Page 14 - Alabama 811 Magazine 2022 Issue 3

Rocking at the Resort
The 2022 Alabama Damage Prevention Summit really knocked it out of the park. This year’s event put COVID in the past where it belongs and looked to the future as stakeholders defined the new normal. Both attendees and vendors were focused on what the future holds.
This year’s event kicked off on Monday with the annual Locate Rodeo. This year’s overall champion was Rodney Duke with USIC. Rodney was awarded the $1000 cash prize. Brandon Holman, Riviera Utilities finished 2nd overall and was awarded $250. The winner
of the Locate from Hell was Tramain Taylor, Riviera Utilities. The prize was $100. All three winners also received Pelican coolers donated by Locate Point.
This year’s exhibit hall was completely sold out with many of the exhibitors already committed to the 2023 event which is scheduled for September 19 – 21 and will be held at The Lodge at Gulf State Park.
The Summit Committee wishes to extend our thanks to a great list of Sponsors who made this year’s event a tremendous success. Platinum sponsors included Progressive
12 • Alabama 811 2022, Issue 3
Partnering and Alabama 811. Gold sponsors this year were USIC and ACTS Now. Silver Sponsors included Alabama Public Service Commission, Kinder Morgan and Rust-Oleum. Bronze sponsors included Alabama Rural Water Association, Compliance EnviroSystems, Hartree Natural Gas Storage, KorTerra, Paradigm, Urbint, Utility Training Academy and Vector Force Development.
Exhibitors included 4iQ Solutions, 811 Magazines, Alabama PSC, Alabama Rural Water Association, Alabama
811, Badger Daylighting, Benchmark Subsurface Utility Services, Compliance EnviroSystems, Columbia Southern University, Equipment Controls, Flagshooter, Fulcrum, GISAA, Green Equipment Company, GridHawk, HydroExavators, Kinder Morgan, KorTerra, Locate Point, Miller Pipeline, Navigation Electronics, Inc., PHMSA, Project Resources Group,Rust-Oleum, Southern Cross, The Paradigm Alliance, Tracer Electronics/Vivax-Metrotech, TRUVAC, USIC, Vector Force Development, Vulcan Utility Signs and Williams Energy.
The focus of the annual damage prevention event is to remind all stakeholders that the challenges
brought about by rebuilding our underground infrastructure can only be met by working together.
The Summit team thanks all the attendees for bringing their passion for damage prevention, suggestions for improving the process but most importantly their ideas to the table. This is not an event designed for lectures but rather for conversation. Bringing your ideas is the way to keep it going.
Alabama will easily see construction spending on highways, bridges, water, wastewater and broadband exceed 10 billion dollars over the next 5 years, thanks in part to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act recently passed by Congress. In addition to the 6+ billion dollars the Jobs Act brings
to Alabama over the next 5 years, construction dollars have been budgeted for the replacement and rehabilitation of our aging infrastructure.
How are we going to stay up with the increased volume of work? That’s the question and the focus of Alabama’s Damage Prevention Summit.
Make plans to be with us in 2023 at The Lodge at Gulf State Park and join in the conversation!