for everyone who lives and works in Ohio. “Plan and live each day for a better tomorrow,” Jackson instructed.

My guess is that you answered “No!” to each of the above. Am I correct? Who in his right mind would want a low or mediocre performing team?

So let’s consider another question: Who is responsible for helping team members have the knowledge and skills to be successful? Correct. Supervisors. Whoops! Some supervisors have told me that employees should have the necessary knowledge and skill sets as a condition of their employment. I agree that would be nice. We also know the difficulty of finding high- performing talent.

So that leads us to wondering about those employees who are underperforming. Are you a supervisor? If so, I have another question for you to ponder and I want you think about it before responding. Are you willing to accept the responsibility of teaching your employees, including your underperformers, how to be successful? Pause … think … now answer.

I’ve asked thousands of supervisors to identify the number one responsibility of being a leader. Most of them respond with such phrases as “get things done,” “manage the assets,” “work safely” or other descriptions of their technical responsibility. Very few mention developing their people assets – which is their number one responsibility. If you think about it for a moment, people constitute your team’s resource with the greatest potential to develop.

Let me tell you a story that I’ve heard more times than I can remember. A supervisor complains about the performance of one of his employees. When I’ve asked, “What was the employee’s response when you discussed it with him?” What would you guess the answer is? “Well I suppose I should talk to him!”

Whose fault is it that the employee is not performing to the expected level in this scenario? When a supervisor points a finger at the employee, consider the fact that three are pointed back at him. A supervisor is not helping anyone by not having that conversation.

It’s confusing to understand why a company would not emphasize developing its people when considering the fact that people drive the company’s success. The fact is people must improve before the company improves. If you want a first class company, you must have first class people.

So where do you go from here? First, if you’re a supervisor you must embrace the responsibility to help your people succeed. Second, that means ensuring that your people know the results expected to achieve peak performance both in terms of their technical responsibilities as well as interpersonal performance. Note I said results instead of listing responsibilities. Of these two, defining technical expectations is the easier to discuss. For some reason, talking about interpersonal skills is a “sacred cow” and as such, this most critical subject is usually avoided. When that happens, everyone loses.

Third, people need a continuous stream of feedback to guide their performance. You don’t want them to be the blind hog that luckily finds the acorn. You want to help that hog fatten up to reach market weight. Providing feedback is critical for employees to become peak performers. Providing feedback is simply an accountability tool. Unfortunately, instead of viewing accountability as a teaching opportunity, many supervisors perceive it to be a negative event. There is nothing negative about helping people to succeed. Receiving feedback from a supervisor shows employees that they are cared for. We can look at this situation from another perspective. Is a supervisor helping anyone when he allows an employee to continue performing at an undesirable level and not intercede? Obviously not.

Take a poll among members of your damage prevention team sometime and ask if they want to be taught to be successful. My guess is you’ll like the results of your poll. Your damage prevention team is really a “schoolhouse.”

I thought surely this was some kind of joke. The question had nothing at all to do with algebra. I had passed him in the hallway several times. He looked like a janitor was supposed to look like. He was tall, kind of gray headed and a lot older than me, but how would I know his name?

I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one of the students asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

“Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.”

I missed the question, but I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I learned his name was Henry and he had a lot to offer by way of perspective to anyone who took the time to learn that he wasn’t always a janitor.

In like manner, all stakeholder perspectives are important in defining what is fair and what will be effective in protecting our vital underground facilities. Issues of trust and fairness must be recognized, understood and fairly resolved.

The very nature of partnerships involves the perceptions of the participating stakeholders in how their interests and concerns are being addressed. If we fail to genuinely respect the points of view of other stakeholders, coming together will not culminate in staying together.

I encourage all stakeholders to take the time to learn about the other industries, personalities and perspectives that sit at the table with you. We also must learn to value each other’s insight into the business practices and the “practical considerations” that exist in our companies. Such insight and respect for insight is crucial to successful program development and implementation.

In damage prevention to say that my utility’s success is not tied to your utility’s success is like saying “Your end of the boat is sinking.”

Let’s work together to make it happen right here in our state!

Jeff, my postman, walked into my office and as he picked up a letter I had laid out to mail said “Nothing for you today.” I immediately thought “Great, no bills.” Bills and flyers are what I typically receive. While cleaning out my inbox recently, I discovered a note from a former associate that I received many months ago. I hadn’t discarded it because of the emotional impact it had on me when I received it. Interestingly, it had the same impact when I re-read it. That’s obviously why I kept it. In 2011 it has become rare to receive a personal hand-written note. That rarity creates an opportunity!

A personal hand-written note doesn’t have to be long. Actually, being simple and short is often preferred. “Thank you for your business. We value loyal customers like you. I enjoy working with you.” Now you’re standing out from your competition for only 44 cents!

A pre-printed card that says the same thing has a totally different effect. We quickly throw those in the trash. When something is hand written we have a tendency to value it. You see, it’s about making a personal connection and strengthening a relationship.

If you would like to make the note more specific, tell people what you like, admire, respect or appreciate about them. Next, tell them why you like or appreciate it, then share how you personally benefit. For example: “I enjoy working with you. Your sense of humor creates a bright spot in my day.”

I’m encouraging you to hop on the REA 44-10-10 Express. It’s a train for which you don’t have to purchase tickets or wait. It’s ready to go when you are. Invest 44 cents, 10 minutes and express your Recognition, Encouragement or Appreciation to another person with a hand-written note. Hop the express daily for 10 days.

Don’t limit yourself to customers; it’s applicable for all of the important people in your life. Look for opportunities to encourage folks who are facing a challenge. Provide recognition when people achieve a goal or have a success. You’ll find that you’re developing a habit which will endear you to others and set you apart. You will launch one of the most effective advertising-/relationship-building campaigns known to modern man. There is no replacement for genuine one-on-one interaction.

None of us would stand by and allow important people in our lives to starve without taking immediate action. The reality is, often without our awareness, people in our lives are starved for recognition, encouragement or appreciation and we do nothing. Let’s make sure they know they’re important to us.

I received a quote recently that impressed me and sums up my thoughts. “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.” ~ Dalai Lama, 1935
So start today and get on the REA 44-10-10 Express. Now you’re creating ZING!

There was a little patch of timber across the road from our house probably no more than 10 acres total. There was plenty of hardwood and lots of squirrels. I was allowed to go hunting in that little patch of woods by myself. Auntie would always say, “Son, don’t cross that fence into the big woods.”

“Yes, ma’am,” and off I’d go. Actually hunting inside the fence was usually pretty good, but today was not a day to brag about. There I was sitting in my usual spot looking at my favorite tree and nothing was happening on my side of the fence.

But on the other side, I could hear hundreds, maybe thousands of squirrels barking. Some of them even sounded like they were laughing at me. I couldn’t stand it. I reasoned, “If I crawled under the fence to get my limit, who would know?”

Though I had heard about people getting lost in the big woods, it never crossed my mind that I could, even with the sun hanging low in the west. After all, I was going to stay close to the fence and I was only going to be in there long enough to get my limit.

When I crawled under the fence, I heard a squirrel jumping from limb to limb. I looked up, took aim, fired and down he came. Just a few seconds later, I heard another squirrel and I began walking toward the sound. I don’t know exactly how long I walked, but I guess the squirrel heard me walking and hid.

That’s when I first noticed it was graveyard quiet and getting serious dark as well. Then I heard the night birds rustling around in the bushes. I think it was then that I realized that I was in the big woods and in deep trouble. It was dark, and because I had been walking around looking at the timber, I wasn’t really sure where the fence was. I wasn’t even sure where I was.

That’s when it dawned on me. I was a goner!

I stumbled around in the dark until I remembered my old friend Dillard telling me one time that if I ever got lost the best thing to do was to stay calm, sit down and pick out a landmark and walk to it. That part about staying calm was easier when I was on Dillard’s front porch. But I did sit down and began to peer through the ever increasing black night.

I knew that if I ever got out of this alive, my Auntie would kill me. Worse than that, she’d take my gun, tell our neighbors, the Shepherds and their oldest boy, Hugh, would make fun of me from now on.

Oh, what a tangled web I had weaved.

“What is that?’ I thought to myself. I could see the smallest bit of light no bigger than a lightning bug. I wasn’t sure where it was, but it seemed like a better place than where I was. I stood up and focused on that landmark and started walking. On and on I slowly walked toward the dim light that seemed so far away.

Each step was measured. I could hear things behind me that made me want to have a runaway. One step, find the light and take another step. Then I felt something grab me. It was so dark I didn’t see the barbed-wire fence that separated me from where I wanted to be.

I took one more look at the light, got down on the ground and crawled under the fence, stood up and found the light once more. I’m confident that was the feeling Moses had when the Egyptians were bearing down on him, and he turned in time to see the waters parting.

As I walked across the pasture I never took my eyes off the light that kept getting bigger each step. I soon recognized the 60-watt light bulb on the front porch of our house. I later told Dillard about how dim the light was when you were standing on the porch and how bright it seemed that night. He smiled and said, “The light was not there to see the house, it was there to see how to get to the house.” I knew that was going to be one of those things that I’d have to figure out when I got older.

So I crossed the gravel road to our house and got a “I’m so glad you’re safe” hug and then a “don’t you ever do that again” whipping all the way into the house.

But somehow it all seemed worth it to me. I had stared “lost” in the face and had the key to finding my way out. Now all these years later, I’m reminded that we don’t have to know everything there is to know before we can be successful. Just be true to the light you have and you’ll find a way to win.

“Hey Auntie,” I said while she was tucking me in for the night, “can I go over to Dillard’s tomorrow and tell him about how I stayed calm?”
“And oh, one more thing, let’s not tell the Shepherds. There are some things that Hugh just doesn’t need to know.”

“Thank you Auntie… I love you too.”

Accomplishing this mission at the inaugural Damage Prevention Summit would not have been a success without the support of the event sponsors and exhibitors.

Eleven companies and affiliates of the damage prevention industry stepped up to help promote and support the event as its first sponsors. Sponsors received recognition in the Summit program and at events, logo placement on event materials and on the web-site and first choice of high-traffic booth space.

Rockies Express Pipeline (REX) was the first company to sign on the dotted line for a silver sponsorship. “We wanted to support damage prevention and raise awareness of pipeline safety in Ohio,” said Travis Korth, line patroller and damage prevention representative for REX.

“Kinder Morgan/Rockies Express Pipeline believes in supporting events like the Ohio Damage Prevention Summit and spreading the word of pipeline safety in the field on a daily basis.”
REX is one of the largest pipelines ever constructed in the United States. REX became fully operational in 2009. The 1,679-mile pipeline stretches from northwestern Colorado to eastern Ohio and boasts 1.8 billion cubic feet of capacity per day.

The Ohio Utilities Protection Service (O.U.P.S.) was the platinum sponsor. Gold sponsors included Blood Hound Underground Utility Locators and ACTS Now, Inc.
Blood Hound, a subsurface utility locating firm founded in 1999 in Brownsburg, Indiana, is a private electromagnetic locating company. Over the past 12 years, Blood Hound has grown to provide nationwide service.

Among the silver sponsors were Pitney Bowes Business Insight, USIC Locating Services, Inc., and Vectren.

Vectren became a sponsor because it is dedicated to having a public awareness program that is continuously improving, said Tracey Bryant, Public Safety Specialist at Vectren.

“This event provided the opportunity to reach out to new stakeholders and bring everyone together for the shared message and concerns,” Bryant said. Throughout the year, Vectren works with O.U.P.S. to support local regional partnership and safety councils and to ensure those meetings foster two-way communication and relationship building at the local level with all stakeholders, according to Bryant, who also serves as the Common Ground Alliance Regional Partner Committee Co-Chair and Video Task Team Co-Chair.

Vectren Corporation is an energy holding company headquartered in Evansville, Indiana, and operates subsidiaries including Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio (VEDO). VEDO provides energy delivery services to approximately 314,000 natural gas customers located in west central Ohio.

For 90 years, Pitney Bowes has provided software, hardware and services that integrate physical and digital communications channels. They employ 33,000 individuals worldwide.
A leader in the underground utilities locating and marking services industry, USIC Locating Services is the combination of SM&P Utility Resources and Central Locating Services (CLS). USIC has a national presence with a 40 percent market share in the outsourced locating services market.

Marathon Pipe Line (MPL), Ohio Oil and Gas Producers Underground Protection Service (OGPUPS), Paradigm and Tennessee Gas Pipeline joined the event as bronze sponsors.
Marathon Pipe Line operates more than 5,000 miles of underground pipeline in 15 states. MPL transports crude oil, petroleum products and natural gas to and from terminals, refineries and other pipelines.

OGPUPS is a membership service administered by the Ohio Oil and Gas Association that allows its members to participate in a convenient and cost effective underground protection service. This liability insurance service allows the association members to be in compliance with Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3781, requiring them to participate in an “underground protection service.”
Well-versed in RP 1162 requirements, Paradigm provides turn-key public awareness solutions to pipeline, transmission, gathering and distribution operators nationwide.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline is one of the several interstate pipelines that makes up El Paso Corporation’s Pipeline Group. It is comprised of approximately 14,000 miles of pipeline that stretches from the Mexican border to Canada.

Other companies were able to meet with damage prevention stakeholders as exhibitors at the inaugural Ohio Damage Prevention Summit. Exhibitors and sponsors were highlighted during the welcome reception on the day prior to the sessions and highlighted during special times throughout the event. In addition to the sponsors, exhibitors included Precision Laser & Instrument, Inc.; Rhino Marking & Protection Systems, Inc.; TransLore; Utility Sales Associates; Utility Training Academy; and Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., L.P.A.
The event would not have been possible without the support of these companies and partners.

The Summit opened with the all-day Utility Locator Training Workshop instructed by Bob Nighswonger of Utility Training Academy. The workshop included classroom instruction followed by hands-on outdoor training. Nighswonger commented that the Summit is important in allowing people from all parts of the industry an opportunity to get together and learn from each other.
Stakeholders were given the opportunity to meet each other and discuss what is happening in the industry during the Ohio Utilities Protection Service (O.U.P.S.) reception with the exhibitors on the first night of the Summit.

Welcome to the Summit
Thomas Charles, Director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety (ODPS), welcomed attendees with an opening session discussing the importance of state agencies, private sector companies and organizations working together and forming partnerships. Charles was appointed to his current position in January, but before that worked as the Ohio Inspector General and the Executive Director of the Office of Legislative Inspector General. He talked about his experiences in those roles.

Charles explained that like damage prevention professionals, ODPS is committed to saving lives and reducing injuries and economic loss. They work to meet their mission through education, service and protection. “We are committed to assisting partners around the state in making communities safer places to live and work,” Charles said.
While ODPS has eight departments and more than 4,000 employees, each division works together to accomplish the department’s safety mission. The ODPS also relies on local community partners as resources to help make decisions about where to deploy assets.

“We must continue to partner to do the best job we can to serve and protect the public,” Charles said.

Charles’s opening remarks were followed by two full days of sessions to educate and inform attendees and to make them stop and think about how best to protect vital underground infrastructures.

Embracing Change
As Ohio prepares to make changes to its one call law, members of the Ohio Damage Prevention Coalition conducted a panel discussion about the process to make changes to the code for the first time since 1990. The Coalition was established in February to get everyone to the table so they could work out changes before bringing any proposed changes to the legislature.
Coalition member Scott Tustin, with Columbia Gas, said the Coalition encourages participation from diverse groups so that everybody can have input and create legislation that will be successful and not have opposition when it gets to Capitol Hill.

The Coalition determined that it would start with what member Mark Potnick of the Ohio Contractors Association called “low-hanging fruit” or issues not as contentious, but rather one or two issues that would improve the law and could easily gain consensus. “This will make it safer for all of us and give the Coalition the impetus to go on and work on the more difficult issues,” Potnick said.

Christina Polesovsky of the Ohio Petroleum Association, and co-chair of the Coalition, agreed. “We need to get all parties talking and move the bill forward. We want to know what their concerns were the last go-around, know why the legislation failed and make sure everyone’s opinions are heard,” she said. “We are taking small bites at a time and moving forward. The Coalition is something that will be around for a long time because it allows for interaction between parties.”

Among those issues that sub-committees are addressing are topics such as enforcement, marking standards and positive response.

The Coalition is also looking at what other states and groups have done. Mississippi 811 was one state that had success in bringing changes to their state one-call law. Mississippi 811 Executive Director Sam Johnson and others involved in their process presented a panel discussion at Ohio’s Summit on the Path to Successful Legislation.

A Point of View
Another Coalition member, Joe Igel, of George J. Igel & Co., Inc., offered a session on the contractor’s perspective on damage prevention. Igel said there are two main focuses a contractor has when it comes to damage prevention.

“The first is safety. You run the risk of injury to an employee, the public or property if you damage a utility line,” he said. “The secondary issue is that it opens up the company to lawsuits and a negative public image. Our risk management team wants to keep our name out of the papers. You also lose time and money. A hit can easily cost you a half to a full day of work.”
Igel said that despite the best safeguards, damages will occur. “There will be dig-ins, but we need to work with stakeholders and build consensus, bridges of cooperation,” he said.

He works to make any incident a learning experience with his staff and works with members of O.U.P.S. to have a liaison at safety trainings to talk about unique issues and how to handle them. “Things are never the way they tell you in the book,” he said. “We want our employees to have the knowledge to know when things are not right and to make the call when they see evidence of a utility, such as a pedestal stand, but an absence of marks.”

As a member of Ohio’s Central Damage Prevention Council, Igel said he has established connections with utilities that make it easy to work with them to correct any missing marks or other issues from a locate ticket.

In addition to education for his staff, Igel talked about the carrot and the stick. “If you do one, you need to do the other equally,” he said. “For me measures to reward are about changing attitudes. We have a recognition program that singles out employees who go above and beyond. We believe in catching people doing something right.”

We are a Team
In a session that demonstrated the true meaning of working together, Ohio Department of Homeland Security led a discussion on an asset protection tool called Automated Critical Asset Management System (ACAMS) involving partnership between the public and private sectors. ACAMS is a no-cost tool offered by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Infrastructure Systems to men and women who are the first line of defense. It is a Web-based portal designed to help collect and organize critical infrastructure asset data as part of a comprehensive infrastructure protection program.

It allows emergency responders to prepare for disasters long before there is a threat. Collecting accurate infrastructure information requires partnership between the government and the private sector. Having all this information in one place allows all participants to look at the same information together to work as a unified team.

Getting the Message Out
Bringing underground protection to a national perspective, Khrysanne Kerr of Common Ground Alliance (CGA) offered an update on key CGA initiatives like the 811 public awareness campaign, the Damage Information Reporting Tool and the Best Practices. Kerr discussed the structure and organization of the member-driven organization. “We have more than 1,400 volunteers working on various committees,” Kerr said. Committees focus on one-call systems, technology, regional partners, data reporting and evaluation, education programs, marking and Best Practices.

She discussed the process for how to submit a Best Practice and how they are developed through the committee. The CGA published its eighth version of the publication in March 2011 with seven new practices. There are currently 21 proposals under review for the Best Practices Committee.

Kerr also talked about the Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) which is an online data-collection tool. The 2010 results were released on October 12, 2011, and focus on what the data show in their entirety and identify conclusions and recommendations for damage prevention. Preliminary results, according to Kerr, indicate that less than one percent of excavations preceded by a one-call notification experiences damages. “Damages reported to the CGA’s DIRT database for 2010 further demonstrate that approximately one-third were the result of a failure to make notification prior to excavation.”

A highlight of CGA awareness efforts was the observance of August 11 as 811 Day across the country. Kerr shared some innovative ways that one-call centers and other stakeholders commemorated the day, including NASCAR sponsorships and stakeholders lining the ropes at NBC’s Today Show and Fox News Channel’s Fox and Friends. “We had significant stakeholder engagement for the day,” Kerr said. There were 1,700 stakeholder tools downloaded from the CGA Communication plan. Some other creative awareness ideas included paid advertising, partnering with minor and major league baseball teams, media blitzes, press conferences and use of food. There were 811 birthday cakes delivered to local radio stations that generated talk on the radio about the day and a pizza chain that offered pizzas on that day for $8.11 with Dig Safely information on every box. Kerr also highlighted other grassroots efforts, digital and social media campaigns and employee events. One included an 811 ice sculpture.

Kerr encouraged all the stakeholders to work together to get involved and help promote the Dig Safely message.

And Many More
The sessions also included presentations by Robert Glenn, Executive Director of Ohio Homeland Security, and Nancy Dragani, Executive Director of Ohio Emergency Management Agency, on Working Together Before, During and After a Disaster; Lance O’Donnell and Steve McGaffin of Paradigm on Collecting Address Data in the Field; Sam Hall of PHMSA on the Criteria for Federal Intervention; Rick Simmers of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on the Marcellus and Utica Shale Exploration and Drilling; and many other experts in the damage prevention industry.

Safer Tomorrows
The closing session of the Summit, given by Roger Cox of ACTS, was entitled The Big Picture: From Concept to Cleanup. This presentation tied all the previous days’ events and sessions together, summarizing that it’s about all stakeholders sharing a common goal: to ensure everyone goes to sleep at night knowing they are safe. They can rest assured that the professionals responsible for the underground facilities around them have done everything they can to protect them from harm.

The Summit proved to be a great opportunity for stakeholders to share their perspectives and network with others in the damage prevention industry. To be a part of this unique event in 2012, join us in Columbus on April 2-4. You don’t want to miss this!

As Roger Lipscomb, President of O.U.P.S., put it best, “It’s all about creating safer tomorrows!”

Water, gas, electricity and telecommunications are vital to our everyday lives. We are in agreement. We must find ways that encourage working together to protect our vital underground infrastructure while promoting efficiency and productivity.

While all damage prevention meetings are good, the Summit is not just another damage prevention meeting focusing on “calling before you dig.”
One of the primary goals of Ohio’s Damage Prevention Summit is to create an opportunity for the stakeholders to network in an environment that allows for building relationships rather than the more common adversarial roles. The purpose of the event is to bring people together to create meaningful dialogue in a serious effort to find answers to tough questions.

Bringing people together is important because people drive the performance of your businesses and it is the culture of your businesses and the industry which drive the performance of your people. Place two businesses or programs side by side with exactly the same equipment and technology and one will outperform the other… the difference will be the people and the culture they have created.

Unfortunately for many stakeholders, the damage prevention culture we deal with today is yesterday’s culture, and it probably came about by default. It is a culture driven by the values and beliefs of yesterday’s stakeholders of just figuring out how to deal with crowded right – of – way. It led to finger-pointing when things went wrong.

Pointing out the problem doesn’t solve the problem any more than coming together one time will solve the problem. But coming together is a beginning. And if you are sincere about changing the culture of damage prevention in Ohio, then the Summit is definitely the event for you.

The Ohio Damage Prevention Summit brings all the industry stakeholders together from across the state to promote excavation safety and the protection of our underground infrastructure. It is an opportunity to network with others in the industry to find answers to the tough questions, is designed to share proposed legislative initiatives, new technologies, and unique perspectives of shareholders that most of us would not be exposed to in traditional training sessions.

Summit attendees will represent all stakeholder groups including utility personnel, locators, excavators, regulators, one-call personnel and the elected official. Each stakeholder group is vital to the creation of a stronger and more effective damage prevention program in Ohio.

Among the highlights of this year’s conference are:
1. Competent Person Training Workshop
2. Utility Locator Training Workshop
3.Expert led training sessions for contractors and underground facility owners (gas, electric, water, wastewater and telecommunications lines) and utility locators: The sessions are designed to help us search for solutions, rather than just provide them.
4. An exhibit hall with more than 30 exhibitors offering a look at the latest equipment and tools of the trade. We have scheduled several events in the exhibit hall to allow time to get to know those who are
supporting your efforts in the state.

How do we build an effective damage prevention program? There is no simple answer. When it comes to damage prevention, we all know where we would like to be, but we have different ideas on how to get there and it’s easy for us to see what everyone else should be doing.
Our search for answers may lead us to conclude that we need more training, more effective messages, or stronger relationships. Sometimes we determine that we cannot get to where we want to be by ourselves. We need effective partnerships to achieve our goals.

This is certainly true for those of us involved in damage prevention – the protection of underground utilities, the excavator and the citizens of Ohio. Damage prevention is not the sole responsibility of one organization, nor can it be achieved by a single entity. We are learning that it can only be achieved through cooperation, communication and coordination among all of us involved in the industry.

Looking for answers to the difficult questions is the primary motivation behind the creation of the latest tool in Ohio’s damage prevention toolbox, the Summit.

From utility personnel to an excavator, whether you are an underground utility locator or elected official, the Summit’s sessions are committed to building relationships and promoting a better understanding of the varied perspectives and techniques required to build, maintain and operate the vital infrastructure necessary to keep Ohio moving forward.

If you are looking to gain insight and perspective in promoting damage prevention or looking to learn about new technology that can help you achieve a higher degree of proficiency, no matter where you live, come September, all roads in Ohio will lead you to other industry professionals who are prepared to share their perspective at the Summit.

Where are we and how do we get to where we want to be? For most organizations or businesses, those are important questions. Finding the right answers is equally important, but often it is a difficult and, at times, a seemingly impossible process. While most of us understand where we are, it is the “getting to where we want to be” that often frustrates us.

No doubt it is as it has been said: “Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success.”
Join us at the first annual Ohio Damage Prevention Summit to be held September 12 – 14, 2011, at the Downtown Convention Center in Columbus.
To register for this exciting event, go to http://ohio.damagepreventionsummit.com.

It was six men of Indostan to learning much inclined, who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind), and that each by observation might satisfy his mind.

The first approached the elephant, and happening to fall against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl: “God bless me! But the elephant is very like a wall!”

The second, feeling of the tusk, cried, “Ho! What have we here so very round and smooth and sharp? To me ‘tis mighty clear this wonder of an elephant is very like a spear!”

The third approached the animal, and happening to take the squirming trunk within his hands, thus boldly up and spake: “I see,” quoth he, “the elephant is very like a snake!”

The fourth reached out an eager hand, and felt about the knee. “What most this wondrous beast is like is mighty plain,” quoth he; “‘tis clear enough the elephant is very like a tree!”

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, said: “E’en the blindest man can tell what this resembles most; deny the fact who can? This marvel of an elephant is very like a fan!”

The sixth no sooner had begun about the beast to grope, than, seizing on the swinging tail that fell within his scope, “I see,” quoth he, “the elephant is very like a rope!”

And so these men of Indostan disputed loud and long, each in his own opinion exceeding stiff and strong, though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!

Admittedly there is more than one moral to this story. But one obvious lesson for us to learn is that it is not enough to gather knowledge. It is equally important to learn to share and pool our knowledge.

Instead of fighting among ourselves, it is time to put our experiences and observations together in the best interest of keeping our families and communities safer. That likely means we must exhibit the willingness to sit down at the table of understanding with the intent of seeing the entire truth.

How was it possible that these six blind men could be so right and yet be so completely wrong? Because they would not consider one another’s perspectives, they settled for being half-right. Such half-knowledge is not just useless, but also dangerous.
From another great writer, we are reminded that none of us are so blind as those of us who will not see.
Won’t you at least consider the possibility that there is another part to the elephant?