August 11th was National 811 Day. (Get it? 8/11) It’s an annual initiative led by the U.S. Department of Transportation to ensure the practice of safe digging before any excavation project by calling 811 to have utilities marked. We thought it fitting that our August featured employee be none other than Will Prescott, GUC’s Chief Utility Locator.

Will joined Greenville Utilities as a Locator in 2001 and was promoted to his current role in 2015. He supervises a staff of six in the Underground Locating Service (ULS) Section of the Gas Department. Although ULS is housed in Gas, this section provides an essential service to all four of our operating departments (Electric, Water, Wastewater, and Gas).

“Our team is responsible for locating GUC-owned underground facilities in an effort to protect life and property and to minimize service interruptions during excavation,” said Will.

When a contractor or customer is planning any kind of excavation or digging work, from residential gardens to big construction, they must call NC 811 to request that all underground lines be marked. When we get the requests from NC 811, our Locators use different types of equipment and methods (including geographic information system mapping and ground penetrating radar) to find each underground facility in the proposed digging site. The areas are marked with colored flags and spray paint to indicate the type of service that is underground. Our Locators respond to an average of 19,074 locate requests per year, which helps to avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in repair costs.

As a supervisor, Will is also responsible for all damage investigations. For example, if a contractor hits a GUC underground line or main, it’s Will’s job to investigate and report every detail leading up to the incident. Will received his locator certifications from Staking University and is also certified as a Train the Trainer.  

Before joining GUC, Will worked for a locating contractor that did work for GUC, so he’s been in the industry almost 22 years. Besides the various 811 law changes over the years, Will says the biggest change he’s experienced was going from paper maps to digital. “Back in the day, I drove a 15-passenger van with a huge table, rolls of maps, and filing cabinets in the back,” he said. “We’d have individual subdivision maps, for example, and you’d have to flip through a ledger to find a number associated with the map needed for a job. It was a lot.”

Will says the best part about his job is playing a role in the growth of our community. “It’s satisfying to drive past a new road or subdivision that is complete, knowing that I was a small part of that. I also enjoy my team. They’re great people, and I couldn’t ask for a better crew.”

Born and raised in Farmville, Will and his wife, Sara, live in Farmville with their daughter, Alina (5), and their two dogs, Jackson and Jada. Son, Markus, currently resides in Boone, where he’s getting a master’s degree in biology from Appalachian State University.

In his spare time, Will enjoys traveling, playing disc golf, and going to concerts (he loves all types of music, but his favorite genre is Reggae). He and his family also enjoy exercising together. “Our gym is really neat in that they encourage the entire family to get involved,” he said.  

So just like that, healthy and energized, Will and his team are helping our customers, employees, and facilities to stay safe every day.

Favorites:

Restaurant - Tokyo Japanese Restaurant
Team - North Carolina Tarheels 
Vacation - Disney World
Podcast - The Joe Rogan Experience