Utility coordinator honored with damage prevention award from JULIE
Utility construction companies rely heavily on their foremen and crews to maintain productivity and complete projects efficiently. While these teams are in the field, there are essential behind-the-scenes individuals that are equally critical to ensuring a smooth workflow and uninterrupted productivity.
One such individual is Kim Kennedy, operations coordinator for Electric Conduit Construction (ECC) and Midwestern Contractors (MWC), who has been honored with JULIE’s 2025 Gina Meehan-Taylor Award for excellence in utility damage prevention.
Kennedy is responsible for managing between 60,000 to 100,000 dig tickets annually for ECC and MWC, covering initial filings, extensions, and renewals or re-marks. Her role is particularly vital due to her comprehensive understanding of the work, enabling her to accurately define work areas and streamline the process for locators.
Kennedy also assists foremen in tracking tickets, ensuring they are aware of approaching expirations, re-marking needs, or extension requirements. Her diligence prevents work interruptions caused by expired tickets, allowing foremen and superintendents to concentrate on damage prevention.
Given the high volume of work and tickets generated by ECC and MWC, it is truly remarkable to have only 5 or 6 utility strikes in a year, especially since these incidents involved unmarked utilities.
Kennedy’s efforts consistently result in concise tickets with clearly defined work zones. Her effective tracking systems ensure that tickets are current and that marks on the ground are accurate.
Kennedy is a crucial link in the chain that takes a customer’s project from design drawings to functioning infrastructure, all while preventing utility damage along the way.
Congratulations, Kim Kennedy, from all of us at Electric Conduit Construction and Midwestern Contractors!
About the award
JULIE established the Gina Meehan-Taylor Award in memory of Gina Meehan-Taylor, a dedicated damage prevention professional from Ameren Illinois. She was passionate about protecting underground utilities and actively promoted the vital message of contacting JULIE and using 811 before digging. She also served on JULIE’s board of directors and Public Education Committee.
About Electric Conduit Construction and Midwestern Contractors
Electric Conduit Construction, now in its 64th year, is an employee-owned utility construction company in Elburn specializing in distribution power, fiber optic OSP, cellular infrastructure, and storm and emergency services. Our construction specialties include horizontal directional drilling, open cut, and conduit work. ECC is a leader in utility damage prevention.
Midwestern Contractors, now in its 73rd year, is an oil and gas construction and maintenance contractor with a long-standing record of safe work in areas such as compressor stations, meter and regulation, provers, line lowering, relocation, and integrity services. Its outstanding safety and utility damage prevention record has resulted in customer retention measured in decades