Scott Allen (holding the silver shovel) and his Las Vegas Paving cohorts pose with the Silver Shovel Award.
The competition was stiff! Mammoth Underground, Hirschi Companies, and Las Vegas Paving vied for the coveted Silver Shovel, with Las Vegas Paving coming out on top.
Each of the top three excavators were required to sit through an interview with the NRCGA’s Board of Directors. Board members scored the contestants’ responses and the excavator with the highest score won.
During the interviews, directors noticed the excavators had three business practices in common.
Tailgate Meetings – each held daily tailgate safety meetings to start the day.
Involvement at All Levels – each involved multiple levels of staffing to ensure 811 Call Before You Dig compliance, including office staff.
Communication – each company had a process to communicate from the field to the office and from the field to the utilities.
Thank you to our sponsors and guests for making our April 26 dinner and award ceremony our best ever! Our generous sponsors provided approximately 80 raffle prizes and the food was delicious!
Derek Reeve (Center), from Future Infrastructure Services, accepts the Silver Shovel Award.
The NRCGA’s top excavator award, the Silver Shovel, was presented to Future Infrastructure Services at the NRCGA’s Annual Excavator Appreciation Dinner on Nov. 7 at the Eastside Cannery Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. Each year the NRCGA presents the Silver Shovel award at the annual dinner to a Southern Nevada excavator who has had no at-fault damages during the 12 months between August of the current year to August of the previous year.
All eligible excavators that meet the no at-fault damages criteria are invited to participate in an 8-question, in-person interview with the NRCGA’s Board of Directors. The Board of Directors score the excavator’s response. The excavator with the highest score is kept under wraps until the night of the annual dinner.
Winning the Silver Shovel comes with perks. In addition to a life-size silver shovel to display in the excavator’s office, the NRCGA will also sponsor travel for one Future Infrastructure Services representative to attend the Common Ground Alliance’s Annual Conference in March 2020 in Palm Springs.
The CGA’s 2020 conference will include a
presentation by NRCGA Vice-Chair Dennis Bott on the annual Excavator
Appreciation Dinner. It’s a conference not to be missed by anyone in the
excavation business!
About Future Infrastructure Services:
Future Infrastructure Services is an industry-leading provider of telecommunications, energy, and intelligent transportation services. Founded in Mesquite, Tex., in 1999, Future Infrastructure Services has diligently worked to provide the Southwestern United States with the highest quality construction, delivered in a professional manner.
Our Southwest Division, with offices in Las Vegas and Phoenix,
has provided horizontal directional drilling and open cut services for the
installation of telecommunications, water, sewer, electrical, and gas
facilities in some of the most densely congested utility corridors in the
country.
We pride ourselves in providing a safe
environment for our employees, which leads to an efficient job for our
customers. Our forward thinking safety philosophy enables us to grow to meet
our customers’ needs while maintaining a safe working environment. Future Infrastructure
Services believes that the success of our projects,
customers, and company depends on the success of our safety program.
We strive to make Future Infrastructure Services a place where
our employees excel. We are passionate about our people growing with the
company and we provide them the tools and training to further their success.
Our philosophy is simple: The key to success in our business is
customer satisfaction. Our diverse experience, professional project delivery,
and commitment to customer service have solidified our reputation and allow us
to remain the first choice for utility construction. We strive to make working
for, and with, Future Infrastructure Services an exceptional experience.
The NRCGA held its annual Southern Nevada excavator appreciation dinner Nov. 8 at the Eastside Cannery Hotel and Casino and honored two local excavating contractors for taking the extra step towards digging safely.
The NRCGA’s top honor – the Silver Shovel – was awarded to Tab Contractors. Winning the Silver Shovel includes one complimentary trip to Florida to attend the Common Ground Alliance’s March 2019 annual conference and NRCGA membership.
Frehner Masonry took second place and received the NRCGA’s Outstanding Performance Award for their strides in damage prevention.
A total of four excavators were in the running for the Silver Shovel and Outstanding Performance awards. The NRCGA selected candidates based on the number of dig tickets called in to USA North 811 between May 2017 and May 2018 and no at-fault damages during the same time period.
Attendance exceeded 90 hungry excavators eager to see which one of their peers was to receive the coveted Silver Shovel.
Several stakeholders spoke at this event on topics such as utilizing online ticket requests through USA North 811’s website, as well as excavating safely around buried fuel lines.
Vendors were on hand to give away various swag items as well.
NRCGA Chair Bob Ward addresses the crowd.
Tab Contractors’ John Fornfeist accepts the Silver Shovel Award.
The NRCGA held its 12th Annual Northern Nevada Silver Shovel Event on Friday, December 15, 2017, at the Nugget Casino Resort in Sparks Nevada. At this annual breakfast, three excavators were honored based on the number of tickets they called in over a 12-month period and having had no at-fault damages.
The winners of the three categories were:
Frank Lepori Construction 0 – 50 tickets
Tahoe Fence 51 – 200 tickets
Nevada Barricade & Sign Company 201 tickets or more
There were approximately 50 people in attendance. As an added bonus, the NRCGA held prize drawings and gave away $600.00 worth of Home Depot gift cards, hats, and a backpack from USA North 811.
The NRCGA held its annual Southern Nevada excavator appreciation dinner Nov. 8 in Henderson and honored two local excavating contractors for taking the extra step towards digging safely.
The NRCGA’s top honor – the Silver Shovel – was awarded to Silver Lake Construction (a first time recipient) for their stellar performance in damage prevention. Winning the Silver Shovel includes one complimentary trip to Phoenix to attend the Common Ground Alliance’s March 2018 annual conference.
Ditch Diggers took second place and received the NRCGA’s Outstanding Performance Award for their strides in damage prevention.
A total of four excavators were in the running for the Silver Shovel and Outstanding Performance awards. The NRCGA selected candidates based on the number of dig tickets called in to USA North 811 between May 2016 and May 2017 and no at-fault damages during the same time period.
Attendance exceeded 90 hungry excavators eager to see which one of their peers was to receive the coveted Silver Shovel.
Several stakeholders spoke at this event on topics such as utilizing online ticket requests through USA North 811’s website, as well as excavating safely around buried fuel lines.
Vendors were on hand to give away various swag items as well.
The NRCGA’s very own Dave Dahl, formerly of Kern River Gas Transmission, was awarded the NRCGA Plaque of Honor, which was very well deserved.
Overall excellent attendance, food and great raffle prizes (all donated, of course)!
Excavators listen to damage prevention safety presentations.
Siler Lake Construction wins the Silver Shovel Award!
Ditch Diggers wins Outstanding Performance Award.
Recently retired and long time NRCGA member Dave Dahl is honored for his service.
Buddy and Tyler Byrd accept the Silver Shovel Award. A representative from Senator Joe Heck’s office stands to the far left.
More than 100 excavators, locators, regulators and utility workers attended the NRCGA’s Nov. 3 annual Excavator Appreciation Event at the Henderson Convention Center. Highlights of the night included a BBQ dinner, lots of raffle tickets, and the announcement of the Silver Shovel Award winner. New to this year’s event was the NRCGA’s first-ever Locator of the Year award presentation.
This year’s silver shovel trophy was awarded to Byrd Underground/Ditch Diggers.In addition to Byrd, the City of North Las Vegas was also in the running for the award. The City of North Las Vegas received a plaque for outstanding performance. Both Byrd and the city were nominated for the award by the NRCGA’s Silver Shovel Committee based on the number of new tickets called in by the organization and no at-fault damages between May 2015 and May 2016. Members of the NRCGA’s Board of Directors conducted in-person interviews with representatives of both organizations in Oct. to determine the winner. Byrd also received one free trip to the Common Ground Alliance’s March 2017 Excavation Safety Conference & Expo in Florida.
Justin McCarger became the NRCGA’s first ever Locator of the Year and Brandon Soma received the NRCGA’s first ever outstanding performance award. Both McCarger, who resides and locates in the Reno area, and Soma, who resides and locates in southern Nevada, are employees of ELM Locating & Utility Services. Months prior to the event, the NRCGA asked eligible organizations with locate staff to submit applicants for the award. In order to be considered, a locator must have worked for the organization for at least one full year and have had zero at-fault damages between May 2015 and May 2016. Members of the NRCGA’s Board of Directors held in-person interviews with the locator nominees in Oct. to determine the winner. In addition to a silver belt buckle, McCarger also received a paid trip to Texas to participate in the 2017 International Locate Rodeo.
To determine the 2017 Locator of the Year, the NRCGA has begun planning the first annual Nevada locate rodeo. For more information on the Nevada locate rodeo, attend the NRCGA’s monthly meetings or email info@nrcga.org.
Robert Ward, NV Energy, welcomes attendees.
The vendor expo.
Robert Ward, left, and Craig Rogers, Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, choose a raffle winner.
Colin Miyadi from USA North 811 educates the attendees about USAN’s one-call procedures.
Excavators and locators enjoy the event.
The food line.
Craig Rogers explains the new process implemented by the NRCGA to select the first ever Locator of the Year award.
Brandon Soma, left, and Justin McCarger. McCarger is 2016 Locator of the Year.
The City of North Las Vegas’ Scott Durbin accepts the outstanding performance award. A representative from Senator Joe Heck’s office stands to the left. Ted Pistone, NUCA Las Vegas, stands to the right.
