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After nine years of utility work experience, Larry would embark on a new journey — one of industry awareness. It began with an invite to the 1994 National Utility Contractor Association (NUCA) Utility Construction EXPO in Reno, Nev. While originally thought of as time away from the office and a chance to see some new equipment, little did Larry know that the Utility Construction EXPO would get him involved with more than just backhoes and loaders.
Although the literature on NUCA at the Utility Construction EXPO painted the organization as a group of political movers-and-shakers based in Washington, D.C. — far from the open desert of Nevada — Larry soon saw the power and possibilities NUCA could provide. When he had a problem that was also being dealt with on the national level, he could pick up the phone and talk to the NUCA staff who was on the front lines fighting for utility contractors like him.
“Actually, I didn’t expect much. I had been to the CONEXPO and the mining equipment shows and had seen a lot of big stuff. However, I was very impressed. The products at this show were things I could relate to,” Larry remembers. “After the Utility Construction EXPO in Reno, I asked Kathy to send in a membership check to join NUCA. At that time, I would receive the magazine and enjoy reading the information about the industry. In May of 2000, NUCA solicited the Las Vegas community to start a local chapter here in the valley. Since then I have been very involved.”
In those eight years, Larry’s participation grew exponentially. From sitting on both the damage prevention and trenchless technology committees in NUCA to serving as the president of the NUCA Las Vegas chapter, Larry has made great strides in the industry. He is the current chair of NUCA’s damage prevention committee, he holds the excavator primary seat on the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) best practices committee; he chaired the standards committee from 2001 to 2006 and is the co-chair of the Nevada Regional Common Ground Alliance, in addition to numerous sub-committee involvements.
“I have found out more about how our government operates in the last seven years than I ever learned,” says Larry. “I’m not one to get involved in politics; however, I have learned through NUCA that the political process is a lot closer and has a lot more impact on me and my business than anything I had assumed. It’s been a great personal and business learning experience that has developed many friendships around the country.”
While the gears of change may turn slowly, Larry has been fortunate enough to see change develop from his long hours logged in committees and boards.
“The best that’s happened for me has happened on a local level. What we’ve done through NUCA and the CGA allowed us to get the public utility commission in Nevada very involved with the issues. We got them to come out to the field and address issues to the point where we passed a new bill — S.B. 396 — last year,” Larry says. “We’re getting our laws changed — we’ve reduced our tolerance zone, raised the length and duration of our dig ticket and we have made accountability for all facility operators to locate in accordance to the laws.”
Larry’s current battle is getting sewer laterals located. As he explains:
“Since the beginning of the line locate process in the 1970s, the sanitation department has ignored the need to locate their service laterals. Trenchless technology and directional drilling has created a number of cross-bores where the gas company or power company are drilling past those sewer laterals. If they are not located, the contractors install gas lines through the sewer laterals, I think the statistic is about 2 percent, and they clog up. It may take six months, a year, five years, but it clogs. When it does, homeowners call Rotor Rooter who cut right through the gas lines and explosions happen.
“We brought up sewer lateral locating with the CGA as a Best Practice and we brought it up as a damage prevention committee for NUCA. We’ve done it for four years and couldn’t pass it. We have to regroup and get the results. But now, we have the State thinking about it. The Clark County water reclamation office knows that they are going to have to do this. And we found solutions. Jacksonville, Fla., is doing it. Mesa, Ariz., will work with every contractor on a project in the Phoenix area.
They’ll come out and locate the laterals and work with you throughout the project. Those cities that are being proactive are setting the standard for the rest of the country and the State of Nevada knows it. And we’re working to change the mindset of water reclamation department.”
Thinking back on his legacy, Larry’s advice to young up-and-coming contractors looking to make a mark on the industry is to be careful about debating personal issues or particular incidents that has hit the wallet. Keep focused on the big picture and recognize good industry practices and solutions.
“This is a great industry. It’s a natural fit for people like me who like being around equipment, believe in an honest day’s work and enjoy seeing the results,” says Larry. “The industry is not going away so there is plenty of job security in it. There will always be a need for utilities and utility construction, maintenance and rehab. The best thing we can do to improve it is get involved and when you do, jump into the details, tackle the issues, step back far enough to see the big picture and find a solution.”
Jason Morgan is associate editor of Utility Contractor.
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