Awards

Recognizing Pioneers in Damage Prevention

The CGA established an awards program to celebrate the successes of our members and for the international damage prevention community. Since that time, the CGA has recognized many individuals, companies, and associations who have demonstrated great dedication to damage prevention.

Nominations for the 2024 Groundbreaker and Hall of Fame awards are now open. All nominations are due by Feb. 9, 2024.

Submit Nomination

Background

Nomination

Recognize the dedication and innovation of fellow CGA members by nominating them for an award. Nominations are open now through Feb. 9, 2024. Winners will be announced at CGA's 2024 Conference & Expo in Colorado Springs.

Hall of Fame Eligibility Requirements

The Hall of Fame Award honors CGA members who have served the organization over a long period of time and whose impact has left its mark on the organization in a positive and memorable way. The Hall of Fame is ongoing legacy roster of damage prevention leaders.

Groundbreaker Award Eligibility Requirements

Individuals and organizations who are CGA members can be nominated for the CGA Groundbreaker Awards. Nominees should include individuals and organizations who are pioneers and innovators in their field and are contributing groundbreaking ideas and achievements for the betterment of the damage prevention industry. Nominated individuals or organizations should have proven, measurable success for the innovation or achievement they are nominated for.

Examples of eligible Groundbreaker Award nominees include individuals or organizations who have:

Developed original, innovative technology solutions for the damage prevention industry
Launched or led successful pilot programs to improve damage prevention-related processes
Pioneered collaborative partnerships to strengthen damage prevention stakeholder engagement
Established inventive educational initiatives to help prevent and reduce damages
Demonstrated exemplary dedication to damage prevention over the course of a career
Has a document case study with proven results in damage reduction.

Groundbreaker Awards

Award Winners

2023: Barb Cederberg, Gopher State One Call
2021: John Cachat, 4IQ Solutions, LLC; Coastal And Marine Operators (CAMO); UtiliSource

Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame is an ongoing roster of damage prevention champions. The award honors CGA members that have served in the organization over a long period of time and whose impact has left its mark on the organization in a positive and memorable way.

Award Recipients

Claudette Campbell (2005)
Stacey Gerard (2005)
Vic Weston (2006)
William Kiger (2007)
Allen Gray (2007)
Bill Boswell (2008)
Paul Preketes (2008)
Will Carey (2009)
Eben Wyman (2010)
Kathie Fournier (2011)
Brad Barringer (2011)
Don Heyer (2012)
Patti Lama (2013)
Rich Felder (2013)
Mark Palma (2014)
Diane McCarthy (2014)
Linda Sims (2015)
Jim Barron (2015)
Bob Kipp (2016)
Jeff Wiese (2017)
Tom Hoff (2018)
Gweneyette Broussard (2019)
Dora Parks & Eric Swartley (2021)
Annmarie Robertson & Tracey Bryant (2022)
Ellen Kiger, Pennsylvania 811 (2023)

President's Award

Since 2009, CGA's president has selected a company to receive the annual "President's Award." The recipients have gone above and beyond to demonstrate their dedication to damage pevention during a given year.

Award Recipients

2009 – John Deere
2010 – Shell Pipeline Corporation
2011 – Alabama 811
2012 – One Call Concepts
2013 – Texas 811
2014 – USIC
2015 – Pacific Gas & Electric Company
2016 – Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, PHMSA
2017 – Cox USA
2018 – North Carolina 811
2019 – PCCA
2022 – SoCal Gas
2023 – Sandra Holmes & Arizona 811

Ron Olitsky Award (sunset 2019)

This award is presented in honor of Ron Olitsky of Underground Service Alert, who served on the CGA Board since the organization’s establishment and during the development of the Common Ground Study of One Call System and Damage Prevention Best Practices in 1999. Ron’s dedication to the CGA and to damage prevention was a true priority until his untimely passing in 2005.

The award will be granted to the CGA member whose dedication and service to the CGA went above and beyond the call of duty during a given year, and he/she might be considered the “most valuable player.”

Award Recipients

Brian Tooley (2005)
811 Team (2006): Dan Meiners, Tom Shimon, Kevin Chmura, Gina Johnson, Patti Lama and Linda Sims
Ron Peterson (2007)
Mike Catt (2008)
Gweneyette Broussard (2009)
Steve Blaney (2010)
Gloria Grev (2011)
Dan Maschka (2012)
Louis Panzer (2013)
Collin Miyadi (2014)
Ryan White (2014)
Annmarie Robertson (2015)
Thomas Young and Michael Muilenburg (2016)
Chris Thome (2017)
Ann Rushing (2018)
Deanna Centurion (2019)

Jim Barron Award (sunset 2019)

Jim Barron of Ronkin Construction played a key role in the Common Ground Study and went on to serve as the first president of the CGA. He has and continues to show true dedication to the CGA and to several other damage prevention organizations and projects. The Barron award is given to an individual(s) or organization(s) that may or may not be a member of the CGA but has shown true dedication to efforts that enhance underground damage prevention. An example may be an individual that serves on a one-call board, a member of Congress or government official, or any other person or organization outside of the CGA that has made a positive impact on the damage prevention community.