Welcome to Julie's Toolbox Talks podcast, your go-to resource for safe digging and protecting Illinois's underground infrastructure. Each episode, we'll share practical tips, real stories, and expert insights to help you dig smart, stay safe, and keep your projects on solid ground. Brought to you by Julie Illinois Facility Notification Center.

Hello and welcome to Julie's Toolbox Talks podcast brought to you by Julie Illinois Facility Notification Center. I'm your host Jill Sailer. Thanks for joining us today. Today we're going behind the tickets to answer a big question. What makes a good locate request? We'll hear real experiences from those using the Julie system every day. And we'll talk about how to keep your crews up to date on Julie updates and law changes. But before we dig in, let's say hello to my co-host, Brian MacKenzie. Hey, Brian. How you doing today?

Hey, Jill. How are you?

I'm doing good. Uh, Brian, you've been with Julie since 2012, uh, sharing your deep knowledge and passion for damage prevention with stakeholders throughout central Illinois. Thanks again for joining me today. And hey, Brian, I think last time that we were together, you guys were going to be on your way to Farm Progress in Decar, Illinois.

That's correct. We just got off the farm progress tour. Every other year it comes to um Illinois and it was a great year this year. This year we gave away five gallon buckets, believe it or not. And it was a u a massive undertaking. We gave away 500 at a time and it took about six minutes to get rid of the first 500. The line was two and a half blocks down the road. It was fantastic. People were great. Um I actually, believe it or not, I think I've got some video of that, too. I can share it sometime.

Oh, that would be great. I would love to see it. Well, that's good getting to meet the people there in Decar and spreading the word about Julie.

Mhm. Believe it or not, interesting fun fact, those people come from all over the world there. So, we met people from Argentina, uh from other different countries, and they they're not only fascinated with how we farm here in the United States, but also our 811 process. Just a little little fun fact for you.

Oh, that is that's awesome. That's really interesting to know. Well, Brian, let's meet our guest for today. We're going to meet Kim Kennedy. She Kim is the operations coordinator for electric conduit construction and Midwestern contractors. Kim plays a vital role in keeping projects running smoothly and safely. She's known for her collaborative approach, strong communication skills, and commitment to safety, quality, and innovation. And Brian, get this, Kim manages up to 100,000 dig tickets each year. I know that's amazing. Yes. She makes sure that uh crews have what they need to work efficiently and without interruption. And her attention to detail and dedication to utility damage prevention recently earned her Julie's prestigious Gina Mian Taylor Award for excellence in her field. In the field, actually her field too, though. Well, Kim, welcome.

Thanks for being with us today. Thank you. Good morning to both of you.

How exciting. 100,000 tickets. Wow.

It's a lot. That includes that does include, you know, other second requests, incompletes, no shows, all that good stuff, too.

That's natural. Yes. You've been called the the backbone of the locate process for your company for years. How did you even get started in this?

Well, it was kind of by accident. Um, in 1996, believe it or not, I was hired by Electric Conduit to do their locate request. Nobody had ever done it before. Back then we did it on paper. We had to write them out and then I would make photo copies so that someone in the field could have a copy and we'd have a leave a field a copy in the office. Um and then about 6 months after I started we did create an access program which was a little easier keeping track of stuff. Um until you guys went online which was the best thing ever um when they started doing that and I've been doing it ever since. um did a couple different roles at my company and then circled back around and I'm back where I started.

That's you know you mentioned paper and believe it or not I I was around in the locating world when we used to have to draw what we located and then digital pictures came in and that was such a big change in in the industry too. But it's funny you mentioned the paper because you I've been around that long too. But uh that's that's amazing. That's fantastic. But something I am very very curious to know because it's something that I struggle with as a damage prevention manager and that we struggle in the industry really is we get certain people that show up to the excavator breakfast and it's great that the management shows up but the disconnect is often what happens when from the management to this field. So can you tell us how you accept the Julie updates and more importantly how do you get them out to the field? How do you get them out to the crews?

Well, I attend a lot of your Julie programs when you guys have them, breakfasts and seminars. And then what I do is I report back. We have a weekly leadership team um phone call every week. And that way I can update anyone on all the the new laws we had. Um we actually then had we made some kind of a cheat sheet that we sent out to our field guys. Um, communication is key. We have an internal system. So, anything that needs to be uploaded that the field needs, we can do it through that system and they have access to it in the field. Um, but really the key thing is communication and I have a great team that I work with. So, um, we just try to keep everybody informed as best we can.

I had a question on that. Yeah. Kim, how do you so someone like you that's in your role, how do they learn about like the breakfast and stuff that Julie holds so they know that those things are happening and they can attend them?

Well, I'm on an email list. I usually get notifications from the Julie system regarding any upcoming trainings or breakfasts or anything that you guys would be holding. Um, I went to all those uh update ones last year before all the new laws came out so that I could learn those and understand them before I relay them back to everyone in the field.

Yeah. So, check out our website, I think, right Brian? And then they

Absolutely. Julie before you dig.com is loaded full of information just for this. I mean, we spend Amy, Vicki, and everybody has spent a tremendous amount of time handpicking information that goes there as to address the certain situations that we have. But absolutely perfect. You know, I'm It's such a fascinating thing again, 100,000 tickets. How what information or what how could you help somebody who who might be nervous about using the Julie system for the first time?

My biggest thing would be be prepared before you call. Um, make sure that you know all the information that your operator is going to ask them regarding county, township. Um, I use Google Map, Google Earth quite a bit every day just to help me make sure that I'm pinpointing exactly where we're digging. Um, make sure you have all your contact information. Um, your operators are fantastic with asking the right questions. And I think as a new person, if you're just prepared with what you're going to be asked, I think that's so much help. That's so helpful um in the process uh even before you start I would say doing them online, you probably should call them in uh so you become familiar with the process.

Yeah, that 100%. Because there are a lot of specific questions based on what type of work you're doing. We we handle all kinds of different types of tickets from very simple to very complex tickets. So you're absolutely right. The the online function is something that well look at our technology now that we're going to most people do want to go online. They want to enter the the information themselves and the we were going to actually have another podcast where we bring Paula Browning in and we discuss nothing but remote ticket entry.

So stay tuned to that for all of our listeners out there today. will be coming back and doing a podcast at some point.

But yeah, and if I

Oh, go ahead.

Go ahead.

No, if I may add, um, what our company does, which I don't know if a lot of companies have the resources for it, but I actually have uh people in the field that go to the job site, they mark it out, they send me a description of what they need, and then I take it from there. But that is extremely helpful when you have somebody has eyes on the actual dig site.

100%. Absolutely. Jill, you got any questions on that one?

Uh, I don't think so. Not on that one.

Okay. So, now that we know about that, do you happen to have a story that you could share that where that system really helped prevent an issue in the field?

Well, I was uh thinking about that and I didn't have anything specific, but what I wanted to say is that I appreciate that your Julie system catches my mistakes sometimes cuz we're not always perfect. And I appreciate when I get that email saying, "Hey, Kim, you might want to look at this. I don't think you're in Cook County. You're in DuPage County." And that really helps because it corrects the ticket and we do it prior to the start of the job. So you don't have a crew going out there sitting because now your Julie ticket is incorrect. Um so I think that is a great service that you guys provide on your end to help us as contractors.

We do try to audit some of the tickets that come in. We do get for our listeners out there we do get between 1.6 1.7 million tickets annually. So there is quite a amount of tickets that come in. So with that, but how over you've been in this two decades now. How over time do you see damage prevention changing in into the future? Things getting better.

Things are getting better. And I'm going to tell you, I think it's technology. Um when I started we didn't have any communication with locators in the field uh or any kind of you know system where they were you know telling us if they weren't if they were clear. Um the technology just having the online system first of all is tremendous. Um and then being able to just communicate with my foremen with my uh superintendent and also with the locators. Um, I've formed a really good relationship with a lot of locators in the field where now if I have a question, I can give them a call. We can talk it through. They can meet with us sometimes, go through things out on the field. And I just think that whole technology piece is going to help in the future as well.

I agree 100%. That's, you know, another pro tip. There's there's all kind of pro tips that we're giving out and you're giving great answers today and and really helping me trigger my thoughts, but that as a pro tip to both sides, the locators and excavators, the communication process is key. Without that, both sides are going to fail. Locators, if you're bound up on tickets, you need to be reaching out to the excavators. Excavators too, with these large projects, these advanced projects coming in, talking with the locators, having your joint meets, pre-marking your job sites. It's just absolutely crucial with the amount of work, the amount of large work that is in Illinois right now. It's it's just absolutely crucial.

Yeah. And I am so looking forward to you guys rolling out your positive response system.

Yes, I am too.

I use it in other states cuz we do work in other states and I'll tell you it is a lifesaver because you see the locator's notes, you see what's going on and it really does save a lot of time and you're not having to do an incomplete or a no-show because you have that information in front of you.

How do you like the ability to upload the maps? That's got to be key on

I like it. Um, in the training process and I might and it might have changed. I know that they said to try to keep it to like a uh a picture or a PDF type thing cuz locators may not have access to download or upload something on their system. Um, but I've been using it. I've been adding even a screenshot of a map. I will upload it for them if I get that from the field. So that it's just one more piece for them to help them out.

Yep. As a retired locator, I I appreciate somebody like you tremendously because again it's it is such a a difficult job for a locator to go out and try to figure out to get in your mind about what you want marked about what you want in this project. And by giving a a good verbal description, by uploading those maps, all the information you can give what you guys are doing, it helps tremendously.

And I think the description is um the hard part for new people. If we circle back to the other question you had is it's it's hard to learn the lingo. Um but once you get going and the locators can know your lingo, I think it helps with the it helps them. And I also do tickets in the city and a lot of the city they don't put a description. Um so I know those locators are struggling. So yeah, definitely a good thorough description helps.

Absolutely. That's that's Kim's pro tip for everybody, all our listeners out there. More information the better. That's that is the major major key to this whole process.

Yeah.

Yes. So no matter how how much AI, how much technology it comes down to, we still need to communicate. You can use those tools to do it, but we still need to communicate.

Absolutely.

100%. So that's great. You know, Gina Mihan Taylor was somebody very important to me. She was a fantastic person, you know, and helped me come up as I was new into the industry. What does this award mean to you receiving this personally and and professionally?

I was so touched and so honored um especially since this came a co-worker of mine, he was a superintendent in the field and he wrote this letter and he submitted it and I had no idea at the time. Um so it just it validates you. It makes you feel like, okay, they respect what I'm doing. They appreciate what I'm doing for them. And I have um I do I have a great team that I work with. Um we all work so well together and everybody helps each other and so to me this is like one of the greatest honors I could get is to come from my peers.

Yeah, it's well deserving from you know everything that I've heard from what you do today and it's just an amazing what you do and I I really really do. I want you to know I I really do appreciate what you do again as being as a retired locator and help helping us prove that the message that we're trying to get across really does help out in the field.

Yeah. And uh and it is a team effort and I told my team that. I said, you know, this isn't just my award, it's our all of our awards cuz you know without them, you know, I couldn't do my job as well as I do. I understand.

Well, Gina would have been proud.

Thank you.

That's wonderful. Congratulations again, Kim.

Thanks.

Well, I think that wraps up today's podcast. So, Kim, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate you sharing all of your experiences and your expertise.

Well, thank you for having me. It's it's been uh quite an adventure for me. I've never done one of these before, so it's been great.

Well, you did fantastic. Uh and Brian, thank you so much for being here.

Thank you.

And for our listeners, we hope today's conversation helps you create better locate requests and stay informed about the latest Julie updates. And remember, safe digging starts with a good ticket. So, if you want to learn more about Julie, be sure to check out our website, juliebeforyouudig.com, and see all the resources they have to support you. And that's whether you're a homeowner, a contractor, or a utility professional. Until next time, stay safe and remember, safe digging is in your hands. Contact Julie before you dig.