WASHINGTON (May 22, 2020) – Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the stakeholder-driven organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines, people who dig near them and their communities, this week recognized outstanding leadership in the damage prevention industry through the Virtual CGA Awards. Each day this past week, CGA presented a Virtual Award honoring the organizations and individuals whose contributions made meaningful impacts on preventing damages to buried utilities in 2019.

CGA highlighted the incredible work of damage prevention’s brightest stars with its Virtual CGA Awards through daily videos posted to its website:

• President’s Award: CGA President and CEO Sarah K. Magruder Lyle presented the Power Communication Contractors Association (PCCA) with the 2019 President's Award. The President's Award is given annually to a company or organization that has shown leadership and innovation in support of damage prevention during the previous year. The PCCA has played a crucial role in amplifying the voice of excavators, a key damage prevention stakeholder group within CGA.
• Hall of Fame: Gweneyette Broussard of Shell Pipeline Company LP was inducted into the CGA Hall of Fame by fellow CGA members Allen Gray of the Associated General Contractors of America and Gina Greenslate of Energy Transfer. The Hall of Fame designation is given to CGA members who have exemplified a long-standing commitment to the organization’s mission and whose dedication has significantly impacted the damage prevention industry. As the leader of Shell Pipeline Company LP’s public awareness and damage prevention programs, Broussard has acted as a driving force for damage prevention for more than a decade, including through pioneering public awareness partnerships that have highlighted the national call-before-you-dig number, 811, via national sports media.
• Jim Barron Award: Given annually to an individual who has shown true dedication to efforts that enhance underground damage prevention, the 2019 Jim Barron Award was presented to Kevin Hopper of Dig Safely New York (DSNY) by Bob Terjesen of National Grid. As Executive Director of DSNY, Hopper has worked to improve damage prevention education in the state via the nation’s first on-site excavation area for training and the first Certified Excavator Program in New York state, among other innovations in 811 ticketing and training.
• Ron Olitsky Member of the Year Award: Corey Willson of 3M and Craig Hoeferlin of Spire presented the 2019 Member of the Year Award -- given annually to an individual whose dedication and service to the damage prevention industry has gone above and beyond -- to Deanna Centurion of Cyera Strategies. Centurion is a long-time member of the CGA Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee and has led the group as co-chair for the last two years. During this time, she has worked tirelessly to make CGA’s DIRT Report and other data resources effective tools for helping critical stakeholder groups understand the scope of underground utility damages.
• Committee Recognition: For the final day of the weeklong CGA Virtual Awards, CGA recognized the 2019 committee co-chairs who led the cross-industry collaboration that’s pivotal to CGA’s mission, particularly outgoing co-chairs Brian Dreesen with USIC and Alice Miller with Ohio 811 for their work on the Best Practices and Stakeholder Outreach committees, respectively.
  • Best Practices Committee: Scott Brown (Washington Gas) and Brian Dreesen (USIC)
  • Data Reporting & Evaluation Committee: Andrea Stainback (CenturyLink) and Deanna Centurion (Cyera Strategies)
  • Educational Programs & Marketing Committee: Chris Thome (Rhino Markers)
  • One Call Systems International Committee: Misty Wise (South Carolina 811) and Chris Stovall (Texas811)
  • Regional Partners Committee: Steve Light (Virginia 811) and Kevin Woolbright (Construction Angels)
  • Stakeholder Outreach Committee: Eric Swartley (UGI Utilities) and Alice Miller (Ohio 811)
  • Technology Committee: Nick Starke (UtiliQuest) and Thomas Young (PelicanCorp)

“I would like to personally extend my thanks, as well as my congratulations, to the remarkable individuals and organizations honored as part of the Virtual CGA Awards,” said Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, President and CEO of the Common Ground Alliance. “The vision and commitment demonstrated by the 2019 CGA Award winners are an inspiration for the entire damage prevention industry. In addition to celebrating their leadership in 2019, we are looking forward to continuing to work with these talented individuals as we look to the future of damage prevention.”

For a complete list of the Virtual CGA Award winners and to view videos recognizing each winner, please visit https://commongroundalliance.com/damage-prevention/toolkits/2019-virtual-awards.

About CGA

CGA is a member-driven association of nearly 1,700 individuals, organizations and sponsors in every facet of the underground utility industry. Established in 2000, CGA is committed to saving lives and preventing damage to North American underground infrastructure by promoting effective damage prevention practices. CGA has established itself as the preeminent source of damage prevention data and information in an effort to reduce damages to underground facilities in North America through shared responsibility among all stakeholders. For more information, visit CGA on the web at http://www.commongroundalliance.com.