As part of its commitment to educating current and potential clients about Subsurface Utility Engineering, Mid-Atlantic Utility Locating has created a “Lunch. Learn. Earn.” program that has been offered for three years running.
Erek Dorman, marketing and business development manager, reaches out to companies that Mid-Atlantic Utility Locating hasn’t previously worked with to offer this lunch-n-learn session. He brings a meal out for participants and provides an hour-long presentation.
The PowerPoint talk explains what subsurface utility engineering (SUE) is, breaks down the process involved, shares the types of technology used, and helps audience members understand how SUE can potentially save money. Participants receive a certificate of completion, which engineers can apply toward their continuing education credits.
In some cases, Dorman also works with current clients in a similar manner in order to get in front of more decision-makers. “One of the challenges that I face as a business development manager is that we get in front of certain project managers within large civil engineering firms or construction firms and they like using us, so they keep using us,” he says. “But there might be 15 other project managers in that same office who don’t know who we are.
“My background has always been in advertising, marketing, public relations and graphic design,” Dorman says, and the chance to exchange business cards, hand out company brochures and gain added exposure can be worthwhile. There have been cases following these sessions where all of a sudden calls are coming in left and right.
“I was new to the civil engineering industry and certainly never gave underground utilities a second thought until I got this job,” he says, “but it’s very interesting because it’s such a crucial component to any kind of construction or design, and it’s stunning how little people think about it.”
Mid-Atlantic Utility Locating frequently encounters situations where people call in from a project site needing to get utilities marked as soon as possible, he adds. When project managers suddenly discover the utilities need to be marked the day of rather than two weeks in advance, for example, the result is scheduling difficulties and unrealistic client expectations.
“Being able to get on site isn’t just a matter of our guys hopping in a truck and heading out there,” he explains. “We have to do records research, and a lot of these records are either unavailable or inaccurate.” In addition, utility owners can be reluctant to share records. The thought process ranges from thinking it’s proprietary information to thinking it puts them at a greater risk of a terrorist attack.
“Lunch. Learn. Earn.” not only drums up new business for Mid-Atlantic Utility Locating, but also helps customers realize the importance of SUE so that it transitions from an afterthought to top of mind.
