named programs · 4 · from sources
What they call their work
Certified Excavator Program (CEP)
Provides in-depth education and certification on safe digging practices through UDig NY's Learning Management Program, Coursettra.
Damage Prevention Councils (DPCs)
Eight regional councils that bring together utility and excavation industry members to address safety concerns, solve problems, and promote damage prevention.
Exactix
Online system for excavators to submit stake-out requests and receive automated positive responses from member utility companies.
Partner Nursery Program
Distributes free wildflower seed packets through garden centers and nurseries to DIYers, reminding them to call 811 before digging.
activities · 5 groups
What they do
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Horticultural Education and Community Gardening 1 activity
- Conduct public outreach and awareness campaignsEngages in public outreach by distributing free wildflower seed packets through nurseries and garden stores to promote calling 811 before digging, and conducts contests with incentives such as tickets to SU men’s basketball games to encourage safe digging practices.
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Union-Affiliated Trade Apprenticeship & Training 1 activity
- Deliver excavation safety education and training programsProvides education on NYS Code Rule 753, delivers tailored presentations to stakeholders or industry groups, and offers in-depth training on safe digging practices through the Certified Excavator Program (CEP), delivered via the Coursettra Learning Management Program. Five Field Representatives provide free training sessions upon request, including open training classes and meetings.
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Professional Conference & Symposium Organization 1 activity
- Host annual Damage Prevention Conference & Expo and related eventsHosts an annual Damage Prevention Conference & Expo, manages event registration, and provides access to public events including Damage Prevention Council meetings, CEP renewal events, and virtual Exactix trainings.
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Community Resource Navigation and Support Services 1 activity
- Operate a one-call center for underground utility location requestsProvides a free service to receive and process location requests prior to digging via phone call to 811 or online platform, operating an Automated Positive Response (APR) system that consolidates and delivers utility company responses within two business days. The call center was established on January 2, 1970, initially serving Onondaga County and later expanding statewide.
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Uncategorized 3 activities
- Facilitate regional Damage Prevention CouncilsOperates eight regional Damage Prevention Councils that serve as forums for utility and excavation industry members to collaborate on shared concerns, holding monthly meetings to identify challenges and develop solutions to prevent underground utility damages and improve community safety.
- Operate Exactix system for stake-out requestsOperates the Exactix program to enable excavators to send stake-out requests to utilities, supporting accurate and timely communication between excavators and facility operators.
- Support damage investigations with location request dataProvides data to determine whether a specific excavation had a corresponding location request, primarily used during investigations of damaged underground facilities.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$5.39M
Contributions & grants$00%
Program service revenue$5.20M96%
Investment income$145K3%
Other revenue$46K
expenses
Total expenses$5.70M
Program expenses64%
Admin / overhead36%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$3.66M
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$15.20M
Cash$1.43M
Investments$5.45M
Liabilities$4.20M
Net assets$11.01M
Liquid reserves14.5 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -2.6%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| KEVIN HOPPER | PRESIDENT/CEO | 40 | $346K |
board members · 16
- BRANDON MARINER — DIRECTOR
- DAVID LAMMON — DIRECTOR
- GIANCARLO ROMERO — DIRECTOR
- JOSEPH LARAISO — DIRECTOR
- KEITH WALLENSTEIN — DIRECTOR
- KELLY CARAMANNA — DIRECTOR
- LANCE RYON — DIRECTOR
- LEON HACKER — SECRETARY
- MARC TALOMIE — DIRECTOR
- MATT SCORZELLI — BOARD CHAIR
- MICHAEL BUSHART — TREASURER
- MICHAEL KOLCESKI — DIRECTOR
- RONALD DIETZ — DIRECTOR
- TOM SUTTON — BOARD VICE CHAIR
- WILLIAM CLARKE JR — DIRECTOR
- WILLIAM VANDAME — DIRECTOR
relationships · 14
Who they work with
- Capital Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Central Partner — Participating home & garden store in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Coursettra Partner — Partner platform used for delivering UDig NY's educational programs through its Learning Management Program.
- Exactix Partner — Collaborates on the Exactix program to process stake-out requests from excavators to utilities.
- Exactix Partner — Partners with Exactix to provide real-time access to utility response status for diggers.
- Finger Lakes Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Hudson Valley Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Industry expert guest speakers Partner — Invites industry experts to speak at the Damage Prevention Conference & Expo
- Mohawk Valley Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Northeast Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Onondaga County Partner — Initial service area and partner in utility location services
- Southern Tier Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
- Syracuse University Partner — Collaborates with Syracuse University to offer tickets to SU men's basketball home games as contest prizes.
- Western Partner — Participating nursery in the Partner Nursery Program distributing seed packets.
strategies · 5
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Centralized One-Call Coordination Systemmethodology: one-call_notification_systemBy operating a centralized notification system (811), the organization enables excavators to efficiently contact utility operators before digging, thereby preventing damage to underground infrastructure because streamlined communication reduces accidental strikes during excavation.
- Collaborative Regional Councils for Safety Improvementmethodology: collaborative-regional-councilsBy convening regionally organized, multi-stakeholder councils, the organization identifies and addresses excavation safety challenges, improving damage prevention because cross-sector collaboration fosters shared responsibility, localized solutions, and stronger compliance norms.
- Education and Certification as Compliance Leveragemethodology: education-and-certificationBy delivering targeted education and certification programs, the organization promotes adherence to safe digging practices because formal training increases knowledge retention and regulatory compliance among professional and amateur excavators.
- Incentive-Based Public Engagement for Safe Diggingmethodology: incentive-based engagementBy distributing tangible incentives like wildflower seed packets and offering prize-based contests, the organization increases public awareness and participation in calling 811 before digging, because positive behavioral nudges are more effective than passive messaging alone in motivating DIY excavators.
- Tolerance Zone Safety Protocolmethodology: tolerance-zone_safety_protocolBy defining a Tolerance Zone around marked utilities that requires hand digging, the organization minimizes risk of mechanical damage because establishing clear procedural boundaries reduces operator error near critical infrastructure.